Lommel's demanding sand pushes riders to their limits and tends to favour riders that were born in Belgium and The Netherlands.
In the premier class, Coldenhoff powered his YZ450FM to a top three start chasing the championship leader Jorge Prado and teammate Jeremy Seewer around turn one. After making a quick pass of Seewer, Coldenhoff put in a thrilling performance as he challenged Prado for the lead and ultimately made the race winning pass with three laps remaining. Despite a fierce effort, Seewer fell from third on the final lap and finished fourth.
Determined to please the home crowd, Geerts masterfully navigated the sand despite the challenge of the recently overhauled Lommel track. The 23-year-old Belgian ace effortlessly powered his YZ250FM to an epic start-to-finish victory. At the same time, Rick Elzinga put up a fierce fight on the gruelling sand to clinch eighth place, while Thibault Benistant did his best to overcome some of the challenges that have stemmed from his heavy fall a week ago — to secure 14th.
Adding to the excitement of double pole positions for Yamaha, Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250's Ivano Van Erp made an outstanding debut in MX2. In his first pro-ranks attempt, Van Erp claimed his first-ever MX2 World Championship point with a top-ten finish in Qualifying. He was 10th.
Underlining Yamaha’s competitive presence in the FIM Motocross World Championship, which was bolstered by the full-time arrival of its iconic YZ in 1974, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 squads, sporting the classic white and pink livery which honours the YZ's 50-year legacy, has only enhanced the thrill of the MXGP of Flanders.