Renaux increases his lead, Geerts sixth
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rider Maxime Renaux finished second in the first of two GPs in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. The Frenchman increased his lead in the World Cup by three points. He now has 37 points more than Guadagnini. Jago Geerts (6th) and Thibault Benistant (9th) had a difficult day in Turkey.
After a four-week summer break, the FIM world championships resumed in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. The fast and hard track, with many jumps, made its comeback on the calendar after a year of interruption due to the corona pandemic. Afyonkarahisar is 1.000 meters above sea level, which means the engines react differently than normal. The mechanics of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team had a lot of work to get the bikes competitive. Despite a lot of good work, the timed training did not go as planned at all. Renaux clocked the fifth fastest time, which was not bad all in all. But Benistant (11th) and Geerts (18th) failed to break into the top 10, leaving them both in a poor starting position.
Tough duel
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders did not shoot well out of the starting gate in the first heat. Renaux entered the first corner eighth, Benistant 15th and Geerts only 18th. In short: all three had a lot of work ahead of them. World Cup leader Renaux needed some time to get into a good flow. Once he found it, he passed Fernandez after a tough duel. But Maxime wanted more. At the end of the series - on lap 13 - he promptly set the fastest lap of the race and jumped over Hofer into fourth place. Well fought back from the Frenchman. Both Benistant and Geerts were able to move up a few spots in the early stages of the race. After four laps they were already in 9th and 10th place respectively. Still, they struggled to find the right rhythm and speed. Only in the final phase were they both able to jump over Boisramé, to finish 8th and 9th.
Series win
In contrast to the first series, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders got off to a good start in the second series. Renaux took the holeshot, with Geerts and Benistant not so far behind him. However, Jago made a mistake in the corner on the first lap and lost a few places, while Thibault dropped to 15th after a fall. Geerts had to struggle to finish sixth, Benistant crossed the line in tenth.
At the front, Renaux looked very smooth and mature. However, he was seriously put under pressure by his compatriot and reigning world champion Vialle. But Maxime remains icy calm. Vialle came close, but was unable to launch a real attack. Another series victory – his fourth this season – for Renaux, who extended his lead over Guadagnini from 34 to 37 in the World Cup standings. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 now remains in Afyonkarahisar, where another Grand Prix – number 9 in the FIM World Championship – is scheduled for Wednesday.
#93 Jago Geerts
“Normally, I can't be satisfied with sixth place. But I had surgery on my right arm during the summer break. As a result, I couldn't train with the bike for three weeks. I clearly lacked rhythm today. I struggled in the time training, which meant I had a bad starting position. My series were still okay. I also no longer had problems with pumped up arms. That is a relief. I gradually got better, which is also positive.”
#198 Thibault Benistant
“During the time training I already had difficulty finding my way, resulting in a bad starting position. As if that wasn't enough, my starts also failed me. Then of course you make it very difficult for yourself. I tried to find a good pace and rhythm, but it was very difficult to pass on this track. Moreover, I had a heavy crash, off the track, at the beginning of the second heat. In short: a disappointing weekend. I hope to put something right on Wednesday.”
#959 Maxime Renaux
“I rode two completely different heats today. In the first series I was a bit stuck in eighth position at the start. I had to work really hard to move up some spots. On my way to the front I made a few mistakes, I rode too stiffly. So fourth place was far from bad. My second series was almost perfect. Head start, clear track, good visibility: that makes the job a lot easier. I also had a nice duel with Vialle. I'm looking forward to fighting more of those duels.”
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photos: @shotbybavo
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