Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team’s Maxime Renaux has placed sixth overall at round 18 of the 2025 MXGP World Championship, with Calvin Vlaanderen close behind in seventh. Jago Geerts was also in action in Turkiye and he just missed out on a top-10 finish in 12th.
The MXGP of Turkiye marked the first of three consecutive rounds to complete the 2025 campaign. Eager to kick off the final part of the season on a positive note, the team headed to the Afyon Motor Center circuit focused on delivering strong results.
After placing fifth in the MXGP Qualifying Race, Renaux lined up near the inside for Race One. The Frenchman executed a strong start aboard his Yamaha YZ450FM and moved from fifth to fourth on the opening lap. One lap later, the former MX2 World Champion slipped back to fifth, and he held this position until the closing stages when Ruben Fernandez found a way by. Renaux then held off Vlaanderen to secure sixth in the race.
Renaux’s performance in Race Two was equally as solid. Starting seventh, he moved past JK Racing Yamaha’s Isak Gifting at the halfway point and again withstood pressure from Vlaanderen as the laps wound down. Renaux held strong to finish sixth, for sixth overall, and he moves up to seventh in the championship standings.
With the hardpack circuit at high elevation, most riders chose to start in first gear to ensure an optimal launch from the metal grate. This technique was particularly unfamiliar for Vlaanderen, who missed this Grand Prix last year, and as a result, his starts weren’t as strong as usual. Forced to battle through the pack in both races, the 29-year-old ultimately placed seventh both times out for seventh overall. Vlaanderen remains fifth in the series with two rounds remaining.
Posting 11-14 results, Geerts finished 12th overall in Turkiye with his focus now on the final two rounds of the series – the MXGP of China next weekend and the MXGP of Australia one week later.
Maxime Renaux
6th MXGP of Turkiye, 30-points
7th MXGP Championship Standings, 483-points
“I would say it’s been a very average day with 6-6 for sixth overall. I seemed to be missing something this weekend and definitely lacked some race pace. I made the best of it, though, and sixth was all I had today.”
Calvin Vlaanderen
7th MXGP of Turkiye, 28-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 528-points
“The weekend was OK. I obviously wanted a lot more in terms of results, but my starts let me down a lot. As we’re at elevation, we were all starting in first gear, and until this weekend I’ve never started in first gear. Then the track was pretty easy, so everyone was around the same pace. There was close racing, just not much passing. With two rounds to go, I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong.”
Jago Geerts
12th MXGP of Turkiye, 17-points
14th MXGP Championship Standings, 277-points
“Not much to say today. This isn’t my favourite track, and I gave it everything I had in the races. I’m happy to be leaving here safe, and I’m looking forward to the next GP in China.”
Posted on September 7, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
