Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer stormed to an emphatic Grand Prix win at the MXGP of France, round 10 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Ernee. The Swiss rider was sensational in both races, going 1-2 for the overall victory, while teammate Glenn Coldenhoff bounced back from a mistake-ridden 12th in Race 1 with a stunning victory in Race 2 for third overall. French fan-favourite Maxime Renaux ended the Grand Prix eighth overall after two challenging races, in which he finished ninth and sixth. Seewer and Coldenhoff’s success marks a third consecutive Grand Prix win and a double podium finish for Yamaha.
The FIM Motocross World Championship returned to Ernee, France, for the first time since 2017, and the welcome sight of 39,000 loud and enthusiastic French fans. After a storm-struck Saturday, the grim weather subsided overnight and left the old-school clay circuit in excellent condition for the Grand Prix today.
Eager to impress, Seewer showed an incredible return to form and his true potential in Race 1. The ‘91’ started behind his closest championship rival, Jorge Prado, and made a stunning pass with two laps remaining for his first race win of 2022.
In contrast, Renaux and Coldenhoff were both faced with the task of making endless passes on their way back from a first-turn crash. Renaux managed ninth after stopping to fix a twisted wheel, while Coldenhoff had a crash-infested opening lap and ended up 12th.
A fast and busy start to the second and final race of the day had all three Factory YZ450FMs inside the top five at the end of lap-1. Coldenhoff and Seewer challenged Prado for the lead, as Renaux got nudged back to sixth by the championship leader Tim Gajser.
After a few frantic laps, Coldenhoff made a bold pass on Prado and charged to his first race win of the season, while Seewer made a thrilling pass for second in the final throws.
Challenged with an extremely rutty and demanding track inside a steep valley in Ernee, and one that is more or less unfamiliar to him despite being French, ‘The Rookie, Renaux, struggled to find his rhythm. After a few minor mistakes, he eventually ended the race sixth but has retained second position in the MXGP Championship Standings with a 26-point advantage over his teammate, Seewer, in third. Coldenhoff remains fifth.
Yamaha is now second in the Manufacturer’s Standings and within 2-points of the lead.
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place next weekend, June 11th and 12th, in Teutschenthal, Germany.
Jeremy Seewer
MXGP of France Winner, 47-points
3rd MXGP Championship Standings, 339-points
“I feel super! I felt at one stage I could have gone 1-1 because that would be amazing. I had the speed, but then two laps to go, I thought I would be stupid to throw the GP win away. I really loved it; we finally found that little bit extra we needed. I already felt it yesterday; I felt it coming. I could ride fast here, very fast and confident, and I was happy I could show that today. Now I hope I can keep going like this.”
Glenn Coldenhoff
MXGP of France, 34-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 306-points
“This weekend was actually quite good; already in practice yesterday, I was there with the times. Today was a good day, although the first moto was really bad. I don’t know what I was doing, but I was four times on the ground in the first couple of laps. Still, good speed and came home with 12th. Even in between the races, we thought the podium could never happen, maybe only if I win, and I did that. I am really pumped to be back on the podium, even if the first moto was definitely not where I want to be, but another back-to-back podium, it’s great!”
Maxime Renaux
8th MXGP of France, 27-points
2nd MXGP Championship Standings, 365-points
“Tough weekend here at my home GP. Two average, or actually for me ‘bad’ motos, starting with a crash in the first race because another rider didn’t brake. Then I had to stop because I had a bent wheel, so I had to put it straight, and then that moto was just a struggle. Second moto, I had a bad start and couldn’t find my rhythm or my flow on the track, so just a tough day for me.”
