Defending MX2 world champion Simon Laengenfelder has experienced an up-and-down 2026 season, but a P2 overall finish at the MXGP of South Africa has the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider back on track. In this Debrief feature, the 22-year-old reflects on the weekend and opens up about the major changes made behind the scenes.

Image: Supplied.

On the podium in South Africa

We made a few changes and brought a few new people into the team. That definitely helped me a lot to bring that intensity and fire back that I’ve been struggling with over the past few races, especially in the second moto. This weekend I was there again, so I’m super-happy about that, the qualifying race win, the three really good starts, and the weekend overall.

Working with Marc de Reuver

Yeah, let’s say he’s on fire, he’s open, [laughs]. It changes things, for sure. Like I said, you need to come to the races and be best friends with the people around you. You need to work perfectly together, everybody needs to push hard, and you need to want the best for each other. That’s just so important, and I think he’s a great guy to have in the team now.

Image: Supplied.

Racing at Foxhill next

I’m sad they took Matterley away because that was always a weekend where I knew the track suited me perfectly. I’ve seen some pictures and videos from Foxhill and it looks good. It actually looks really steep in some places, but I guess we’ll see when we get there.