Yamaha MXGP 1-2-3 in Finland | Vialle tops MX2

2022 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 16 – MXGP of Finland

It was a momentous Grand Prix for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing in Finland, who for the first time in its history celebrated a 1-2-3 in the premier class as Glenn Coldenhoff, Jeremy Seewer and Maxime Renaux dominated the podium.

Finland also saw title celebrations as Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was crowned the 2022 MXGP FIM Motocross World Champion, joining many greats as a now five-time World Champion after securing his fourth championship in the premier MXGP class.

In MX2 KTM’s Tom Vialle won the round, closing in on Yamaha’s Jago Geerts, who currently leads the standings.

Of the Aussies, F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton had a difficult race to nineteenth from his outside gate-pick in race one but displayed his fighting spirit in race two as he pushed relentlessly forward from an initial eighteenth to secure fourteenth at the finish for sixteenth overall on the day. He is now eighteenth in the series standings.

Unfortunately, Mitch Evans wasn’t able to put his practice and qualification speed into either of the two motos, as first lap crashes in each race ruined his chances of challenging for a podium.

The Australian had proved in every other session that he was a contender on this gruelling Hyvinkaa surface, but luck wasn’t on his side and instead has to prepare himself for the final two rounds of the season where he’ll be once again aiming to be up there at the front of the field.

Mitch Evans – P18

“Today was definitely not my day. I felt good coming into the motos but things just didn’t work out for me. A crash on the first lap in race one ruined any chance of a good result there, as I was almost last by the time I remounted. I charged through to 14th but it definitely wasn’t what I was after. Then a similar story in race two. Obviously, I’m really disappointed with how it went but I’m still fit, and motivated to get things right in the final two rounds of the season.”

2022 MXGP of Finland Video Highlights

MXGP Race One

In MXGP race one, it was Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre who secured the Fox Holeshot ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff and Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers.

Bogers wasted no time to get around Gajser and then Seewer to climb into second behind Febvre, while Coldenhoff dropped back a bit and was in a battle with his teammate Maxime Renaux.

All was looking good until Febvre crashed out of the lead which gifted Bogers the position. The Frenchman got going in second, ahead of Seewer and Gajser.

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Renaux also made a mistake as he buried the front, but somehow managed to stay on. He didn’t lose any positions in the process but did lose time to Coldenhoff.

Bogers was 1.549 seconds ahead of Febvre and Seewer, but Seewer crashed and dropped back to sixth. Moments later, Febvre crashed too which promoted Gajser to second.

While Bogers controlled the race and with Gajser second, the fastest riders were the three Yamaha pilots behind the pair. Eventually, they pushed onto the rear wheel of Gajser who ended up being caught by all three.

Febvre was also looking to pass the Honda rider and with three laps to go Gajser was down in sixth.

Further down the field, Alberto Forato of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery got by Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado for eighth, as Prado got pushed down to ninth. This is how the pair also finished the race.

In the end, Bogers was the race winner ahead of Coldenhoff, Renaux, Seewer and Febvre.

MXGP Race Two

In race two, Coldenhoff was the Fox Holeshot winner that time around with Febvre, JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi, Seewer and Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez just behind. Meanwhile, Gajser struggled down in 15th.

Coldenhoff led the way as Febvre crashed hard once again, which allowed Jacobi into second. By that point, Gajser was 12th as Febvre got going behind him in 13th.

Early on in the heat, Jacobi set the fastest lap of the race, while Bogers was pushing JM Honda Racing’s Ivo Monticelli for fourth.

Gajser then had Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Fernandez in his sights, though he also had Febvre pushing from behind which added to the pressure.

Gajser was able to pass Fernandez for ninth and later Jonass, as Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen passed Febvre and Jonass too not too long after that. Vlaanderen was also able to catch and pass Gajser.

Bogers was on track for a podium finish, before crashing with just four laps to go, which cost him a top-three overall finish after his big win in race one.

In the end, Coldenhoff was the winner ahead of his two teammates Seewer and Renaux, which was exactly how the overall podium ended up.

But the big celebrations came from Team HRC and Tim Gajser as they celebrated a fifth world title together!

While the title may be decided in the MXGP class, two rounds remain of the 2022 Motocross World Championship with Seewer third and Coldenhoff now moving up to third. Medals are still up for grabs which will make the next two GPs very interesting.

Tim Gajser – 2022 MXGP Champion

“It’s unbelievable! I am speechless. To win one world title is already a lot, but to win five with the HRC crew… We are an amazing team! Of course, we were struggling a little bit towards the end, I was a bit nervous but I’m glad it’s over! I want to say a huge thanks to all my crew, everybody around me, my girlfriend, Filippo, everyone at home watching, thank you very much guys, I am super happy!”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P1

“It was a good weekend. I have waited way too long for this. I have always believed in myself, and I know I am capable of being here and doing this. I am just really happy. This is my first win with the Yamaha as well, and it’s really nice to pay them back with this victory. They have put in big effort to help me get here, and in the last few weeks it has really paid off. Now, I am celebrating with my teammates! Does it get any better?”

Jeremy Seewer – P2

“I am in good form at the moment, everything is clicking, even today on this track, which was not my favourite. I’ve had three GP wins now, but because this was not my type of track, I achieved my goal of two solid moto’s with no big mistakes to finish on the podium with my teammates. Two GP’s to go, the season is not finish. I know I am in good form and there is still some good racing ahead at some really nice tracks, so I look forward to it.”

Maxime Renaux – P3

“It was a really nice day for Yamaha. We made history today, with it being the first time we had three Yamaha riders on the podium in the MXGP class. Today, the result with two third-place finishes is really good, but I still want to go for more. I believe I can still fight for the championship podium. Glenn just took over third, so there will be some interesting races coming up and we will all fight hard for it.”

Brian Bogers – P4

“I am very happy with that first moto. It was just amazing and my FC 450 worked incredibly well. I felt so good on the track! I wanted to replicate that ride in the second moto, but I made a couple of errors. I pushed too hard at the beginning of the race and then made some mistakes. I wanted to be on the podium, of course, but I am happy with our progress.”

Romain Febvre – P7

“Of course I’m not satisfied with my races today, even if I got twice a good start both times. In the first race I made a small mistake when I was leading and Bogers passed me; then I tried to pass him back but I made another mistake and crashed. I was still second when I got back on the bike but as Gajser was coming close I pushed too hard and made another mistake. This crash was stupid; if I had taken my time instead of pushing maybe I could even have take the victory as I had a good speed. I finished fifth but I had used up a lot of energy with two crashes. My second start was again a good one and I tried to pass Coldenhoff for the lead but he closed the door after a jump and I had nowhere to go so I crashed. I was then around twelfth and came back to eighth but it was not easy riding in the pack. I have the speed and I got good starts; we’ll try to finally get the podium we deserve in France next weekend.”

Jorge Prado – P11

“Saturday was good. I have been struggling with a sickness lately, so I am trying to salvage whatever I can. I am having so much fun on my MC 450F and my speed in time practice shows how strong that I can be. I am hoping to get better before the next round, because I want to give my team the results that they deserve.”

Pauls Jonass – P12

“I was quite lucky, after crashing hard in the qualifying race yesterday. I was left with a bad gate pick today, because of that, and had to fight from the back each time. I was trying to get in a rhythm today and I was happy to finish with a solid ride in the second moto. There are some good tracks ahead, so we will not stop pushing.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P15

“I just could not get good starts today, because of where I ended up in the qualifying race yesterday. It has not been the best day. I am happy with what I salvaged though and know that there is a lot more to come. We are better than this! We will get back to work this week and focus on being closer to the front next weekend.”

MXGP Overall Result

MXGP Championship Standings

MX2 Race One

In MX2 race one, the Fox Holeshot went to series leader Jago Geerts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing who led the likes of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf and Roan Van De Moosdijk as well as Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder.

Geerts then made a mistake which allowed Vialle easily into first place, though this did not last long as the Frenchman made an error of his own and handed back the lead to the Belgian.

Moosdijk then passed his teammate for third, as Big Van World Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup started to close in on de Wolf also and was pushing the Dutchman for fourth.

Geerts was getting comfortable in the lead, as he set the fastest lap of the race. He also stretched out his lead over Vialle, which only grew as the race progressed.

But a couple of laps later, it looked like Vialle was ready to bounce back as he began to work away at Geerts’ lead. But Geerts was able to respond and the gap went back up to 4.001 seconds.

On lap eight, de Wolf passed Moosdijk back and climbed into third, as Geerts stretched his lead to 8.699 seconds. Further behind, Längenfelder made a mistake and crashed out of sixth, as behind him F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo applied pressure onto Liam Everts of Diga Procross KTM Racing, who he eventually passed on lap 14.

Haarup saw his race take a turn for the worse, as he crashed out of fourth after passing Moosdijk. He got going fairly quickly but his front wheel was jammed, so he crashed again. In the end, he came back to eighth.

Geerts won the race with a 13.983-second advantage over Vialle, with de Wolf third ahead of Moosdijk and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant.

MX2 Race Two

In race two, it was again Geerts with the Fox Holeshot, with Everts in a close second ahead of Team VRT KTM VERITISE’s Tom Guyon, Moosdijk, Vialle and Joel Rizzi of Riley Racing.

Vialle made a swift move into third, as Geerts crashed big out of the lead. He was stuck under his bike for quite some time before getting going again in 19th place.

Everts was the new race leader, but he had pressure from Vialle who was keen on taking maximum points and turn his weekend around. He did just that, as by the end of the opening lap he got himself into first place.

Moosdijk then stole second from Everts, who was also passed by de Wolf shortly after.

Vialle then made a big mistake and went off track which allowed Moosdijk easily into the front, with Vialle managing to stay second ahead of de Wolf. But Everts was also looking to fight back as he passed de Wolf again for third.

Geerts meanwhile was in 13th but made some good passes to arrive at ninth. The Belgian then made a few more moves to get onto the rear wheel of Haarup who was seventh. The two battled intensely which ended in tears as there was a collision between the pair. Haarup and Geerts went down, which meant that Geerts had to start all over again.

Moosdijk was looking good in the lead as he had more than a five-second gap to Vialle, but a mistake with just three laps to go allowed Vialle back into the lead, as de Wolf also got by. Then it was game on between Vialle and de Wolf, with the Dutchman applying an immense amount of pressure onto the Frenchman, but despite his best efforts, de Wolf could not make a pass stick.

Vialle ended up winning the race ahead of de Wolf, Moosdijk, Everts and Längenfelder.

A 2-1 result put Vialle back on the top step, ahead of de Wolf who secured his fourth podium this season, while Geerts was forced to settle for third.

Heading into the penultimate round of the 2022 campaign, Geerts leads with a 15-point advantage over Vialle, as Längenfelder remains third.

Tom Vialle – P1

“The weekend didn’t start as planned but my position was not too bad for the gate. In the first moto I tried to follow Jago but made a few small mistakes. I felt great on the track though and even better in the second moto and when Jago crashed I went for it. I ran off course at one point but then Roan crashed and I was back in front. Kay pushed me hard to the end and I knew the points for the championship would be important. I wanted to win, and it was great to do it in the sand, especially after a tricky weekend in Lommel. This was a big win for me. I will give everything I can again in France next week.”

Kay de Wolf – P2

“I ran out of time in that second moto. It was a difficult race; I really gave it my all and I just missed out in the end. I am happy with my riding and my feeling on my FC 250 though. I am looking forward to France next weekend. I just cannot thank the team enough – they are working so hard for us and I really appreciate it.”

Jago Geerts – P3

“Race two was quite difficult. I made a mistake and crashed on lap one and got stuck under my bike, but I was riding well once I got going again. I came back through the pack strong and felt good on the bike until I came together with another rider. At that moment, I knew it was over. I am still happy with the way I am riding at the moment and my performance. Now, I’m looking forward to France next week, it’s one of my favourite tracks, so I’m looking forward to getting back behind the gate.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – P4

“I had a good gate pick today. My start was not too bad in the first moto and I made some good passes early on. I struggled in the middle of the moto, because I need to get used to the intensity. Where do I even begin with the second moto? I took the lead and just did my own thing. I led for more than half the moto, but hit an edge in a corner and crashed. I am angry with myself. This is a big improvement though.”

Kevin Horgmo – P6

“It’s never easy starting from the outside heading into a 180 degree first turn; I got a great jump each time, but I just started too wide. I had two difficult races but I passed many riders. The first moto got better and better as the race wore on; I made a nice pass on Everts and got close to Bénistant at the last corner but couldn’t quite make the pass. The second race was the same at the end when I got stuck behind Längenfelder, but I stayed healthy and two sixths from that gate position were good points for the championship.”

Thibault Benistant – P7

“This weekend was really tough. I had quite a bit of pain, but I still gave my best. I didn’t have good starts, so I just had to do my best with what strength I had to return to fifth and eighth. This was a hard weekend, but I will keep fighting.”

Simon Langenfelder – P8

“I was just riding in sixth in the first moto and looking to make progress, but I had a hard crash. I jumped up and salvaged a ninth. I did not have the best jump out of the gate in the second moto, but I was riding a lot better. I was feeling good on my MC 250F and did not make many mistakes. I think that we got the best out of a difficult day.”

Mikkel Haarup – P9

“It was a tough day but I gave everything I have. In the first moto I had a solid ride and battled into fourth but on the last lap there was a lapped rider in the way for half-a-lap and, when I went to go outside him, he went wider and took me out. I don’t think he saw me; that’s racing. I came back to seventh from a crash at the start of the second moto with good speed all around the track but Geerts took me out quite hard; at that point I had used all my energy and had to settle for eleventh. It was a tough day, but I’ll be ready to go again in France next weekend.”

MX2 Overall Result

MX2 Championship Standings