| Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP returned to Italy this weekend, as the ninth round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship was run at the well-known track of Mantova. The Grand Prix of Lombardia, as it was officially dubbed, gave the factory outfit an opportunity to return to full strength, as Arnaud Tonus jumped back on track after injuring his ankle earlier in the month.
Jeremy Seewer again proved just how competitive he is aboard the YZ450FM in the first premier-class moto. After qualifying in sixth, he rocketed out of the gate and used all of the power within his machine to take the holeshot. Seewer then controlled the race from the front, set the quickest lap by a considerable margin and romped to the moto win. It was the second of his premier-class career. Eight seconds was his gap over the rider in second at the end of the 30-minute stint.
| A mediocre start left Seewer fighting through traffic in the final moto, then a fall pushed him onto the cusp of the top ten. Sixth was the ranking that he secured at the chequered flag, but that eventually turned into a third after three riders were handed penalties for ignoring the waved yellow flags. The scorecard left Seewer with the overall victory, his first on the YZ450FM, and helped him close in on the series leader. Just 16 measly points separate him from the red plate now.
Gautier Paulin once again proved that he has the speed to contend, as he had the second-quickest time in qualifying. A crash in the first corner in moto one left him extremely far behind the rest of the pack, but he charged all of the way up to thirteenth in what was a phenomenal ride. That was followed by another good ride in moto two, as he battled for a spot on the box before eventually crossing the line in fourth. A penalty was later handed out that dropped him to sixth. Ninth overall was his final ranking on the day.
The third guy on Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, Arnaud Tonus, hopes to return to racing on Wednesday. A heavy crash in the first moto forced him to make the wise decision to watch race two from the sidelines. Wednesday will mark round ten of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, that being the Grand Prix of Citta di Mantova.
| Jeremy Seewer: “I am happy with the points I scored. My first moto was one for the books. I took the holeshot and led every lap. You cannot wish for more. It’s all about the starts at this level, but to keep getting holeshots with how fast everyone is… It’s really hard. The second race was not too bad. I was fifth or sixth, so had to make some passes and ended up making a mistake. You need to risk it a bit to make a pass, and it did not work out for me. I want to win, but I am not stressing too much about it. There are still many races to come. It’s a long championship still. It’s awesome to win this GP. It’s not the way I wanted to win, but a win is a win. In a few years, nobody knows [how it happened]. It is a huge milestone in your career to win a MXGP Grand Prix. I would have liked to be on the top of the podium at the end of the race to enjoy it like that, but my thoughts at the moment are with my friend Arminas Jasikonis.”
Gautier Paulin: “Obviously I am happy with today. A result is just a result. It’s a fact that I had a huge crash on the start line of moto one. My fitness is good. In time practice I was second best and very close to making my first pole of the year. I will work on this next time to get it. In the first race it could have been easy for me to give up. My handlebars were bent, my front wheel was not straight, my clutch was out and I had to make a pit-stop. My mechanics fixed it and I went back out and got to thirteenth. This is an insane result with good lap times. In moto two, I was fourth. A bit short, but I didn’t make it. I am really happy with how I was riding today. I know the speed is there and we are still in the game.” |
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