Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff shifts focus to Riloa Sardo after challenging Turkey

By Press Release on 9th Sep 21

MXGP Jeremy Seewer Glenn Coldenhoff Afyon

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory riders Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff salvaged as many points as possible at the ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, after a turbulent day.

Seewer and Coldenhoff both recovered from spectacular mistakes to score 15-points each. They were classified 13th and 14th at the end of the Afyon Grand Prix.

After a tough Grand Prix only two days ago, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team had much higher hopes for the second round of the Turkish double-header. Coldenhoff qualified inside the top-10, while Seewer was disappointed to qualify 13th.

As always, a good start is essential to a decent result. Seewer powered his YZ450FM to a top-five start but had a violent high-side on lap four while maintaining the fifth position. Fortunately, he was unhurt in the incident. Still, a significant knock to the body, in addition to the chronic fatigue he was suffering as a result of Epstein Barr Virus, meant he could only fight back to 14th position.

Coldenhoff started inside the top-10 but made a big mistake on the opening lap that shuffled him back to 18th position. From there, the #259 had to get creative with his line selection as he diced his way through the field. He was feeling good out on the fast-paced, rough and bumpy circuit, and after a high-spirited performance, the 30-year-old managed to finish the race in eighth.

In the final race of the day, Coldenhoff crashed during a battle for 10th. Suffering from low energy levels, he could only recover for 19th.

As a strong rider that is usually good at charging forward and making passes, Seewer felt too weak to push his limits. With his current physical condition, the #91 knew the day would not be easy, and while he wishes things were different, his goal was just to score points. He finished 13th.

Jeremy Seewer: "Its hard to find the words. The result today was not what we wanted. I actually arrived here pretty tired today. I cant train to ride at this pace because of my health problem, so I was unable to fully recover. I tried to survive, but I was a bit unlucky. I had a massive high sider, which I couldnt really do anything about. All that did was show that I am not ready to ride at that pace and it was just too much at the moment. I scored some points and I go home healthy. Now weve got to decide what we will do in the future, but I will try to stay positive."

Glenn Coldenhoff: "Really difficult day. We tried a few things in the morning, and it didnt really work out, so we put everything back to what I am used to, and it was much better. In the first race I ended up completely off-track. I lost 10 positions, I think. Still, it was a good moto because I fought my way back to eighth on a track where there was almost nowhere to pass. In the second race, my start was not great, and I struggled with my breathing. I crashed, and from there on, I had nothing left."

After an incredibly challenging day, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team has shifted its focus to the next Grand Prix, which will take place in Riola Sardo, Sardinia, on Sunday 19th September.

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