Full of energy after a historic event at the Grand Prix of Finland, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP hit the penultimate round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship today. The Grand Prix of Charente Maritime, run at St. Jean d’Angely, hosted the race and thousands of spectators, who were keen to see Maxime Renaux in action at his home event.
Jeremy Seewer was the star of the Grand Prix of Charente Maritime – his intentions were rather clear from the very start of the round. Setting the fastest lap times in practice and the qualifying heat, he put that speed to good use in moto one. Clinching the holeshot aboard his YZ450FM, thanks to the impressive power delivery, he was faultless for the duration and raced to yet another moto victory. ’91’ was then locked into an intense battle for much of moto two and ultimately finished in third, just two seconds behind the eventual winner, which put him second in the overall classification. In addition, Seewer clinched second in the championship standings with a round to spare.
Maxime Renaux was a threat for a spot on the podium all weekend. ‘959’ was desperately trying to progress to fourth in moto one, but made a couple of small mistakes and ultimately had to settle for fifth place. The second moto was redemption though; he was locked into the fight for the lead with his teammate and two other riders. Although he ended fourth, he pushed the top three all of the way to the end. A consistent 5-4 scorecard meant that he secured fifth in the overall classification.
Struggling to execute his starts on the fast track that many stars struggled to progress on, Glenn Coldenhoff found himself facing a mountainous challenge each time. Charging from eighth on lap one up to sixth made for an impressive first moto, but the second moto was even more challenging. ‘259’ ended the opening lap down in eleventh place and clawed his way to eighth by the time that the chequered flag waved. Coldenhoff is now fourth in the championship standings, just four points from the rider in third.
There is a small break in the calendar now. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will embrace a weekend off and then tackle the grand finale, the Grand Prix of Turkey, on September 04.
Jeremy Seewer: “Being second today is a little bit disappointing, because I felt like I could have won this GP or gone 1-1. Sometimes racing goes your way and sometimes it does not. I had a strong race in the first moto, and I was also strong in the second race too. It was just hard to pass out there and I did not manage to make it happen. Tim [Gajser] just rode really smart and, in the end, I made a bad line choice and he got me. I am feeling really good at the moment, and I am happy to finish this year second after a few tough rounds at the start of the season. I am very happy with where I am at.”
Maxime Renaux: “I made some improvements over the weekend, but I do feel a little bit disappointed because it’s a home GP for me and you always want to perform in front of the home fans. I did not have the best feeling on the track yesterday, but I managed to bounce back quite well today. Fifth and fourth in the motos is quite a decent result, but still disappointed to miss the podium. Still, I will take the experience and bank it to put together a strong title campaign next year.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “I felt alright here in St. Jean d’Angely, but the start is everything at this track. I missed the start in both races and that cost me a lot of points. I am really disappointed about that. I think I dropped to fourth in the championship, so now I have to really go for it in Turkey. I really want that championship medal.”
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