Yamaha Motor Europe is honoured to announce that a two-year deal has been made with the two-time MX2 vice World Champion Jeremy Seewer to complete a strong three-man line-up for Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP in the 2018 MXGP series.
After four successful seasons in MX2 where he has led a total of 110 laps, won a total of fourteen races – a figure that includes Qualifying Race wins – which has resulted in five Grand Prix overall wins, and a whopping 26 podium finishes, Jeremy Seewer is one of the most exciting riders to make the jump into the premier class. The 23-year-old will be armed with the all-new 2018 Yamaha YZ450F, a bike that he already feels incredibly comfortable on.
Seewer entered his first full season in MX2 back in 2014 where he impressed right off the bat with 11 top-ten finishes for tenth overall in his rookie season. In the season that followed he leapt up into fifth place in the MX2 Championship Classification and took home three pieces of silverware for landing on the podium that many times. Remarkably, there have been 72 rounds of racing over the last four MX2 seasons, which adds up to a total of 216 races with the Qualifying Races included. Seewer has a 100% attendance rate, proving that he is both fast and consistent; two essential elements in making a champion.
The young and talented Swiss rider will join his compatriot Arnaud Tonus and one of the most experienced MXGP riders in the world, Shaun Simpson, in the Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP team, where the trio have started their winter preparation in France.
Jeremy Seewer: I am happy that Yamaha had interest in me immediately because I feel like I have a bit of a connection with them through my support network and iXS, my gear brand. This made the decision to sign with Yamaha really easy. I have been to the Wilvo Yamaha team’s headquarters in The Netherlands and it looked really good to me. It seems they have big plans for the future. It’s not like they only want to be involved for a few years, they’ve really invested and have a strong plan to be successful. They are so passionate about motocross and very professional and that’s why it made an easy decision to choose this team. I’ve already been riding on Arnaud Tonus’ bike, which was a bit strange because I have been riding a different manufacturer my whole life. Changing to Yamaha I was really excited and interested to know how it will be. I was so surprised at how my first ride on the bike went. After a few laps, I felt at home already and that was without making any changes to the bike. I didn’t even change the handlebars or anything, I just rode it how Arnaud rides it. It was quite funny; with no changes I could already throw some scrubs and stuff after only a few laps. I felt good immediately; it’s a good bike. I will only need to make some changes to make it more comfortable for me and to suit my riding style, but I already know the base is really good.”
Erik Eggens, Yamaha Motor Europe MX Racing Manager: This is a very exciting signing for Yamaha and also for the team at Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP. Jeremy is one of the most talented and strongest riders to come out of MX2, which everyone knows as he was the vice world champion twice in a row over the last two years. He has been strong and consistent and I am confident that he is a rider who will achieve a lot in the MXGP class. Obviously the first year he will need to learn the bike, team and since it’s his first season in MXGP, he will need to learn the new class too. We have already seen him out on the 450 at The Nations and a couple of other times, so I am confident he will do well.”
Louis Vosters, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team Owner: “I am happy and proud to welcome Jeremy Seewer to the team at Wilvo Yamaha MXGP. As a two-time vice World Champion in the MX2 class and with five GP wins in the last season, I am convinced that he has the ability to surprise everyone as a rookie in the MXGP class. I am also very thankful to everyone at Yamaha Motor Europe as well for making this happen. It has left us with a good feeling with Yamaha and with the team, and I feel this is another big step forward for us.”
Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing
