The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team ventured over to the relatively new venue of Intu Xanadu this past weekend – the man-made track played host to the Grand Prix of Spain for the second time. Jeremy Seewer entered the event hungry for redemption, after just missing out on the podium last week, whereas Glenn Coldenhoff and Ben Watson were looking to return to their very best.

Jeremy Seewer continued trending in the right direction – a charge to fifth in the first stint was the highlight of his day. Seewer ran as high up as fourth before settling down on the cusp of the top five. A very mediocre start did not help his case in the second moto; he started on the cusp of the top ten and could only manage to work his way to eighth on the fast-paced layout. Seventh overall was the ranking that he was handed at the Grand Prix of Spain. Such a consistent scorecard helped him maintain sixth in the series standings.

The results that Glenn Coldenhoff took were not a true representation of his potential aboard the YZ450FM – he was very impressive early on in moto one and jostled for a spot inside the top three. Unfortunately, a coming together with another rider whilst battling for fourth left him on the floor and with limited time to move forward. Tenth was the ranking that he secured, then a mediocre start and fall in moto two restricted him to fourteenth at the chequered flag. Thirteenth overall was his final result at the Grand Prix of Spain.
 
Ben Watson, the third guy on Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, was battered and bruised going into the Grand Prix of Spain, as he twisted his ankle at the previous event in France. Despite his best efforts, the ankle proved to be too painful and he elected to skip moto two. Watson salvaged two points in moto one, with a nineteenth place, and will focus on returning to full health for the next event.
 
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will head to the first triple header of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship now. The Grand Prix of Trentino, on October 24, is going to be the first of three races run at Pietramurata.

Jeremy Seewer: "Things are definitely improving for me. I struggled here last year, so I feel that we have made a big improvement in terms of my riding and feeling on the track. Still, I hoped for more because I felt good. I had good speed and a good time in time practice. I have something to work on in the first two turns, because I get good starts but it just seems that I am at the wrong place at the wrong time. When I enter the first corner second, somehow in the chaos before turn two I end up around sixth. I pick it up quickly after that, but if you are like me and not in top shape then it's really hard to move forward to the front again with the racing so close. You need to be 100%. I got solid points today. I did my best. I need to keep working on myself, keep pushing to improve my condition and also with the team and the bike. We have some work to do to get back on the podium, so we will keep pushing."

Glenn Coldenhoff: "This morning we tried a few things and played with the set-up, but it was quite difficult with the limited time to do this. We didn't get quite to where I wanted to be, but I tried my hardest. Every time I go out, I try my hardest. It felt okay in the first moto. I had a really good start. I was third and then moved to second. I had a few guys pass me and then I came together with Jeffrey [Herlings] and went down, so I only managed to finish tenth. My start was not as good in the second race, but still alright. My riding and feeling was the same as in the first race. I also had another small crash and then was fourteenth. Honestly, not where I want to be or where we want to be. I am quite disappointed, but we will keep working hard to get back to where we should be."

Ben Watson: "I had a good start to the day. After twisting my ankle last weekend, I tried not to ride too much in qualifying. I had a good feeling and managed to get a better lap time this weekend. Unfortunately, during race one, I put my foot down like usual and just tweaked my foot again. I felt good but of course with only one week it just was not quite strong enough. We decided to miss the second moto in order not to make things worse and hopefully be able to go to Arco feeling myself again."