Magnificent Maxime Makes MXGP Podium in Mantova

06-03-2022

Magnificent Maxime Makes MXGP Podium in Mantova

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s rookie sensation, Maxime Renaux, made his first MXGP-class podium appearance at the MXGP of Lombardia, round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship, after two incredible top-three finishes for second overall. At the same time, Jeremy Seewer proved he had the pace to challenge the leaders but had his result spoiled by crashes in both races. Nevertheless, he regrouped for fifth overall. Glenn Coldenhoff felt ‘off’ all day and finished 17th overall.

Utilizing all the torque and power that the YZ450FM has on offer, all three Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP riders rocketed out of the gate in the opening race of the day. Seewer was initially the best placed Yamaha star, in third, followed by Coldenhoff and Renaux, in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Continuing to impress in his debut season, Renaux charged past Coldenhoff and inherited third from Seewer before setting the fastest lap of the race while pursuing the front runners Jorge Prado and Tim Gajser. Showing maturity beyond his years, ‘The Rookie’ controlled the position for the remainder of the 35-minute race duration and celebrated his second top-three finish of 2022 – he was third.

After crashing out of third position, Seewer made countless spectacular passes on his chargeback from eighth to finish fourth. At the same time, Coldenhoff could not get comfortable on the track and faded back to 18th.

With its hard-pack, square-edged base, and soft and sandy top-layer, Mantova is a tricky circuit to navigate. Seewer proved its difficulty when he tucked the front and fell from the lead on the second lap of Race 2, as did Coldenhoff as he struggled to find a suspension set-up that would allow him to race at his best.

Considering Seewer’s mistake, Renaux gained a position and momentum as he passed two of the front-runners to take second position on lap 3. From there, the ‘959’ kept Gajser in check and improved on his Race 1 result. He finished an astonishing second for second overall.

A determined Seewer had to battle back from outside of the top-10 to finish fifth position after yet another crash. His efforts were enough for fifth overall, while Coldenhoff made some slight adjustments and finished 14th, for 17th overall.

After two rounds of racing, Renaux has moved up to third position in the MXGP Championship Standings, 5-points shy of Prado in second. Seewer is 3-points adrift of his teammate in fourth position, while Coldenhoff has dropped to ninth.

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in Villa La Angostura, Argentina, on the weekend of March 20th.

For full results from the MXGP of Lombardia, click here.

Maxime Renaux

2nd MXGP of Lombardia, 42-points

"First podium for me here in Mantova, so I am very happy. Second overall is really good. I had two solid motos, “I am very happy with how it went. It was a little bit sketchy, riding this track on 450 in my first season, it was not an easy task with all of the bumps, and I needed to watch out for the engine power sometimes, but fortunately I did not make any mistakes or crashes. That was really important and I am happy with my first podium in the MXGP class.”

Jeremy Seewer

5th MXGP of Lombarda, 34-points

“I actually feel really good with everything, but I just couldn’t make it happen this weekend. Made some stupid mistakes, but this is Mantova, many square edge bumps and riding with a scoop tyre on this surface. Looking at the positives, I was at the front of the start in both motos but messed it up twice with small tip overs in both races. It’s tough to come back through the pack on this track, so I did well to pass so many riders, but it wasn’t enough. It’s quite frustrating, but the season is long and I am still in the game, so that is the most important thing.”

Glenn Coldenhoff

17th MXGP of Lombardia, 11-points

“I didn’t feel great today. I was struggling quite a bit, only the practice sessions were good, but from that moment on I felt like the track got really sketchy. No excuses though, I just didn’t feel right. We tried hard to get comfortable, but it didn’t work in the first moto, and it was a little bit better in the second, but if you look at the results, I am disappointed.”