Ryan Nitzen | October 31, 2021
The MXGP series finished its final of three races at the Trentino circuit on Sunday with round 16, the MXGP of Garda. There was plenty of drama on track with the championship leaders feeling the pressure with only two rounds remaining. Monster Energy Yamaha riders took top honors with Maxime Renaux clinching the MX2 title and Jeremy Seewer claiming the MXGP overall.
MXGP start. Photo: Yamaha
After a lackluster Wednesday race, Renaux hoped to rebound and secure an early championship. He started the day with an 87 point lead over his Yamaha teammate Jago Geerts and Tom Vialle (KTM). A good start and quick passes in race one put Renaux in title contention early. Wednesday’s winner Rene Hofer grabbed the lead on the opening lap over Vialle and Geerts. Geerts then tangled with Boegh Damm (KTM) and could only salvage a 13th place finish. Renaux was the beneficiary in the incident as he moved up to second behind Hofer. Ruben Fernandez (Honda) passed into third after getting Vialle late in the race and Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) rounded out the top five. Geerts’ 13th paired with Renaux’s second catapulted the French rider to a 101 point lead. If he beat both Geerts and Vialle in race two, he would be crowned MX2 World Champion.
Rene Hofer won MX2 race one. Photo: Ray Archer
Vialle grabbed another holeshot in race two and was followed closely by Renaux in second. On lap five, Renaux made his way past his title rival and took control of the lead. Race one winner, Hofer, suffered a poor start in eighteenth and was forced to fight through the field for an eighth place finish. At the line, it was Renaux, Vialle, and Fernandez on the podium for the moto and the grand prix overall.
Maxime Renaux was the overall winner with 2-1 finishes. Photo: Yamaha
Renaux’s 2-1 scores earned him an overall victory and the 2021 MX2 World Championship Trophy. “We made it! We are the World Champions in 2021 in MX2, so that is a great achievement,” said Renaux. “I am so happy to get the world title with a race win and the GP win, which means a lot to me. It’s always something you want to grab with a win. It was an amazing day for me. I will never forget this for sure!”
An emotional Renaux with his new gold plate. Photo: Yamaha
With a second overall, Tom Vialle jumped from third to second in the overall point standings. “It wasn’t bad today. I hurt my ankle in the crash on Wednesday and I wasn’t sure if I could ride,” he said. “The first moto start wasn’t so bad but I couldn’t follow the rhythm and had arm-pump. It was a tough one! My feeling during the second moto was better. I just tried to ride the best I could. I tried everything and I’m quite happy to have second.”
Vialle’s ride was good enough for second overall. Photo: Ray Archer
“Another podium! 3/3,” said Fernandez via Instagram. “Happy with my riding during all of these races. Coming most of the time through the pack and keeping myself calm and mistake free. It’s been three solid good races.”
Ruben Fernandez went 3-3 on the day. Photo: @jpacevephoto
Tensions were high in the MXGP class as only three points separated the top three championship leaders. Jeffery Herlings (KTM) held the red plate over Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) and Tim Gajser (Honda).
MXGP start. Photo: Ray Archer
In race one it was Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) snagging the holeshot against the rest of the field. All three of the title favorites followed closely inside the top five. Seewer took a controlling lead and held the top spot despite crashing on his own. Febvre and Gasjer duked it out amongst themselves as they moved their way through the pack. Herlings also charged from the back and passed his KTM teammate Jorge Prado as well as Tim Gajser for third. Febvre crashed spectacularly on the final lap but had secured second place by that time. Seewer took the checkers with rivals Febvre, Herlings, and Gajser rounding out the top four.
Jeremy Seewer won MXGP race one. Photo: Yamaha
The points were still tighter than ever going into race two. Prado crossed the holeshot line first ahead of Cairoli and Gajser. Herlings started in sixth while Febvre was way down in 13th.
Gajser quickly made a pass around Cairoli for second and Prado for the lead. An urgent Herlings was also making moves as he got around both KTM teammates for second. He worked his was just behind Gajser but ejected himself off the bike shortly after the finish line. He remounted in seventh place.
Race one winner, Seewer, locked into a heated battle with Febvre and Prado before securing second position. Febvre followed suit behind the Swiss rider. Herlings was back on a charge and made his way back around Cairoli and Prado. Shortly after, he flat-landed a jump and crashed yet again. This mistake put him all the way back in 10th place. Herlings again got up and fought his way back to fourth,even passing Cairoli in the final corner.
At the front it was all Tim Gajser who took the race win over Seewer and Febvre. Seewer’s 2-1 earned the overall for the day over Gajser in second and Febvre third. Despite a slew of mistakes and handing the points lead over to Romain Febvre, Herlings eventually finished fourth overall.
Seewer’s 1-2 earned him the overall. Photo: Yamaha
Febvre now leads one point over Gajser and two over Herlings with two rounds remaining.
“I won in MXGP last year, but it didn’t feel the same as it did today because I got that one as a present, whereas this one I got myself,” said Seewer. “I won, I raced up front and I deserved it. No one beat me. It feels amazing after all that I have been through this year and where I have come from.”
Seewer in action. Photo: Yamaha
“It was a good day. We definitely need to work on the first races,” said Gajser. “I have been struggling with those the last couple of weeks. Anyway, the second one was good. I was feeling good and the start was way better. I made quick passes in the beginning. Then suddenly there was a 10 second gap for me and I was able to control the race from that point on. But anyway, the championship is intense. It’s unbelievable to think that there are just two GPs left and we are all within three points.”
Romain Febvre now has the red plate. Photo Kawasaki
“It feels good,” said Febvre. “We still have two rounds to go to keep the red plate and turn it to gold. I can smell the taste of the championship. I am really happy about my weekend. We worked on the start which worked well in the first race. The second race, my start was really bad, but I managed to have a good first lap and pass eight riders. I was still able to finish the race in third place.”
Tim Gajser’s second moto win earned him second overall. Photo: @ShotByBavo
For more MXGP racing news click here. CN
RESULTS:
MXGP
| 1. |
91 |
Jeremy Seewer |
YAM |
| 2. |
243 |
Tim Gajser |
HON |
| 3. |
3 |
Romain Febvre |
KAW |
| 4. |
84 |
Jeffery Herlings |
KTM |
| 5. |
222 |
Tony Cairoli |
KTM |
| 6. |
61 |
Jorge Prado |
KTM |
| 7. |
259 |
Glenn Coldenhoff |
YAM |
| 8. |
919 |
Ben Watson |
YAM |
| 9. |
109 |
Dylan Wright |
HON |
| 10. |
77 |
Alessandro Lupino |
KTM |
MX2
| 1. |
959 |
Maxime Renaux |
YAM |
| 2. |
28 |
Tom Vialle |
YAM |
| 3. |
70 |
Ruben Fernandez |
HON |
| 4. |
711 |
Rene Hofer |
KTM |
| 5. |
20 |
Wilson Todd |
KAW |
| 6. |
198 |
Thibault Benistant |
YAM |
| 7. |
74 |
Kay de Wolf |
HUS |
| 8. |
11 |
Mikkel Haarup |
KAW |
| 9. |
14 |
Jed Beaton |
HUS |
| 10. |
80 |
Andrea Adamo |
GAS |
