Geerts Secures Second Overall at Spanish Grand Prix & Extends MX2 Championship Lead

07-05-2023

Geerts Secures Second Overall at Spanish Grand Prix & Extends MX2 Championship Lead

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2's Jago Geerts powered his YZ250FM to second overall at the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Madrid, Spain. As a result, the Belgian has strengthened his position at the top of the MX2 World Championship Standings and now holds a 48-point lead. At the same time, Thibault Benistant rounded out the top five, while Rick Elzinga rounded out the top 10.

In the opening race of the weekend, Geerts made an extraordinary charge from outside the top-10 to second place. Despite his rapid pace, the Belgian ultimately finished behind Simon Laengenfelder after spending 15 minutes of the race weaving through the pack.

While advancing through the field, Geerts passed teammates Benistant and Elzinga, both of whom started up front. Benistant led the opening lap after pulling the holeshot but lost his rhythm near the end of the race and ultimately claimed third. Elzinga, meanwhile, faced some health issues that caused him to lose momentum. He eventually faded to 13th.

Focusing on the long-term goal for his 2023 MX2 title charge, Geerts approached Race Two with maturity. He started in the top two and pursued Laengenfelder for a few laps before opting to stay safe and collect solid points. Geerts finished second, despite a small tip-over on the final lap, further strengthening his position at the top of the standings.

Benistant began Race Two in fourth place but finished fifth after a minor mistake allowed Kay de Wolf to capitalize. Elzinga made a small improvement and finished 10th.

Following the MXGP of Spain, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team will head back to Belgium for a well-deserved break before travelling to Villars Sous Ecot, France, for the seventh round of the series, scheduled for the weekend of May 21st.

Click here for the results from the MX2 Grand Prix of Spain.

Click here for photos from the MX2 Grand Prix of Spain.

Jago Geerts

2nd MX2 Grand Prix of Spain, 44-points

“The weekend was quite good. In the first race, I didn’t have the best start but still fought back to second, so I would say that it was quite a good race. In the second heat, I was second in the start, but I didn’t feel comfortable on the track, so I didn’t take any risks, but still finished second. I still extended the points lead, so overall I am quite happy.”

Thibault Benistant

5th MX2 Grand Prix of Spain, 36-points

“It was not easy today. I feel like I have been struggling on the hardpack recently, with no feeling with the front end of the bike. This makes it quite tough for me to turn without ruts or on the small bumps. It’s quite frustrating because normally, I am a hard-pack rider; I have been riding on these sorts of tracks my entire life. But we are working on this together with the team, and I am confident we will find a solution soon.”

Rick Elzinga

11th MX2 World Championship Standings, 121-points

“This weekend was okay, I would say. I am still working on my mental strength, and on top of that, I had some stomach cramps and a loss of energy today. This made it difficult. I had a good start in Race One and followed the top five for a bit before the cramps started again. In the second moto, I had another good start and dropped a few positions, but once I was in p.10, I could manage it to the flag, which was a small improvement.”