Bad luck follows Renaux and Geerts

MOur Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP is in a corner where the blows fall. The team also had to deal with a lot of bad luck in the British GP. Maxime Renaux suffered too much from his hip injury and had to forfeit after the timed practice. As if that wasn't enough, Jago Geerts broke his big toe in the 1st race. A regular Calvin Vlaanderen provided the only positive note with a 6th place.

Renaux was forced to withdraw from the twelfth round of the world championship at Matterley Basin on Saturday due to ongoing complications from a hip injury he sustained at the MXGP of Switzerland in April.

Maxime had travelled to Great Britain determined to continue his hunt for a podium finish in the championship. However, persistent complaints due to the hip injury caused more pain and discomfort during the training sessions on Saturday morning. After a thorough evaluation with the team's physiotherapist, Renaux, Yamaha and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team mutually decided to withdraw from the event in order not to jeopardize his recovery.

Calvin Vlaanderen immediately had a good feeling on the fast British track. Seventh in free practice, fourth in time practice and sixth in the qualifying race: solid results and a fairly good starting position for the series. In the first race, Vlaanderen shot away in eighth place. In the sixth lap he effortlessly passed nine-time world champion Cairoli, three laps later he snatched sixth place from Gifting – nicely on the outside. That was all he could do, because the gap to number five Fernandez was too big. The story of the second series is quickly told: Vlaanderen came through in sixth place after one lap and then rode a fairly lonely race in that position. Sixth twice, good for sixth place in the final standings as well. In the World Championship standings, Calvin jumps over Bonacorsi to seventh place.

Flanders: “A solid weekend. No more, no less. On Saturday I felt pretty good. With that speed I could have fought for a place on the podium on Sunday. Unfortunately, that speed was just not there on Sunday. And then you can’t go head to head with those other top riders. I remember the good things: I was very consistent, solid and didn’t make any mistakes. But I also know what I need to work on: pure speed. I need to be able to gain an extra second so I can fight for the podium.”

Geerts had travelled to Matterley Basin with the necessary confidence after his good performance in the Latvian GP. The Belgian also has good memories of that British track: in 2020 Jago will take his first and in 2023 his 24th and for the time being last GP victory.

Yet it was not his weekend. On Saturday he had to retire after three laps in the qualifying race due to a technical problem. One day later his first series was also over after six laps. Geerts crashed and injured his left foot. Diagnosis: a fracture/crack in the big toe and stretched ligaments, which meant he had to forfeit the second race.

Photos: Full Spectrum Media