Yamaha enters 2023 as the defending champions in the Manufacturer’s World Championship after a memorable year in 2022 that saw the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team secure seven pole positions, 14 race wins, and 22 podium finishes, of which five were Grand Prix victories, between its three riders Seewer, Renaux and Coldenhoff enroute to the crown.
Continuing with the same potent line-up and armed with a new weapon, the all-new YZ450FM, the team is fired up and focused on reaching the top step of the podium.
The 2023 MXGP title chase starts here! And, it is no secret, the three Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP riders are going for it.
Seewer enters his sixth year inside the premier class and sixth season in blue with his sights set firmly on a maiden world title. With 49 podium finishes, 10 Grand Prix wins and five Championship silver medals to his credit, and after a hugely successful pre-season in which he celebrated three, from four, race wins, on his way to the Internazionali d’Italia crown, the Swiss star is bound to be a force to be reckoned with this year.
After an impressive rookie season, in which he celebrated a maiden Grand Prix win in the 450 class as one of his seven podium appearances in 2022, Renaux will be targeting the title in 2023. The young Frenchman has spent the past few months refining his race set-up on the new bike and arrives in Argentina buoyed by the memory of his very first MXGP-class race win, which was in Race 1 at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, last year.
The new season begins with added motivation for MXGP veteran Coldenhoff, who has instantly gelled with the new YZ450FM right from his first ride. The Dutchman started 2023 with a stunning victory against a few of MXGP’s toughest at his first and only pre-season race in England a few weeks ago, and arrives at the stunning Patagonia Race Track revved up and ready to fight for his first-ever world title.
The track, located in the greenery of the Correntoso and Nahuel Huapi lakeshores approximately 70 kilometers north of Bariloche, is one of the most spectacular on the calendar. Unlike anything seen in Europe, the track's base is dark and grainy volcanic soil, and the layout is fast, wide and flowing. This weekend, the venue that has hosted six MXGP rounds since its introduction in 2015 will also see the start of a new era with Championship Points being awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Qualifying Race on Saturday for the first time ever. The rider that wins the Qualifying Race will earn 10 points; second place gets 9 points, third gets 8, and so on.
The first opportunity for the riders to go out on track will be on Saturday (11th March), starting with MX2 Free Practice at 10:45 followed by MXGP Free Practice at 11:15. Gates will drop for the points paying Qualifying Races at 15:25 (MX2) and 16:10 (MXGP). All timings are local (GMT - 3).
