Overnight rain and cloudy skies made for a damp yet enjoyable start to the day. Coldenhoff instantly gelled with the track and posted the fifth-fastest time with a 1:44.521, fractionally quicker than Seewer, who posted a 1:44.579 for sixth. Watson achieved his best gate-pick of the 2021 season. His best time was a 1:45.955, which was good enough for 16th.
Building on a good start in the opening race of the day, Coldenhoff proved his place at the front of the field as he challenged Antonio Cairoli for a place inside the top-three. Unfortunately, as the track started to dry, it created one fast ‘race line,’ making it difficult to pass. Nevertheless, he still put in an impressive ride, holding off the current championship leader Tim Gajser for the entire race to finish fourth.
Meanwhile, Seewer had to push forward from outside of the top-10 to finish eighth, after edging his young teammate Watson who came home in ninth.
The second race was hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms, making the typically fast, hard-pack track much slower, rougher and muddier. Although it was a wet and messy affair, the tricky terrain favoured Coldenhoff, who used his smooth and precise riding style to challenge the race and Grand Prix victory. The ‘259’ was impressive aboard his YZ450FM, leading the first 11-laps before losing the lead to the 2018 MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings with five minutes left on the clock.
Struggling with some minor health issues, Seewer felt great around the spectacular Italian track but suffered from a lack of energy in both races. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old Swiss rider was happy to salvage two eighth place finishes for eighth overall. At the same time, Watson was pleased to post more solid points with an 11th place finish as he continues to gain experience inside the premier class.
Seewer remains sixth in the MXGP World Championship classification, 11-points shy of the top-five and 4-points clear of Coldenhoff, who gained two positions to move up to seventh. Watson took another leap up the leader board and is now 12th.
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in Oss, The Netherlands, on July 18th.
