Yamaha had a stellar weekend at the French MXGP in Villas sous Ecot, May 20-21. The blue crew topped both the MXGP and MX2 class, with factory racers Jeremy Seewer (MXGP) and Thibault Benistant (MX2) taking the wins for Yamaha.
MXGP
Seewer got things started in the first MXGP race. The Swissman took the holeshot ahead of Jorge Prado (GasGas), Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) and Jeffery Herlings (KTM).
Prado and Seewer traded positions during the first few laps, but the Yamaha rider managed to take control of the lead and rode off with the moto win.
Then it was Febvre and Prado battling over the podium spots, while Herlings picked up speed behind them. The KTM rider managed to gain steam in the second half of the race and passed both Febvre and Prado to move into second.
Late in the moto, Febvre overtook Prado for the final spot on the podium.
Race two saw the same numbers up front again, as Seewer, Febvre and Prado got off to good starts. Seewer led most of the race, but Febvre attacked late in the race and overtook the lead with only a few laps remaining. The hometown favorite rode off with the second-moto win, but 3-1 finishes were only good enough for second on the day.
Seewer settled for second in race two, but his 1-2 scores were good enough for the overall win.
Prado went 4-3 for third.
It was double trouble for Herlings in race two. A broken goggle strap and footpeg, which happened on back-to-back laps, did him in. The Dutchman ended up ninth overall.
Prado still leads the points by 24 over Herlings.
MX2
The MX2 Championship got blown wide open after points leader Jago Geerts crashed on Saturday’s qualifying race and suffered a broken wrist. He missed Sunday’s action and gave up valuable points.
In race one, a raging battle ensued among the top five racers, as they exchanged passes for nearly the entire race. Geerts’ Yamaha teammate and French native Thibault Benistant worked his way through the pack and put himself in the lead around the halfway point. Behind him, a Husqvarna and KTM duel went down, as two sets of teammates Roan Van De Moosdijk and Kay De Wolf duked it out with Liam Everts and Andrea Adamo. Despite running up front early, the Husqvarnas came under fire and gave up the spots to the KTM riders. Benistant took the race win over Everts and Adamo.
Race two saw a new face up front, with 16-year-old Lucas Coenen leading the way. The factory Husqvarna rider took off with the holeshot and held the top spot through to the finish, taking his first MX2 race victory. Behind him, the same front-runners from race one found themselves facing off once again. Benistant and De Wolf went at it for second, while Everts and Adamo charged their way through the field. Adamo eventually got the best of De Wolf and grabbed the final spot on the box while Benistant held on for second. With it, Benistant took the overall win ahead of Adamo and Everts.
Geerts still leads the championship but by just one point. CN
VIDEO | 2023 FIM MXGP of France Highlights
MXGP of France
2023 FIM MXGP of France Round 7 Results
MXGP
- Jeremy Seewer (Yam) 1-2
- Romain Febvre (Kaw) 3-1
- Jorge Prado (GG) 4-3
- Ruben Fernandez (Hon) 5-4
- Calvin Vlaanderen (Yam) 8-5
MX2
- Thibault Benistant (Yam) 1-2
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 3-3
- Liam Everts (KTM) 2-4
- Lucas Coenen (Hus) 7-1
- Kay De Wolf (Yam) 4-5
Click here to read the 2023 FIM MXGP of France Round 7 Results story in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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