The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team made the short jaunt to Oss, in The Netherlands, for their home Grand Prix this past weekend. Oss hosted an FIM Motocross World Championship round for the first time – the race was round four of the current campaign. Warm weather and a passionate crowd made the inaugural event an enjoyable one for the YZ450FM-mounted trio.

The Grand Prix was quite literally a home event for Glenn Coldenhoff, who was born in Oss, so cheers from the crowd followed him wherever he went. Coldenhoff came up just short of pole position in qualifying – he ended up in second. The power within the YZ450FM carried him into the early lead in the first stint, and from there he put the hammer down. Coldenhoff led for the first 13 laps, before dropping to second place. That was the position that he secured at the chequered flag.

The Dutch crowd were on the edge of their seats (quite literally) when moto two kicked off, but Coldenhoff was involved in a fall on lap one and re-joined the moto half a lap behind the rest of the field. Showing an incredible amount of tenacity, he refused to give up and continued to complete laps in an effort to salvage points. Unfortunately, he came up just short and crossed the line in twenty-second. That left him in twelfth overall on the day – he runs seventh in the championship.

The weekend off was well spent by Jeremy Seewer – he entered The Netherlands ready to battle for a spot on the podium. The first moto was a step in the right direction, as he begun in fifth and rode in that position until the very end. Seewer was the fastest man on track at points. Unfortunately, he was also caught up in a crash on lap one of moto two. An impressive effort helped him charge up to tenth and secure sixth overall on the day. Seewer is sixth in the championship.

Ben Watson continued to prove that he belongs inside the top ten, as he pushed some former champions throughout the first moto en route to ninth at the chequered flag. The second moto was even stronger for him – he chased the leading riders and eventually secured a career-best sixth in the individual moto. That left him in fifth overall, another career-best result, and helped him climb to tenth in the standings. An impressive outing for the 450F rookie!
 
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will now turn attention to the Grand Prix of Czech Republic – round five will be run at the historic circuit of Loket next weekend.

Glenn Coldenhoff: "Looking at the positives, the first race today was really good. I was feeling really good on the track all day, and also being in front of the Dutch fans is always really special. In the first race, I got a really good start and was able to lead almost the entire moto. Jeffrey [Herlings] got me near the end, and I finished second. I was still pretty happy with that. Then in the second race... I don't know what happened. I guess it was a really big crash and I was a bit shaken up by that, so I struggled to come back. The result was not what I wanted or expected, but it's racing. There are still 15 rounds remaining!"

Jeremy Seewer: "We did quite a good job. I had the rhythm of the podium today, clearly, and I had the fitness to do that also. I was strong at the end of the moto also. I was there with the guys in moto one and I would have been there in moto two. I went into turn two and just clipped Romain [Febvre]'s back wheel, for whatever reason. I am really lucky. I am perfect, with no bruises. I came back to tenth. It was not the result I look for, but I went through the whole field."

Ben Watson: "Today I obviously had my best result. To be honest, fifth overall in the MXGP class at this stage... I would not expect anything more from myself. The first race start I missed, my reaction was just not good enough, but I had a really good jump in the second one. The progress has been really good. We have just been climbing up and up, so I am really happy."