Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP leapt back into action earlier on, as the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship resumed following a hiatus of three weeks. The Grand Prix of Turkey, held at the Afyon track that first appeared on the schedule in 2018, hosted round eight of the current campaign. The race was run in pleasant conditions, with sunshine and temperatures as high as 30 degrees.
Jeremy Seewer was tenacious on the Afyon circuit, despite failing to place his YZ450FM into the top ten in timed qualifying. A poor position on the starting line restricted him out of the gate in the first moto, but he still managed to complete the first lap in tenth and then he put his head down from there. Seewer climbed up to seventh by the time that the chequered flag waved, a respectable result given his starting position.
The second moto was almost a carbon copy of the first for Seewer – he started tenth and moved to seventh at the chequered flag. The consistent scorecard left him in sixth overall on the day and helped him maintain sixth in the series standings. 40 points separate Seewer from a spot inside of the top five with a lot of racing left to go.
Glenn Coldenhoff showed flashes of podium potential throughout the day but struggled to turn that into a top-five finish. Coldenhoff ran as high as third in moto one, before reaching the finish in eighth place. The second moto was not quite as positive as he had hoped, thanks to a crash on lap eight, but he still managed to take eleventh for eighth overall on the day. Coldenhoff is still sat in eighth in the championship standings, with just three measly points separating him from the rider in seventh.
Ben Watson had a challenging day on the fast-paced track, as crashes and mediocre starts hindered him in the results column. Watson was charging forwards in sixteenth in moto one before a fall, caused by another rider, pushed him to the back. A point was still secured in that encounter – he climbed back up to twentieth and then took nineteenth after another incident in moto two. Watson is still tenth in the series standings and looking forward to making progress at round nine.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP crew will stay in Afyonkarahisar now, as the same circuit is set to host round nine of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship on Wednesday.
Jeremy Seewer: “I pulled two amazing starts and was there with the front guys. I think that I would have been battling for the holeshot in both races, if I was on the inside. I just did not feel good this morning. I’m still not where I want to be, but I pulled off two okay motos. I got some decent points. I just need to give my body some time.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “My day started good. I got second in time practice and felt good. The track was still very wet and I like those conditions. In the first moto, I got arm pump on lap two and rode tight. It went from bad to worse. I started in third and ended up finishing eighth, which was not good. We tried to work on some things before the second moto. It definitely worked out better and I was feeling quite okay in the second race. I could keep the pace with the front guys, but then I made a small crash. I pushed really hard in the end, but the track is very one-lined. Everyone was taking this line, which made it very difficult to make some passes.”
Ben Watson: “I have not enjoyed today, if I am honest. Even from the first lap I did on this track I did not like it, but what option did I have? It’s the same for everyone. I needed to get over that feeling and work with it. I changed a lot of things today because, honestly, I didn’t feel like I could do worse. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a connection with the track and it was hard to enjoy when you are riding in a position that is not where you should be. I know it’s my problem, and I need to work on this personally and do better on Wednesday. It’s that simple.”
news
