21-03-2022	MXGP News
Maxime Renaux mounts Patagonia-Argentina podium

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP trio were desperate to leap onto the Villa La Angostura layout, after making the long jaunt across to the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina. The fan-favourite venue played host to round three of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship; it was an event that Maxime Renaux, Jeremy Seewer, and Glenn Coldenhoff had all circled on their respective calendars.

The Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina started in a positive fashion for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP trio. Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff led eleven laps of the fourteen-lap qualifying heat before crossing the finish line in second and sixth respectively. Maxime Renaux, on the other hand, showed strong form whilst moving from seventh on lap one to fourth at the chequered flag. There were plenty of positives for the YZ450FM-mounted riders to extract before gates dropped on the point-paying motos.

Renaux continued his impressive run in his first term aboard the YZ450FM. After starting second in the first moto, he took control of the race lead shortly after the halfway mark and controlled it until the end. It was a phenomenal way to clinch his first victory in the premier division. Renaux then battled from fifth to second in moto two to clinch the same position in the overall classification – he tied on points with the overall winner. Renaux is second in the premier-class standings now too.
 
Glenn Coldenhoff rebounded well from a difficult round two, as he battled forward in both motos to record an 8-6 scorecard. The consistent results left him in fifth overall at the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina – he has progressed to eighth in the championship standings too. Such valuable momentum is going to serve the flying Dutchman well in the coming weeks.

Jeremy Seewer was a fan favourite at the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina, thanks to his Alpinestars gear, and seemed set to join his teammate on the overall podium. A strong third in moto one was a good way to start the day. Unfortunately, a crash early in the second stint forced him to retire from the moto prematurely and pushed him to tenth in the overall classification. Seewer is still fourth in the championship standings.
 
A weekend off awaits Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP now, before a European double header starts with the Grand Prix of Portugal on April 02/03. The Grand Prix of Trentino follows that on April 09/10.

Maxime Renaux: "I had a really good day; I am happy with it. It did start slowly yesterday, but we made some improvements on the track. I won the first moto after a nice battle with Tim [Gajser] – I had to fight to the end. The second race was a different story without a good start, but I could pass everyone except Tim and that was good. I couldn't ask for more in my first season in MXGP. I just want to keep going like this and keep it on two wheels, because that will be really important. I will try to be inside the top three every time."

Glenn Coldenhoff: "Yesterday, I took the holeshot in the qualifying heat and was feeling really good until about twenty minutes in when I started struggling a bit. We made some changes and tried to solve the problem today, but it didn't work in the first moto. I also completely missed the starts in both races today. I am happy to finish on a positive note because, in the second moto, I came from almost dead last back to sixth. I was happy with my riding. The team did a great job with the changes that we made for the second moto. It was definitely working and I was starting to feel a bit more like myself, so I am happy with that."

Jeremy Seewer: "Today was bittersweet. I felt good on the track here, and it was cool to race in front of all the Argentine fans. They were super supportive and to have the fans back after the last couple of years, you really feel it. The change in energy and atmosphere is really special. The first race today went pretty good. P3 was not too bad for the first moto, but then in the second moto I had a big crash and then crashed again. I couldn't continue. Obviously, it's always disappointing to DNF. We need to look at the positives, try to recover and be back fighting for podiums at the next one."