Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux has maintained his consistent mid-season form with fourth overall at round seven of the MXGP World Championship in Teutschenthal, Germany. Teammate Tim Gajser impressed in Race One, finishing as runner-up, although a lap-one crash in the second race led to a 19th-place finish. On the day, Gajser placed seventh overall.
From the French hardpack one week ago, the team travelled to Germany for the seventh round of the campaign. The Teutschenthal circuit is notorious for developing long ruts, and this year’s event was no different. With rain falling on Sunday morning, conditions were especially challenging for all riders.
Having placed fourth overall last weekend in France, Renaux was eager to secure a podium result in Germany. In Race One, he started inside the top 10 and worked his way forwards to reach fourth at the finish.
Race Two unfolded in a similar way for the Frenchman. From eighth on the opening lap, the Yamaha YZ450FM rider made progress on the drying race track and crossed the finish line in sixth. The result highlighted Renaux’s consistency in recent rounds. However, the former MX2 World Champion was frustrated to miss the overall podium by a single point for the second round in succession. Following his strong result, Renaux moves up to fifth in the series standings, just five points adrift of Gajser.
Gajser’s weekend began positively on Saturday with second in the MXGP Qualifying Race, despite competing with a little discomfort following his crash in France last weekend. The five-time world champion then carried that form into the Grand Prix races by finishing as runner-up in the opening race of the day.
Race Two was difficult for Gajser as an unfortunate crash on lap one led to him remounting near the back of the field. With only one or two dry lines on the circuit, passing proved challenging, and the Slovenian could only reach 19th at the finish. Overall, Gajser finished seventh, and he remains fourth in the championship following seven rounds.
The series continues next weekend with the MXGP of Latvia. Taking place at the sandy Kegums circuit, the Grand Prix marks round eight of the campaign as the season nears the halfway mark.
Maxime Renaux
4th MXGP of Germany, 33-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 251-points
“It’s a weekend of mixed emotions for me. On one hand, I’m disappointed because I missed out on the podium by a single point, and unfortunately that’s happened three times now this season. It’s tough to accept when you come so close. At the same time, I’m happy with the way I rode. Starting from the 14th gate pick, right on the outside, made things difficult and the starts weren’t ideal, so there wasn’t much more I could have done today. We still scored some good points for the championship, which is important, but it’s frustrating to be so close to the podium once again. We’ll keep working and hopefully take that final step next weekend.”
Tim Gajser
7th MXGP of Germany, 24-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 256-points
“Yesterday and the beginning of today were actually quite positive. The first moto went really well and I felt comfortable on the track. Finishing second was a great result for us, especially because we knew coming into the weekend that it was going to be difficult with the pain I’ve been dealing with in my knee. The second moto was much tougher. I didn’t get a good start and then made a couple of mistakes on the opening lap. I came together with Maxime on the start straight and then, a little later, I lost the front end on one of the jumps heading down towards the finish line. I tried to save it with my leg, but it kicked me off the bike and I had a pretty big crash. It took a while to get going again because riders were still jumping through the section, and when I did restart, the handlebars were badly bent, which made the bike really difficult to ride. Even so, I didn’t give up and just focused on getting to the finish. It was frustrating because it was a mistake that could have been avoided, but at the same time I’m thankful that I’m OK after such a big crash. There are definitely lessons to take away from this one. I need to be a little more patient in the opening laps, especially when I don’t get the start I want. Thank you to the whole team for all of their hard work and support throughout the weekend.”
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