Kay de Wolf
| Kay de Wolf | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Dutch |
| Born | 29 September 2004 Valkenswaard, Netherlands |
| Motocross career | |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Teams |
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| Championships |
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| Wins |
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Kay de Wolf (born 29 September 2004)[1] is a Dutch professional Motocross racer. de Wolf has competed in the Motocross World Championships since 2021 in the MX2 class.[2] He is the reigning FIM World Motocross Champion in the MX2 class.
He won his first Grand Prix in Latvia in 2023 and has represented Netherlands twice at the Motocross des Nations. de Wolf's most recent appearance at the event was in 2024, where he was part of the team that finished third overall. In addition, he won his individual class overall at the same event.
Domestically, he is a two-time champion in the Dutch Masters of Motocross series.
Career
[edit]Junior career
[edit]In 2017, he finished seventh overall in the 85cc class in the FIM Motocross Junior World Championship. de Wolf was able to finish second in the 85cc class in both the 2018 and World Championship in 2018. A crash in the first race meant that de Wolf's second race win was not enough for the title in the European Championship, whilst a 2–6 scorecard placed him in the runner-up spot in the World Championship.[3]
On the back of his results aboard an 85, de Wolf was signed by Husqvarna Motorcycles to compete aboard a 125 in the 2019 European Motocross Championship.[4] de Wolf would immediately show his sand riding skills by placing second in race two at round one of the series. His first overall podium would come at the second round of the series, with sixth overall being his final championship position. Being more of a sand specialist, the hardpack terrain in Italy for that year's Junior World Championship would see him finish thirteenth overall in the 125 class. Domestically, de Wolf won his first Dutch Masters of Motocross title in the 125 class.
250 career
[edit]Continuing his rapid rise up the ranks, de Wolf moved up to the EMX250 class in 2020. He again proved himself to be able to adapt to the new class quickly, finishing fourth in the final standings and picking up two overall podiums.
After these results across the European Championships, de Wolf joined Husqvarna's factory team in the MX2 class of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship. de Wolf was immediately a top-ten finisher on debut and by round four recorded his first pole position, race top-three and overall podium at Oss. Two rounds later, once again in sandy conditions in Lommel, de Wolf recorded his second pole position. This was followed up by a third place in race one and taking a start-to-finish victory in race two, for second overall.[5] The rest of the season saw de Wolf finish consistently in the top-10 and pick up two more podiums on the way to seventh in the final standings.
de Wolf repeated his race win at Lommel the following year. Once again it was good enough for second overall at that Grand Prix, which was accompanied by 3 other podiums across the season. He missed three Grand Prix due to a hand injury sustained from being hit by a motorist whilst cycling.[6] Sixth in the final MX2 standings was followed by his debut for Netherlands at the 2022 Motocross des Nations. He went on to win his first Grand Prix overall during the 2023 season in Latvia, winning both races in the process. This allowed him to become the leader of the World Championship for this first time in his career.[7] This lead would only last one round however, with an ankle injury sustained in a training crash meaning that he lost the lead at the following round. He continued to race with the injury due to his championship position, but a heavy fall in training leading up to the Belgian round caused him to miss the following four rounds and drop out of contention. de Wolf returned for the final two rounds of the season, wrapping up sixth in the final standings and competing in the 2023 Motocross des Nations. Domestically, de Wolf became Dutch Masters of Motocross champion in the 250 class.
He carried on his championship-leading pre-injury form into the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship, winning the first three Grand Prix of the season. This would set up a season-long battle with his teammate Lucas Coenen for the title in the MX2 class. Despite several notable crashes for de Wolf and a fierce rivalry with Coenen, he took four further overall wins and clinched his first world championship at the final round in Spain.[8] Following this, he represented his country at the 2024 Motocross des Nations where Netherlands finished third overall as a team and he won the MX2 class individually. A week later, he raced in the final round of the Dutch National Motocross Championship in the MX1 class, where he won the opening race ahead of five-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings.
Honours
[edit]
FIM Motocross World Championship
- MX2: 2024
FIM Motocross Junior World Championship
- 85cc: 2018
European Motocross Championship
- 85cc: 2018
Dutch Masters of Motocross
MXGP Results
[edit]| Year | Rnd 1 |
Rnd 2 |
Rnd 3 |
Rnd 4 |
Rnd 5 |
Rnd 6 |
Rnd 7 |
Rnd 8 |
Rnd 9 |
Rnd 10 |
Rnd 11 |
Rnd 12 |
Rnd 13 |
Rnd 14 |
Rnd 15 |
Rnd 16 |
Rnd 17 |
Rnd 18 |
Rnd 19 |
Rnd 20 |
Average Finish |
Podium Percent |
Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 MX2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 3 | Ret | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 4 | 4 | - | 4.85 | 36% | 6th |
| 2024 MX2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.70 | 60% | 1st |
References
[edit]- ^ "Kay de Wolf Bio". mxgp.com. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Kay de Wolf". mxgpresults.com. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Interview: Kay de Wolf on Loket and his future – 125cc!". gatedrop.com. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES WELCOME JED BEATON AND KAY DE WOLF". Husqvarna Racing. mxgp.com. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Remember this name: Kay De Wolf; 16 year old rider makes his debut on the wins at MX2". Fábio Fialho. motorcyclesports.net. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "KAY DE WOLF SUFFERS BROKEN HAND IN CYCLING ACCIDENT, OUT FOR MXGP OF SARDEGNA". Press Release. racerxonline.com. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Herlings and Kay de Wolf top MXGP of Latvia". Motorcycle News. mcnews.com.au. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "KAY DE WOLF CLINCHES THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WHILE COENEN IS VICTORIOUS AT THE MXGP OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA". Infront Moto Racing. mxgp.com. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.