Another tightly contested qualifying session at the Ciclamino circuit in Pietramurata, Italy, saw Jeremy Seewer qualify inside the top-five for a fifth consecutive time. He was fifth with a 1’39.399 lap time. Ben Watson narrowly missed the top-10 qualifying 11th with a 1’40.678, while Coldenhoff was 16th with a 1’41.049.
The first few laps of MXGP race one saw a three-way contest for the final place inside the top-three between Seewer, Jorge Prado and Antonio Cairoli. After a brief tussle, the fan favourite Cairoli managed to secure third position, leaving the ‘91’ to play cat and mouse with Prado for fourth. After an intense race-long battle of wits, Seewer finally passed the Spaniard with two-laps remaining.
Watson ran the pace and was consistently quick around the picturesque venue. Another hot start had the number ‘919’ well-placed, and as he continues to find his feet inside the premier class, the tall Brit was able to finish a super-strong sixth. Meanwhile, Coldenhoff had his work cut out as he battled his way around the slick and one-lined circuit from well outside of the top-10 to finish seventh.
Maximising the power and torque of the YZ450FM in the second and final race of the day, Seewer and Coldenhoff both started inside the top four. With top starts being his trademark, Seewer chased Cairoli around the ‘S’-bend of first turns, as Coldenhoff quickly moved up into third.
Determined to keep the Italian in his sights, Seewer was sensational as he ran the pace for the full 30-minutes and two lap race duration to finish 3-seconds shy of the race winner. Meanwhile, Coldenhoff did his best to defend a frantic push from the three title threats Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings and Romain Febvre.
As the sun dipped behind the Dolomite mountains, casting a shadow over the circuit, the racing line became slicker and much harder to read. Coldenhoff maintained third position for 16 of the 20 laps raced but made a few big mistakes in the final throws, consequently costing him three positions. The Dutch sensation was edged to sixth with three laps remaining.
Watson enjoyed another smooth and consistent ride in the final race, where he battled to ninth.
Following the results from the MXGP of Pietramurata, Seewer and Coldenhoff have retained their respective positions in the MXGP Championship Standings, sixth and eighth, as Watson gains one place and moves up into 11th.
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will be the third Grand Prix to take place in the space of seven days. It will take place here in Pietramurata on Sunday 31st October.
