Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Andrea Bonacorsi has secured 10th in the 2024 MXGP World Championship after finishing 12th overall at the final round, the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha, in Spain. Meanwhile, Maxime Renaux finished ninth overall on the day to claim 17th in the Championship Standings with both riders facing their own difficulties on a challenging race track.
For the third time this year, the team travelled to Spain for another closely fought round of MXGP. The Cozar circuit was new to the calendar, and the warm weather made the hardpack, hillside circuit somewhat difficult to compete on. This put a strong emphasis on starting up front, and in Race One, Bonacorsi emerged from the first turn in third.
From there, the likeable Italian was shuffled back to sixth on the opening lap, then maintained his position until almost halfway through the race when he began to suffer from arm pump. After losing one spot as he was unable to ride to his full potential, Bona regrouped in the closing stages and crossed the line in seventh.
Eager to end the year on a high, Bonacorsi started Race Two well inside the top 10. The Yamaha YZ450FM racer then held ninth until lap eight, when painful stomach cramps caused the 21-year-old to slow his pace. Digging deep to complete the race in 14th, he secured 12th overall and the points he needed to move into 10th in the final Championship Standings. A commendable result considering Bonacorsi missed the first four rounds while competing in MX2.
For Renaux, the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha didn’t quite go to plan. After starting well in Race One, the Frenchman slipped off on a slick part of the race track and dropped to 12th. A race-long charge then began, which brought Renaux up to ninth at the finish. The former MX2 World Champion then replicated his result in Race Two for ninth overall and ends 2024 17th in the Championship Standings after missing 14 rounds while recovering from injury.
Next weekend, both riders head to Matterley Basin in Great Britain for the 77th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Bonacorsi will represent Team Italy, who placed third last year, while Renaux will race for defending champions Team France.
Calvin Vlaanderen, who was enjoying a breakout year in 2024 before he suffered a knee injury at the MXGP of The Netherlands, ended the year seventh despite missing the last four rounds of the season. Jago Geerts placed 33rd after only contesting one round due to injury.
Andrea Bonacorsi
12th MXGP of Castilla la Mancha, 21-points
10th MXGP Championship Standings, 340-points
“That’s the last GP of the season done, and unfortunately, it was a bit of a mixed day for me. In the first race I had a good start and was battling for the top five, but then I had a little bit of arm pump so I couldn’t ride like I wanted to. I ended up seventh, so that was not so bad. I had a good race going in the second one. I passed Maxime early on and held ninth for a while, but then I had really bad stomach cramps, which made it really difficult to ride and I dropped back to 14th. But I managed to score enough points to move into 10th in the championship, so I’m really happy about that after starting the season in MX2.”
Maxime Renaux
9th MXGP of Castilla la Mancha, 24-points
17th MXGP Championship Standings, 181-points
“Today has been difficult. I struggled with the track and just wasn’t able to push like I know I can. But I did what I could and tried my best, like always. Up next, we have the Motocross of Nations, so I’m aiming for a strong result ahead of the off-season. With the team, we know what we need to work on for next year and I’m excited for 2025.”
