Renaux Closes the Gap in the MXGP Championship Chase with Second Consecutive Podium Finish
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux narrowly missed a second consecutive Grand Prix win at the fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Pietramurata, Italy. The Frenchman put in a power-packed performance to finish second in both races for second overall. At the same time, Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer faced their own challenges, finishing sixth and 11th overall.
Renaux’s phenomenal performance at the MXGP of Trentino saw him fight from a sixth-place start to finish second in Race One. Seewer, on the other hand, was caught in a chaotic first-turn pile-up in the opening race and battled to recover for 16th.
The tight Ciclamino Circuit and its challenging 180-degree first turn made an excellent start crucial for success. Coldenhoff avoided the first-turn chaos and fought back from outside the points to finish eighth.
In the second and final race, Renaux continued to impress, engaging in an intense battle with championship leader Jorge Prado. However, Jeffrey Herlings’ late charge relegated Renaux to second place, leaving him one point shy of a consecutive Grand Prix win.
Seewer, still recovering from the heavy knocks he took in Argentina, Sardinia and Switzerland, acknowledged his return to form would take time and was satisfied with his spirited ride to fifth in Race Two. At the same time, Coldenhoff fought back from another mid-pack start to finish sixth.
Following the eventful weekend, Renaux now ranks second in the championship standings, just 17 points shy of the championship lead, while Coldenhoff is seventh and Seewer is ninth.
With a weekend off to regroup, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team eagerly anticipates the next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship that will take place in Agueda, Portugal, on April 29-30.
Maxime Renaux
2nd MXGP of Trentino, 44-points
2nd MXGP Championship Standings, 184-points
“I have to be happy with this weekend. I was inside the top-three in every session, so it was a great weekend. I’m obviously a little bit disappointed because I missed the win by 1-point, but this is part of the game. We cannot win every weekend. I’m just happy we’ve finally got the ball rolling and I am feeling very comfortable, so from here we will keep working and try to keep the same momentum going forward.”
Glenn Coldenhoff
6th MXGP of Trentino, 28-points
7th MXGP Championship Standings, 120-points
“In the first race I had to come from so far back after the crash at turn one. The results are nowhere near what I want. Two solid results, some good points and some damage control today, but we want more, we want to do better.”
Jeremy Seewer
11th MXGP of Trentino, 21-points
9th MXGP Championship Standings, 107-points
“I had a good day yesterday. It was solid. I had good speed this weekend, I feel good, but we are missing the starts at the moment, and this makes it difficult. I feel like I have the speed, maybe I am not 100%, but I know I am good enough to finish inside the top three. We had more bad luck this weekend. I went into the first turn in fifth, and the other riders crashed in front of me. My second race was solid, but it was far from easy, because after the crashes I have had this year, my body feels empty, I don’t have the energy to fight for wins. To be where I am in the championship after four rounds is so far from where I want to be, but I will try to get back to 100% and regroup for Portugal.”
