The superb circuit of Matterley Basin, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular tracks on the schedule, hosted round two of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship earlier today. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP were hungry for redemption at the second stop of the season.

Glenn Coldenhoff put a tricky opening round behind him with some impressive performances at the circuit that was the setting for the first Grand Prix win of his career. The intensity that he showcased in the opening moto was noteworthy – he advanced from outside of the top five to third on lap one. Coldenhoff ended up in an intense battle with the previous two world champions from that point on, before eventually reaching the chequered flag in fifth. His fastest time of the race was set just two laps from the end.

The second moto did not start quite as well for Coldenhoff, but he inched towards the top five quite quickly before an untimely fall dropped him onto the cusp of the top ten. Not to be deterred, however, he charged on and finished ninth in the moto and eighth in the overall classification. The solid haul of points helped him go from seventeenth to tenth in the premier-class standings as well!
 
Jeremy Seewer was rather consistent at the Grand Prix of Great Britain, much like he was in Russia. Seewer was eighth in moto one, after a race-long battle with former world champions, and then came out stronger in moto two. Seewer started in sixth in the final encounter and advanced up to fifth at the finish line, which put him seventh overall on the day and just ahead of his teammates. Seewer sits sixth in the championship standings following round two.

Ben Watson showed his potential in front of the passionate British fans, as he ran top-ten speed throughout the day. An eleventh in the first stint established a solid base to build from moving forward, and he followed that up with an even better showing in moto two. Watson moved from thirteenth to tenth at the chequered flag – his first top ten ranking on the YZ450FM – and claimed ninth overall on the day. Watson now runs in fifteenth in the championship standings.
 
There is no time to rest for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP trio – the next stop on the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar is this coming weekend. The Grand Prix of Italy will be run at the prestigious circuit of Maggiora in front of limited spectators.

Jeremy Seewer: "The weekend was solid. We were really lucky with the weather! We managed to get two dry motos, even though we expected a lot of rain. The racing was not as good as usual because normally this track is so technical and fun, but today it was pretty much road-racing. I do understand why it was like this, because the track crew was waiting for the rain. For the racing side, I am happy, I battled for the holeshot but struggled to find my rhythm. We also need time on the MXGP tracks now to find the set-up, but I am happy I could make a huge change between races ahead of the second moto. I had a solid race with no crashes and no mistakes to put some good points in the bag. We are moving in a good direction. We will get there step-by-step."

Glenn Coldenhoff: "The day was alright. I struggled a little bit in time practice for fourteenth gate pick, which is okay here. My feeling was good, which is always the most important. I had a really good start in the first moto and on the first lap I managed to go to third place. I felt confident, but I had a little surprise from Jeffrey [Herlings] who came up the inside. A mistake on one corner can make it difficult to regain the speed for the next few turns, so [Tim] Gajser got me too. I finished fifth, which was my first solid result of this season. My feeling was good in the second moto, but I made a small crash and that cost me some places. I finished ninth for eighth overall, which is not where we want to be but still an improvement on Russia and from here we will keep building."

Ben Watson: "Today was really nice. To come away with an eleventh and a tenth, for ninth overall, is a solid start. It is something that we can work on and find where I need to improve. Leaving here now, I feel like I know where I am at. We can go forward from here."