Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer has secured his place as the 2022 MXGP World Championship runner-up at the 17th and penultimate round of the series in Saint Jean d’Angely, France. The Swiss sensation locked up his fifth silver medal with a 1-3 scorecard for third overall at the MXGP Charente Maritime. Teammates Maxime Renaux and Glenn Coldenhoff were classified fifth and sixth, respectively.
The MXGP of Charente Maritime got off to a phenomenal start for Seewer. The Swiss rider set the fastest lap of the Qualifying Race by a full second but finished third after a fall while challenging the newly crowned World Champion Tim Gajser for second. Coldenhoff ran a smooth and consistent pace for fifth, while Renaux fought back to 11th after a poor start.
Seewer’s speed around the hard and slick hillside of Saint Jean d’Angely was mind-blowing. The ‘91’ powered his YZ450FM to an incredible holeshot in the opening race and led all 19-laps for a stunning victory.
Renaux got off to a decent start and made some brilliant passes en route to fifth. At the same time, Coldenhoff had to fight back from a mediocre start for sixth.
Renaux got off to a much better start in race two and brought the hugely partisan crowd to life as he tripled past French compatriot Romain Febvre to take second position on the opening lap. The ‘959’ ran a fierce pace but was shuffled back to fourth by some of the most experienced MXGP riders in the class.
Seewer treated the fans to a spectacular race as he launched jumps no one else was jumping on his way from fifth to second. The ‘91’ was one of the major players in an intense three-way battle for the win but made a mistake at a crucial moment and ended up finishing third.
A good start was vital to a good result in Saint Jean d’Angely, with the narrow circuit proving very difficult to pass on. Coldenhoff started outside of the top 10 and could only fight back to eighth in race two despite an excellent performance.
With Seewer securing the MXGP World Championship silver medal today, the focus at the 18th and final round of the series will be on Coldenhoff and Renaux and the battle for third.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team will have one weekend off before heading to Afyonkarahisar, Turkey for the final round.
Jeremy Seewer
2nd MXGP of Charente Maritime, 45-points
2nd MXGP Championship Standings, 615-points
“Being second today is a little bit disappointing because I felt like I could have won this GP or gone 1-1, but sometimes racing goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. I had a strong race in the first moto, and I was also strong in the second race too, but it was just hard to pass out there and I didn’t manage to make it happen. Tim (Gajser) just rode really smart and in the end, I made a bad line choice, and he got me. I’m feeling really good at the moment, and I am happy to finish this year second after a few tough rounds at the start of the season. I am very happy with where I am at. I am looking forward to Turkey and also the Motocross of Nations too.”
Glenn Coldenhoff
6th MXGP of Charente Maritime, 28-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 553-points
“I felt alright here in Saint Jean d’Angely, but the start is everything at this track. I missed the start in both races, and that cost me a lot of points. I am really disappointed about that. I think I dropped to fourth in the championship, so now I have to really go for it in Turkey because I really want that championship medal.”
Maxime Renaux
5th MXGP of Charente Maritime, 34-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 540-points
“I made some improvements over the weekend, but I do feel a little bit disappointed because it’s a home GP for me and in front of the home fans, you always want to perform. I didn’t have the best feeling on the track yesterday, but I managed to bounce back quite well today. Fifth and fourth in the motos is quite a decent result, but still disappointed to miss the podium. Still, I will take the experience and bank it to put together a strong title campaign next year.”
