Weeks of stormy weather leading into the British Grand Prix worked in favour of the fast and flowing Matterley Basin circuit. The rain made for a softer, ruttier, more technical track surface, which provided plenty of opportunities for the riders to make passes.
After a big crash in the first practice session, Geerts bounced back in Timed Practice as the pacesetter, followed by a solid third place finish in the first Qualifying Race of the new season.
The ‘93’ got off to a decent start in the first race and made a few strong passes to complete the opening lap in fifth position. On lap 3, he stormed down the inside of Kay de Wolf for fourth, but crashed soon after and dropped back to ninth.
Geerts regrouped and charged hard through the pack, showing great speed and determination while picking off some of his closest rivals to finish fourth after a stunning last-lap pass on Stephen Rubini.
The second moto was much better and even though the temperature had dropped significantly, and the sun was low, he rode superbly on his YZ250FM, starting outside of the top-five but quickly moving up into third. Experience has taught him the championship is long and taking good points at round one is essential. The ‘93’ managed his race well, taking his time to find the fastest lines before mounting an attack on the race leaders.
Tom Vialle fell from the three-way battle with two-laps to go, leaving Geerts to challenge Simon Laengenfelder for the final race victory. Despite an incredible last-lap charge, Laengenfelder refused to yield, forcing the Yamaha star to settle for second.
For full results from the MXGP of Great Britain, click here.
From Matterley Basin, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team will travel to Mantova, Italy, for the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which will take place on March 5th and 6th.
