2024 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations
Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Mikkel Haarup has placed a hard-fought fourth overall in the MX2 class at the 2024 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Great Britain. Competing for Team Denmark aboard his TF 250-X machine, Haarup narrowly missed out on a top-three finish by two points, while Camden McLellan, racing for Team South Africa, placed 11th in MX2 despite crashing out of race two.
Matterley Basin in Great Britain hosted the 77th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Heavy rain in the lead up to the race resulted in a technical race track, with intermittent drizzle adding to the challenge on Sunday. As the event marked a home race for Triumph, it added even more prestige for the brand and the Monster Energy Triumph Racing team, who travelled to the UK to compete for the first time.
As the lead rider for Team Denmark, Haarup was eager to impress. In the MX2 Qualifying Heat, he placed eighth, and with his teammates Mads Fredsoe and Nicolai Skovbjerg also delivering strong results in their races, the Danish team went through to the main races.
The opening race on Sunday saw the MX2 and MXGP classes combined. From a mid-pack start, Haarup reached as high as 15th before a fall dropped him down to 25th. With plenty of time left on the clock, the Dane began carving his way through the pack, passing rivals on both 250cc and 450cc machinery to reach 13th by race end and classify as the third MX2 class rider. An exceptional result given his early race incident.