Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux put in an incredible ride at the 17th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Afyonkarahisar as he powered his YZ450FM to an astonishing podium finish – his first since his return from injury. At the same time, Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer did their best to salvage points after a turbulent day of racing. Coldenhoff fought to seventh overall, while Seewer recovered from a heavy fall to finish eighth.
After rain disrupted the day on Saturday, the track crew worked tirelessly to prepare the hard-packed clay circuit for an action-packed Grand Prix on Sunday. Renaux got off to a top-five start in Race One and showed that he is making good progress in his return to form. The Yamaha ace charged forward from fifth and made a couple of brilliant passes on his charge to an incredible third-place finish.
Coldenhoff, however, was forced to get creative with his line selection as he diced his way through the field after a mid-pack start. The Dutchman kept chipping away at the riders ahead of him and put in a spirited ride to cross the line sixth.
At the same time, Seewer got off to a brilliant start but fell when another rider made a mistake and hit him. The Swiss star then had to start from the back of the pack but ran a mind-blowing pace as he executed some phenomenal passes on his way to eighth.
Going into Race Two, Renaux remained focused on securing a piece of podium silverware. The fiery Frenchman got off to a blistering start and maintained second position from start to finish to end the weekend on the third step of the podium.
At the same time, Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha’s Calvin Vlaanderen powered his YZ450FM to a 4-5 scorecard for fourth overall.
In contrast, Coldenhoff and Seewer faced more adversity in the final race. Seewer high-sided at turn one while challenging Tim Gajser for the Fox Holeshot, leading to an incident that pushed Coldenhoff back to the 14th spot as he braked to evade the carnage. As a result, both riders had to work hard to make passes at the fast-paced and one-lined Afyon venue.
After battling illness for the past 10-days, Coldenhoff had to dig deep as he fought back to eighth, whereas Seewer was fortunate to come away from his fall unscathed and delivered an exceptional performance to fight back to 10th.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team now looks forward to the penultimate round of the season, which will take place in Maggiora, Italy, on the weekend of September 17th.
