The MXGP of The Netherlands in the sand of Arnhem marked an exciting round 16 of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Following up his impressive qualifying race win, Glenn Coldenhoff clinched both holeshots on his Fantic XXF 450 and went 3-4 for fourth overall.
The MXGP of The Netherlands got off to a phenomenal start for Fantic with Glenn Coldenhoff winning Saturday’s MXGP qualifying race in front of his home fans. Leading from start to finish, he made history for the Italian brand by securing the first-ever victory for the Fantic XXF 450 in the World Championship.
Lining up from pole on Sunday, “The Hoff” continued his impressive form. He delivered yet another rocket start in race 1 to briefly take the lead before settling into second for most of the moto. In the final laps, Coldenhoff had to give up a spot to a hard-charging Jeffrey Herlings. The Fantic Factory rider attempted to regain second place from Jorge Prado but couldn’t get close enough to make a pass, eventually finishing in third.
Coldenhoff kept his holeshot streak alive in race 2, leading the way for the first three laps before slipping to fourth. As Tim Gajser made a mistake with four laps remaining, the fight for the podium was on. Despite his best efforts, Coldenhoff came up just short, crossing the finish line in a close fourth place. In the GP classification, Coldenhoff’s 3-4 score put him fourth overall, tight on points with third place.
For Brian Bogers, it was a challenging home GP. The 27-year-old Dutchman had to deal with the aftermath of his heavy get off at the MXGP of Sweden in the previous week and couldn’t fully showcase his usual sand riding skills. In the qualifying heat, Bogers battled it out in the middle of the pack to finish 13th. Despite struggling with muscle pain and stiff riding, he fought hard in Sunday’s races to score solid points with a pair of twelfth-place finishes for 12th overall.
Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a really nice weekend, and I really enjoyed this one. Looking back at Saturday with the qualifying race win at home, the crowd was so behind me. The biggest positive this weekend was definitely my starts, with three holeshots. That was amazing. When I took the holeshot in the second moto, I gave it my all, trying to open a gap, but the guys were pushing hard and were a bit faster at that moment. Even though I tried to follow them, they were slowly pulling away. In the end, I found a better rhythm – and especially after Gajser’s mistake, I knew I needed to pass him for the podium. I gave it my all. It is such a shame to miss out on the podium. I think we deserved it, and it would have been amazing in front of the home crowd, but still, it was a really positive weekend. Even though I am a bit disappointed with fourth overall, I think it was great for the fans and the whole team. We took a big step forward, and we will keep building. I can’t wait for next week, we will have another go.”
Brian Bogers: “It was a tough weekend. I think I underestimated the aftermath of the crash in Sweden. I felt it all week, but it actually got a bit worse over the weekend. I was sore, but I think I made the best of it. This is definitely not where I want to be, especially since we were in the sand and at my home GP. But I did my best. We will try to heal up this week and aim for better results next weekend.”
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