Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff made a positive stride in his 2022 MXGP campaign at the MXGP of Portugal, round four of the FIM Motocross World Championship, this weekend. The Dutchman took a commanding Qualifying Race win, his first since 2020, and followed up Pole Position with a fourth and a third-place finish for fourth overall – narrowly missing the podium by 2-points. Still suffering the after-effects of a heavy fall in Argentina two weeks ago, Jeremy Seewer did his best for sixth overall. At the same time, Maxime Renaux could not get comfortable around the Agueda circuit and ended the Grand Prix 11th.
Starting the Grand Prix with a confidence-boosting Qualifying Race win, Coldenhoff looked sharp aboard his YZ450FM. But arm-pump has been a predominant issue for Dutchman this season, and after battling inside the top three for the first 25-minutes of the first race, he had no choice but to relinquish third position to Tim Gajser in the final throws. Fortunately, the gritty 32-year-old still found the strength required to battle through the pain barrier to keep fourth.
At the same time, Seewer, who is still suffering the effects of a heavy fall in Argentina less than two weeks ago, put in a gladiator performance to round out the top five in Race 1, while Renaux was 11th after a mistake-ridden ride.
Taking a more relaxed approach to Race 2 in hopes of combatting the dreaded arm-pump, Coldenhoff powered his YZ450FM to another great start. And, after a calmer start to the race, he had power left in his arms in the final throws to challenge the leaders.
The ‘259’ posted his personal best lap time on the 19th and final lap of Race 2 and achieved his goal of finishing inside the top three, hot on the heels of the eventual Grand Prix winner, Jorge Prado.
Seewer finished seventh after clipping the wheel of Pauls Jonass and falling from fifth on lap 15 but was content with the points scored given his circumstances.
As for the rookie, Renaux felt out of his comfort zone after a big crash in the Qualifying Race. The young Frenchman tried to regroup throughout the day but could not shake the feeling and settled for another 11th place finish.
After a challenging yet productive day in Portugal, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team has already shifted its focus to the next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship that will take place in Pietramurata, Italy, on the 7th and 8th of April. Renaux will arrive in Italy third in the MXGP Championship Standings, 20-points clear of Seewer in fourth and 35-points ahead of Coldenhoff in fifth.
Glenn Coldenhoff
4th MXGP of Portugal, 38-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 109-points
“I was close to the podium today. I have been struggling with arm-pump this season, and in the first race today, I got it big time. I tried to ride a little more calmly in the second race, just did my thing, and I didn’t get arm-pump that time, which meant I had something left at the end and I almost got Jorge Prado for second, which would have put me on the podium. So, it’s a bitter-sweet finish, but still a lot of positives to take from here and I am feeling good.”
Jeremy Seewer
6th MXGP of Portugal, 30-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 124-points
“I feel pretty happy because coming into this weekend, we weren’t even sure if I would make it after the crash in Argentina. My body was not ready and I kind of felt that on Saturday. In the end it was good to bring home solid points, and I managed to survive and do this somehow. By the way I was riding, you could see that I just wanted to do my laps and bring home some good points. I can be more than happy with how today went.”
Maxime Renaux
11th MXGP of Portugal, 20-points
3rd MXGP Championship Standings, 144-points
“It was a really tough weekend for me. I had a big crash in the Qualifying Race and hurt my leg a little bit, but honestly, that was no excuse, I could have done great today, but I just didn’t feel myself out there. I had a crash in each of the races, and this is not how I want to ride, so now I need to regroup for the next races.”
Credit – Yamaha Racing
