Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Jago Geerts made a powerful comeback at the fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Pietramurata, Italy, last weekend. The Belgian clinched an outstanding victory in the opening race but faced misfortune in the second race, being hit twice by other competitors.
Despite these setbacks, Geerts managed to maintain his 22-point lead in the MX2 World Championship by racing from last to seventh in a valiant effort. Yamaha team mates Thibault Benistant finished in fourth and fifth place during the two races, placing sixth overall, while Rick Elzinga overcame numerous challenges to secure 11th overall.
Geerts recovered from a minor fall during Qualifying to secure a phenomenal start-to-finish victory at the MX2 Grand Prix of Trentino in Race One. The Yamaha ace flawlessly led all 18-laps to claim his 36th career win.
At the same time, Benistant started inside the top five and used his incredible race craft to chip away at the riders ahead. After an intense showdown with Italian fan favourite Andrea Adamo for third, the Frenchman narrowly missed out and had to settle for fourth.
Entering the final race of the weekend with high hopes, Geerts’ aspirations for a Grand Prix win were dashed by a tumultuous opening lap in Race Two. The ’93’ was knocked down by another rider and, despite a swift recovery, was taken out again. Undeterred, the championship leader fought his way through the pack to earn 14 crucial points for seventh place, enough to secure third place overall.
Meanwhile, Benistant struggled with the rough and slippery Ciclamino track surface, falling back to fifth place after initially challenging the leaders.
Elzinga continued his impressive progress towards regaining fitness, rebounding from a lackluster performance in Race One to recover from a bizarre racing incident in Race Two. The Dutch rider became entangled with another competitor’s bike on the start straight, resulting in him starting from last place but eventually powered back to 11th.
Following a rollercoaster Grand Prix, Geerts now leads the MX2 World Championship by 22 points, ahead of Andrea Adamo. Benistant leaves Italy trailing Adamo by a single point in third place, while Elzinga climbs one position to 11th.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team will enjoy a brief break before embarking on the next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Agueda, Portugal, where they aim to maintain their momentum and vie for top podium spots.