Image: Supplied.

Reigning MXGP world champion Tim Gajser returned to the top step with the overall victory at Afyonkarahisar, while a consistent outing from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts saw him take the MX2 round win in Turkiye as Courtney Duncan claimed her fourth Women’s Motocross World Championship.

After being sidelined through to the MXGP of the Czech Republic due to a broken femur sustained in the pre-season, Gajser scored a 2-1 scorecard despite a fall in the second moto at Afyonkarahisar to mark his first GP victory since making his comeback.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre went second overall for the round with 1-3 results, while Maxime Renaux (Monster Energy Yamaha) completed the top three thanks to 3-2 finishes.

In P4 was Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha’s Calvin Vlaanderen, notching a 4-5 scorecard, as Alberto Forato (KTM) impressed with a 5-7 results for fifth overall.

Despite fast starts, points-leader Jorge Prado (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) ran into early trouble in both motos. He fell in the second corner of moto one and was able to recover to P13, while a technical issue at the same corner in the final moto saw him forced to resume towards the back of the field, able to reach P9 by race-end.

As two rounds remain in the 2023 MXGP World Championship, Prado remains at the head of the points table with 841 points, with Febvre second and 67 points from the red plate.

Image: Supplied.

In MX2, a consistent 3-2 scorecard from Everts saw him bank another round victory, while Kevin Horgmo broke through for victory in race two.

A sixth place for the F&H Kawasaki rider in race one saw him second overall in Turkiye, as Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jago Geerts went 2-4 to complete the overall podium.

Race one winner Simon Laengenfelder (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) finished equal on points with Horgmo and Geerts, but lost out on countback with a P6 finish in race two, as Roan Van De Moosjidk (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) went 4-3 to complete the top five.

Red plate-holder Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) suffered a fall in race one and ultimately rode to a 10-5 scorecard for sixth overall. He now leads the series by 48 points ahead of teammate Everts.

Image: Supplied.

Also competing at Afyonkarahisar was the final round of the 2023 Women’s Motocross World Championship, where Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan clinched her fourth championship in the category. Duncan sealed the title with the round win in Turkiye.

Detailed results