Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Jago Geerts finished third at the 16th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Hyvinkää, Finland, after a dominant victory in race one and a heroic charge back to seventh in race two after two heavy crashes. The ‘93’ continues to lead the MX2 World Championship by 15-points with two rounds remaining. Thibault Benistant nursed a slight shoulder injury to fifth and eighth in the races for seventh overall.
Geerts enjoyed the brutal bumpy sand of Hyvinkää and cruised to a convincing Qualifying Race victory on Saturday afternoon for his seventh Pole Position, while teammate Benistant qualified fifth.
Starting from P.1, Geerts used the full strength of his YZ250FM to claim his fourth holeshot of the season. After a small mistake on the opening lap, the’93’ had a very brief tussle with Vialle but quickly responded and raced away to a 13-second lead and his 12th race win of the season.
After an incredible victory in race one, Geerts lined up for race two, beaming with confidence. The Belgian pulled another emphatic holeshot but went over the handlebars on lap one and got pinned under his bike. Once he broke free, he ran a white-hot pace to carve through the pack from last position up to eighth before colliding with another rider who made a mistake and crossed into his line on lap 9. The ‘93’ made a quick remount and fought to salvage as many points as possible. He eventually crossed the line seventh, which was enough for his 14th piece of podium silverware this season.
Benistant arrived with a slight injury and had to battle through the pain barrier from outside the top-10 in both races to finish fifth in race one and eighth in race two.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team will now head 3200 kilometers south to Saint Jean d’Angely, France, for the penultimate round of the series. Geerts guards a 15-point lead in the championship, while Benistant remains fifth. Yamaha continues to lead the MX2 Manufacturer’s World Championship.
Jago Geerts
3rd MX2 Grand Prix of Finland, 39-points
MX2 Championship Leader, 676-points
“Race two was quite difficult. I made a mistake and crashed on lap one and got stuck under my bike, but I was riding well once I got going again. I came back through the pack strong and felt good on the bike until I came together with another rider. At that moment, I knew it was over. I am still happy with the way I am riding at the moment and my performance. Now, I’m looking forward to France next week, it’s one of my favourite tracks, so I’m looking forward to getting back behind the gate.”
Thibault Benistant
7th MX2 Grand Prix of Finland, 29-points
5th MX2 Championship Standings, 434-points
“This weekend was really tough. I had quite a bit of pain, but I still gave my best. I didn’t have good starts, so I just had to do my best with what strength I had to return to fifth and eighth. This was a hard weekend, but I will keep fighting.”
