Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Thibault Benistant secured his third consecutive podium finish at the 12th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Samota-Sumbawa, Indonesia. The 19-year-old Frenchman paired a fourth-place finish in race one with a third in race two for third overall and tied on points with teammate Jago Geerts who went 2-5 for fourth overall.
Faced with a brand-new circuit, stifling hot temperatures and high humidity, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders were put to the test. Geerts was quick to adapt to the fast-paced and lengthy 1740-meter sand circuit, posting the third fasted lap in Timed Practice before qualifying in second position ahead of his teammate, Benistant, who made huge strides in every outing to finish third.
Arriving as the MX2 championship leader, Geerts was determined to do well. In the opening race, the Belgian made some quick passes after starting fifth and put himself in prime position to inherit second place from Kay de Wolf who fell on lap two. With clear track ahead, the ‘93’ whittled down a 3-second gap to the hard charging race leader, Tom Vialle, but lost vital time when he slid out on the exit of a right-hander that led into a section of rollers and had to settle for second.
At the same time, Benistant had to fight back from an off-track excursion after tangling with another rider in the wave section at turn two. Despite not feeling fantastic on the track, his perseverance paid dividends, and after completing the opening lap in eighth, he eventually finished fourth, hot on the heels of Simon Laengenfelder in third.
The brand new Samota-Sumbawa circuit was described as tricky, with many loamy sections hiding hazards such as rocks. Due to its hard-to-read surface, many riders made mistakes in the final race. Geerts fell three times and was frustrated to finish fifth. At the same time, Benistant felt better after making some minor suspension changes and eventually turned a much better start into a top-three finish – his eighth of the season.
Third overall rewarded Benistant with a fourth piece of podium silverware in 2022. He remains seventh in the MX2 Championship Standings after missing three rounds through injury, while a fourth overall sees Geerts bumped to second position in the title chase. He now trails Vialle by 1-point.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team will now return to Europe for a two-week break ahead of round 13 that will take place in Loket, Czech Republic on July 16th & 17th.
Thibault Benistant
3rd MXGP of Samota-Sumbawa, 38-points
7th MX2 Championship Standings, 304-points
“I did not feel really good on the track, my rhythm wasn’t good, and also my feeling on the track, but I did my best to push. I came back to fourth I race one, and in race two I waited behind Adamo for a bit, and then I made a pass. After that I just managed my third place, and kept my fingers crossed. Actually, for a bad weekend it’s nice to be on the podium, I hope to continue like this and keep taking podiums until the end.”
Jago Geerts
4th MXGP of Samota-Sumbawa, 38-points
2nd MX2 Championship Standings, 498-points
“Today was a difficult one. First moto, I felt good on track and had good speed. I was chasing Vialle but made a small mistake and lost a few seconds. Second heat, I crashed in the third corner, but came home in fifth after two more small crashes. I’m not happy with the result but my feeling was good on the track. We just need to work on the starts during the break.”
