A very impressive start to the 2024 MX2 championship by Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s factory rider, Mikkel Haarup, who scored a podium finish in round one in Argentina, with 19-5-2 scores from the weekend, and then picked up 11th overall in Spain with 5-5-17 finishes over the weekend. Now with 64 points to his name and sixth in the MX2 championship points, you just know that he will be looking at getting some momentum in the coming months.
The Danish charger has always been known as a solid Grand Prix performer, but with the backing from Triumph and a team set-up that clearly suits his character, he could very easily be the surprise of the 2024 MX2 World Championship.
“Yeah,” Haarup said. “It’s been a really amazing start to the season! A podium is perfect and a great way to start the year for myself, and Monster Energy Triumph Racing. My qualifying race was not so good, but I knew that I had the speed to run in the top three today. All through the off-season we have been building and building and what we’ve achieved in Argentina, is the result of a lot of hard work by everyone involved. I felt comfortable on the bike all weekend and that was really important on a tricky track like that. We’ve shown what this bike is capable of and overall, I was really happy with my performance.”
While a bike issue in the second race in Spain cost him serious points, he is still sixth in the MX2 championship points and will be excited to return to Sardinia for the next round and improve on his consistency.
“That’s round two here in Spain done and dusted. I felt strong all weekend and I was consistent on both days here. I had a great jump off the gate in race one and went for the holeshot but just missed out. It was then a long fight to the end and I was able to finish fifth. In the second race we had a small problem with the bike although I was able to collect some points. We look forward to the next round and another chance to show what we can do.”
A handful of points behind fifth placed rider, Thibault Benistant, you can be sure that Haarup will use his sand track skills and want to move into fifth place in the series points. If he can produce anything like the two opening motos in Argentina and Spain, then he will be very capable of moving up the series points standings.
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Photo Credit: Ray Archer