Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Camden McLellan has placed fourth overall at the MXGP of The Netherlands after securing impressive 5-3 results across the two races. McLellan’s teammate, Mikkel Haarup, also performed consistently, placing eighth in the opening race and ninth in race two for eighth overall.

One week on from the rugged Uddevalla circuit in Sweden, the team travelled south to The Netherlands and the challenging race track of Arnhem. A classic sand circuit with its deep holes, huge bumps, and multiple lines choices, it was a completely different challenge for both Camden and Mikkel with both riders adapting well to the soft and unpredictable conditions.

McLellan was certainly back to his best in The Netherlands. Having landed on the overall podium in third at the heavy sand track of Riola Sardo in Sardinia earlier in the year, the South African is clearly capable on soft terrain and kicked off the weekend with sixth in the MX2 Qualifying Race. That result gave Camden a favourable gate pick, which he capitalised on in race one to start in fifth. Briefly moving into fourth on lap two, he dropped back one spot to fifth and maintained his strong position to the finish.

An even better start in the second moto saw McLellan emerge from the frantic opening turns in fourth. Despite being shuffled back to sixth early on, the TF 250-X racer regrouped, charged hard, and worked his way up to third by the end of the moto. His performance equalled his best race result of the season as he narrowly missed out on a trip to the overall podium. In placing fourth in Arnhem, Camden maintains ninth in the MX2 World Championship.

It was a mixed weekend for Haarup in The Netherlands. Fifth in the MX2 Qualifying Race was a strong start but small crashes in both motos prevented the Dane from running up front. With an eighth and a ninth, Mikkel placed eighth overall but slips to sixth in the series standings.

Next weekend, Monster Energy Triumph Racing will complete the third of three back-to-back races on the calendar with a trip to Fraunfeld for the MXGP of Switzerland on August 24-25.

Camden McLellan: “That’s another GP done and it was definitely a tough one with deep sand and lots of bumps out there, but it’s been a really good one for me. By going 5-3, I just missed the podium with fourth but I’m getting back to where I should be, so that’s encouraging for myself and the team. For next weekend, the goal is to be on the box and I’m excited to go racing in Switzerland.”

Mikkel Haarup: “It wasn’t my weekend here in Arnhem. I struggled a little bit and had a couple of small tip overs so it wasn’t the best day for me. In the qualifying race I was solid but I couldn’t quite find that feeling today. But, I’m healthy leaving here and I’m looking forward to Switzerland next weekend.”

Vincent Bereni – Monster Energy Triumph Racing Team Manager: “We knew Arnhem was going to be tough like Lommel a few weeks ago but the bikes and riders performed very well in the sand today. Mikkel had a decent day on Saturday but struggled a little bit today. However, for Camden, he was really strong going 5-3 for fourth overall. He was so close to the podium but he showed today that he has the speed so as a team, we’re looking forward to Switzerland and the remaining rounds of the championship.”

Results – MXGP of The Netherlands

MX2 Race 1

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:22.715
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:23.713
3. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:01.339
4. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 35:07.197
5. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 35:10.463
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 35:12.914
8. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35:16.526

MX2 Race 2

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:53.715
2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 35:27.406
3. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 35:28.146
4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:40.165
5. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 35:41.080
6. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 35:47.013
9. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 36:09.524

MX2 Overall

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 47pts
2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 43pts
3. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 40pts
4. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 36pts
5. Liam Everts (KTM) 34pts
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 31pts
8. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 25pts

MX2 World Championship Standings

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 777pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 733pts
3. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 676pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 636pts
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 545pts
6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 542pts
9. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 315pts