Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Calvin Vlaanderen has finished seventh overall at round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship, held in France. Also overcoming the challenging and wet conditions at the Saint Jean d’Angely track, Andrea Bonacorsi finished ninth.
After qualifying sixth on a wet and slippery track on Saturday at the Monster Energy MXGP of France, Vlaanderen carried that momentum into Sunday, going fastest in morning warm-up. A solid start to Race One saw the South African lie 10th at the end of lap one, a position he held through to lap nine. Settling into a strong rhythm on the hillside track, Vlaanderen continued to make good progress, climbing up to seventh by the end of lap 11, which he held to the line.
With heavy rain falling before and during Race Two, track conditions deteriorated rapidly. Nevertheless, after a solid start, Vlaanderen demonstrated his considerable skill by maintaining his position inside the top 10. Making the minimum of mistakes in the French mud, the 27-year-old was able to steer his Yamaha YZ450FM through to eighth by the flag. In securing 7-8 results, Vlaanderen placed seventh overall and now has maintained seventh in the MXGP Championship standings.
Continuing to improve his pace on his Yamaha YZ450FM, Bonacorsi enjoyed a solid outing at the MXGP of France. Similarly to his teammate, the Italian was able to deliver two strong, consistent rides at the Saint Jean d’Angely track to finish Race One in 10th before going one better in the tougher conditions of Race Two for ninth. Also placing ninth overall for the weekend, Bonacorsi has moved up to 17th in the championship standings following the three rounds raced with the team.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team will now enjoy a weekend off before making their way to Teutschenthal, Germany, for the eighth round of the championship on June 1st and 2nd.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of France.
Calvin Vlaanderen
7th MXGP of France, 27-points
7th MXGP Championship Standings, 223-points
“It’s been a so-so weekend for me here in France. Obviously, the results are not what I want – my goal coming into the weekend was to be closer to the podium. I think my speed was good here all weekend but unfortunately, I didn’t get a great start in the first race and it’s really difficult to pass on this track. In the second race, with all the rain, it was more like survival out there and I didn’t want to take any risks. I finished eighth in Race Two for seventh overall, which isn’t where I want to be.”
Andrea Bonacorsi
9th MXGP of France, 23-points
17th MXGP Championship Standings, 61-points
“Today was a really mixed day. On the first moto, the track was perfect. I was riding well, especially towards the end of the race, and I finished 10th, so I was pretty happy with that. I still have some improvements to make on the starts – I’m slowly getting used to the 450. And then the second moto was just like my other races – rain and full gas. I took my time and tried to relax because I knew it would be a long race. With all the rain, you need to be consistent and not crash. My start was ok, Jeffrey (Herlings) passed me from the outside and I had to brake, and from there I just rode my own race and worked my way up to ninth. It’s been a consistent weekend, which is good in this class. I’m learning all the time and I think the results show I am progressing. Thanks to Yamaha and all the team for an amazing job this weekend as well.”
Photocredit _Fullspectrum
