The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP squad established a base alongside the Italian Dolomites earlier on; the scenic venue of Pietramurata hosted the first of three consecutive races. The Grand Prix of Trentino, as this one was officially dubbed, acted as round fourteen of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship. Ben Watson returned from injury to join his teammates, Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff, on track.

A lot has been said about Seewer and his rise up to full fitness, after fighting a crushing illness earlier in the season, and the progress that he has made has been clear for all to see in recent weeks. The Grand Prix of Trentino was another step in the right direction – he romped to pole position with a commanding lap time. Not done there, he used the power within his YZ450FM to claim the holeshot and sprint into the early lead in moto one. Seewer led 11 of the 20 laps before slipping to second place, a spot that he held until the very end.

Although the result in the second race was not quite as impressive, the way that he moved from twelfth to fifth on the tricky layout was just as noteworthy. The result left him in the same position, fifth, in the overall classification, but he actually ended up with the same number of points as the guy in second. There was a four-way tie for the position! Who was that man in second overall? None other than Coldenhoff, who made a return to form at Pietramurata 1 as well. Coldenhoff went from eighth to fifth in moto one and then came alive in the second moto.
 
Slotting into second place early on in the moto, he shadowed the leader for the first half and was faster on a lot of the laps. Coldenhoff eventually pounced just after the halfway mark – he made a commanding pass to take the lead in one of the most exciting races of the year. A titanic battle commenced at that point and, after leading for five laps, he slipped back to second with just three laps to go. The ranking gave him second overall at the Grand Prix, so he leapt onto the podium for the second time in 'blue' colours.

Ben Watson returned from the sprained ankle that sidelined him in Spain and started behind his teammate in the first moto, as he too ripped an impressive start aboard his YZ450FM. A crash whilst running in second meant that he could only salvage a fifteenth in the moto, but he came back with a vengeance in the second stint. Watson started inside of the top five, again utilising the power within his YZ450FM, and crossed the finish in seventh. Tenth overall was his final ranking at the Grand Prix of Trentino.

There is going to be no need to travel for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP now, as the next stop of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship will be run at the same venue on Wednesday. The sprint to the final chequered flag has well and truly begun.

Glenn Coldenhoff: "I've been struggling all year long, except at round three in Maggiora, so it's good to be back here on the podium. It's been a very long road and hard road too. It's good to be back where I belong. I felt good this morning and the first race was average with a fifth. The second race was quite intense, to say the least, and I had a lot of pressure from behind. I managed to take the lead and lead a few laps. I can honestly tell you that was a great feeling! I am definitely looking forward to more races like that, and it's nice to start the Trentino triple header on a positive note. I am looking forward to the rest of the season."

Jeremy Seewer: "Today was one of my best days so far this season. The bike seems to work well on this track, which is really positive. I feel good, I feel sharp and I am enjoying riding my bike. I am having a lot of fun; I am quick. I managed to get pole position, which is usually not my strong point. It was cool to get the holeshot and lead in the first moto for a while, and I was close to winning. Going into the second race I felt good, but I got squeezed off the start and was very lucky not to go down. I clipped Jorge [Prado]'s back wheel and had to go straight. To recover to P5 was great because I started last. It's a shame I am not on the podium. We are with four riders on the same points. Let's look at the positives, good points, and I'm looking forward to going racing here again in a couple of days."

Ben Watson: "I had good starts today and that is a positive point. It always helps. Around here, it's really difficult to pass. I am still not feeling 100%. My ankle is not perfect and in general I've not had a lot of time on the bike since I've injured it, so I am a bit behind. I felt pretty good out on the track. I just had a couple of crashes in the first race, but in the second one I was consistent with consistent laps. Overall, not a bad day."