A stone’s throw from the team workshop, round fourteen of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship was held in the bottomless sand of Lommel. The Grand Prix of Flanders, as the event was officially dubbed, was a true test of both man and machine, but the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP trio handled that challenge well.
Pole position was secured by Jeremy Seewer for the second week in succession; he ripped to a commanding win in the qualification heat and set the tone for Sunday’s motos. ’91’ was in the mix for the win in the first point-paying stint as well, as he sat as high as second before a crash relegated him to sixth at the chequered flag. A mediocre start and mistake early in the second moto threatened to cost him dearly, but he managed to rebound in the latter stages when fitness played a factor and salvage fifth. Fifth overall at the Grand Prix was the reward for that hard work.
The top scorer on the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP squad was actually Glenn Coldenhoff, almost unbelievably. Coldenhoff was struggling with a sickness across the weekend and soldiered on in such brutal conditions. The fact that he simply raced was a testament to his grit and determination. Finishing fourth in moto one was brilliant, but nothing compared to his ride in the second moto. ‘259’ moved into the lead in the early stages and controlled the race from there. An emotional moto victory put him third overall in the final classification!
Still working his way back to full fitness after his back injury in late June, Maxime Renaux fought hard in the deep sand and secured a good haul of points. 5-6 scores left him in sixth overall, tied with his teammate in fifth, and helped him maintain his bid for a top three ranking in the final championship standings. ‘959’ sits in fourth at the moment, just twenty-three points from the rider in third place.
After a tough day at work, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP squad will take advantage of a break in the calendar now. The 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship is set to resume with the Grand Prix of Sweden on August 07.
Glenn Coldenhoff: “It’s been a tough week. I have been sick and did not do anything all week. Normally when you go into a GP in Lommel, you are prepared and confident that you can win. I did not feel like that this time. My energy was low. I knew I had to preserve my energy in race one or I would have nothing left for race two. I managed to still finish fourth and knew that with a little bit of luck I could still take the overall win, but it did not happen that way. I have to be happy and to take a moto win here in Lommel is also pretty special.”
Jeremy Seewer: “I did all the work today to be on the podium. I was one of the fastest out there, but I did not manage to put the puzzle together. The track today was completely different to yesterday. Yesterday was a cruise on the beach compared to today. I knew it would be tough. Looking at the positives, I had two really good starts and my speed was okay, but I made some mistakes at really crucial moments. My fitness was good; I felt great at the end of the race and could make some passes when the other riders were tired. Still, I am happy with my riding and I also collected good points for the championship.”
Maxime Renaux: “It was a tough round, as we expected. Lommel is Lommel and that’s all we need to say; I think everyone except the Dutch and Belgian riders suffered. For me, it was quite a struggle. I tried really hard to make the switch in my head to turn it around in the races, and I kind of managed to do that. I rode pretty well with good pace for fifth and sixth, and just tried to make the most of a difficult day. It was not the best weekend, but we are still here and still charging after a podium finish in the championship.”
news
