Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff put in two thrilling performances at the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Kegums, Latvia. He finished fifth and third in the races for fourth overall. Maxime Renaux battled through some discomfort to round out the top five, while Jeremy Seewer faced some challenges for eighth.
In dry and sunny conditions on Saturday afternoon, Seewer finished fifth in the Qualifying Race, while Renaux injured his ankle in a crash with another rider and had to fight through the pain barrier to qualify ninth. At the same time, Coldenhoff collided with another rider and damaged his gear shifter, which meant he had to race the whole track in third gear, and he still managed to finish 13th.
Rain was a major component at the Latvian Grand Prix today. Heavy overnight rain made the vast and flowing track challenging to navigate. The loose and sandy topsoil hid many square-edged bumps, which some riders found mentally challenging due to the level of risk being slightly higher than usual. The opening race was frantic as all three Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP riders went bar-to-bar in a battle for sixth.
Seewer started well but eventually faded back to seventh, while Renaux bounced back from a spectacular off-track excursion on lap 1 to make a pass on the Swiss rider for sixth with two laps remaining. However, it was Coldenhoff who was the star performer. The Flying Dutchman showed incredible speed and form as he stormed from a 10th place start to a fifth-place finish after inheriting a position from a fallen Jorge Prado on the final lap.
Renaux and Seewer also capitalized on Prado’s mistake and finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Despite starting from 13th on the gate, Coldenhoff rocketed to a top-five start in the final race of the weekend and put in yet another mind-blowing performance as he raced to a top-three finish after a stunning pass on Ruben Fernandez on the 17th and final lap.
Renaux nursed a twisted ankle to a fifth-place finish while Seewer made some changes to his bike set-up, but it didn’t improve his feeling on the tricky Zelta Zirgs circuit. The ‘91’ rider still pushed hard to finish eighth position.
All three riders have retained their positions in the Championship Standings. Renaux is still third but has moved within 5-points of Jorge Prado in second. Seewer is fourth, 10-points clear of Coldenhoff in fifth.
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place on the weekend of May 8th in Maggiora, Italy.
Glenn Coldenhoff
4th MXGP of Latvia, 36-points
5th MXGP World Championship Standings, 177-points
“I knew today would be tough after the Qualifying Race yesterday, but I stayed confident. I felt good yesterday and I felt good today. In the first moto, my start was not that good because I was so far out from the inside. It was difficult to come back through the pack. I had an incredible start in the second race and almost got the holeshot and had a good moto with a last meters pass on Fernandez which was definitely the best way to end the weekend. It’s a shame to miss the podium again, but considering yesterday, it’s been a good day.”
Maxime Renaux
5th MXGP of Latvia, 31-points
3rd MXGP World Championship Standings, 215-points
“It was a tough weekend for me because I twisted my ankle on Saturday in the Qualifying Race, so I was really riding in pain today. So, sixth and fifth in the races is something to be happy with under these circumstances. We saved some good points, kept the bike on two wheels, and this was important. Now we will focus on recovering the ankle and be ready to bounce back at the next GP.”
Jeremy Seewer
8th MXGP of Latvia, 27-points
4th MXGP World Championship Standings, 187-points
“Quite a difficult weekend. After Trentino I thought I was going in the right direction, but I had an off feeling this week. We tried a few things on the bike, but kind of went in a circle. I also struggled with some tiredness, and I can’t figure out where it is coming from. I still scored some decent points today, but I just tried to survive because the track was also very sketchy, so I just went on cruise control to take home some points.”
