Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer narrowed the gap to the championship top-three after narrowly missing the podium at the eighth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Faenza, Italy. The ‘91’ matched his current position in the championship with fourth overall, while teammate Gautier Paulin finished 11th.
The third of three back-to-back races to take place Faenza, Italy, welcomed spectators for the first time since the start of the global pandemic. While places were limited, the 1000 lucky fans that were permitted to attend were treated to some incredible racing.
A frantic start to the opening race saw Seewer go bar-to-bar with the usual hot-starters, Jorge Prado and Antonio Cairoli, around turn-one. Taking no prisoners on the opening lap, both Seewer and Cairoli collided while vying for the same line in a left-hand turn which instantly gave Prado an advantage. Fortunately, both riders were able to keep their motorcycles upright.
After the slight altercation with Cairoli, Seewer remained focused and eventually managed to break away ever-so-slightly. The ‘91’ quickly launched an attack on Prado to challenge for the lead but was unable to ruffle the Spaniard and eventually crashed while trying to force a pass with three laps remaining.
A quick remount after the spectacular fall allowed Seewer to salvage third position.
An explosive and action-packed second race saw Seewer bounce-back from a mediocre start to challenge a place inside the top-three. The 26-year-old Swiss rider ran a blisteringly fast pace at the start of the race but the effects of three back-to-back Grands Prix, sweltering hot temperatures and six hard-fought races in the space of seven days eventually took its toll and the ‘91’ fell short on energy in the latter stages. He still managed to cross the line in fourth for fourth overall, closing the gap to third in the Championship Standings to 8-points.
Paulin faced the obstacle of 11th gate-pick after a slower rider spoiled his fastest lap in qualifying. The Frenchman responded with two incredible starts. In Race 1, the ‘21’ got off to a top-six start and challenged a place inside the top-five for the first 15-minutes before he lost the front on a steep descent, dabbed his foot and was dramatically pulled off the side of his YZ450FM. He managed to finish 11th after a brave remount.
With the championship leader out of competition for the next three rounds of the season due to injury, the MXGP title chase is wide open. This gives the all of the riders an added edge which makes for incredible racing. Paulin started well in the second and final race but was quickly shuffled from third position back to ninth in the hustle and bustle of a frantic first lap. From there, the Frenchman also suffered the effects of the newly revised, compact schedule that allows minimal time for recovery and was unable to find his usual form. He had to settle for ninth position and is now ninth in the MXGP Championship Standings.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Arnaud Tonus severely sprained his left ankle at the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship here in Faenza one-week ago. The 28-year-old Swiss rider attempted to race the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna but was unable to bear the pain and withdrew after 1-lap of Free Practice.
The next stop on the MXGP calendar will be in Mantova, Italy, where the MXGP and MX2 Championships will race another three back-to-back Grands Prix in the space of a week. The three events, rounds nine, ten and eleven of the FIM Motocross World Championship, will take place on Sunday 27th and Wednesday 30th September with the third round of the Lombardian triple-header set to take place on October 4th.
For full results from the MXGP of Emilia Romagna, click here.
Jeremy Seewer
4th MXGP of Emilia-Romagna, 38-points
4th MXGP World Championship, 255-points
“First moto I had a decent start. I had some bar-banging with Tony (Cairoli), luckily we didn’t crash and I won it. I followed (Jorge) Prado for the whole moto and I struggled to pass. He made it very difficult and I couldn’t make a pass stick. I pushed, but I lost all of my energy doing so, and then I crashed because I hit the limit. I didn’t make a mistake really, it was just something that can happen in racing. I still managed third. In the second race I got stuck behind Prado again, but I could make a pass stick this time but I already lost some ground. Honestly, I felt a bit empty. I used a lot of energy in the first race battling for the win, and it just took it out of me. It’s a bummer to miss the podium, but I have taken good points for the championship, and I have no injuries and stuff so that is positive. Now it’s time to recover and keep pushing.”
Gautier Paulin
11th MXGP of Emilia-Romagna, 22-points
9th MXGP World Championship, 201-points
“In the first moto I went to pass a lapped rider and took a different line which was like concrete because it was so hard, so I lost the front and hit the ground. I lost a lot of time, so I was really disappointed. Last Sunday I had that big crash and I lost a lot of energy from it, so I really felt it in the second moto. I was really pushing but I was lacking a bit of energy. Now my main focus will be to recover and to check that my health is in order, and to recover fully and be fit and ready for Mantova. Overall, I am pretty disappointed with these three rounds in Faenza. The first one was okay, you could really see the real Gautier riding, but I had that big crash and I haven’t really recovered. I am ready to do some recovery, I am ready to get back to work, to continue training, and to be 100% when I get behind the gate in Mantova.”
