The Wilvo Yamaha MXGP team had a turbulent outing at the Grand Prix of Switzerland, which was held at the relatively-new circuit of Frauenfeld-Gachnang this past weekend. An abundance of Swiss fans, who were eager to catch a glimpse of Arnaud Tonus in action or claim a valuable souvenir, visited the awning over the course of the weekend.
Arnaud Tonus was immediately a factor in the premier division on Saturday. A series of consistent laps were recorded in the various practice sessions, much to the delight of those in attendance, and then he used all of the power within his 2018 YZ450F to start inside of the top five in the qualifying heat. Tonus was quick to make progress, as he jumped up to fourth after just a couple of laps and started to focus on a position in the top three. That gap was too large to overcome, however, so he was forced to settle for fourth. It was quite clear that he had the speed to achieve so much more though.
Although Arnaud Tonus did not quite grab the holeshot in the first of two MXGP motos, his intensity through the first couple of turns was unmatched. #4 claimed the lead by the time that the riders exited turn two and caused the fans to erupt with excitement. Intense pressure was applied by his competitors, as the class that he contests is so fierce, but he remained focused for the duration and led every single lap. The first moto win of his career was acquired at the end of the thirty-minute moto and the focus immediately turned to race two.
A poor start hindered Tonus in the second moto, but he did well to enter the top ten after just one full lap. A crash on a technical section of the track meant that he was unable to continue, however, and he was later diagnosed with an injury to the collarbone area. A timeline on his recovery has not yet been determined, but an update will be provided in the coming days.
The Grand Prix contingent will now travel straight to Sweden for round sixteen of the current campaign. Shaun Simpson, who has been out with an injury since the Grand Prix of Lombardia, is expected to return at the event.
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