Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux has delivered a strong performance at the MXGP of France in Lacapelle-Marival to place fifth overall. The Frenchman showed great pace in both races to finish sixth in Race One and improve to fourth in Race Two. Tim Gajser enjoyed a strong opening race to secure third and the five-time world champion ultimately placed ninth overall.
The visit to Lacapelle-Marival marked only the second time the hardpack circuit has hosted a round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The last time, in 2021, Renaux placed third overall on his way to eventually capturing his MX2 World Championship title later that season.
Renaux started the weekend with a strong fourth in the MXGP Qualifying Race to ensure a favourable gate position for the Grand Prix races. In the opening race, and in front of thousands of French fans, Renaux started strongly near the front of the field. He then moved into fifth within a few laps but was pushed back to sixth by his teammate Gajser as the race neared half distance. Renaux crossed the finish line in sixth, but in the wheel tracks of Andrea Adamo in fifth.
Another strong start in Race Two put Renaux in contention for an overall podium result. He slipped to fifth after fellow Frenchman Romain Febvre found a way by, then Renaux regained his early race position after passing Kay de Wolf. As the laps wound down, Renaux caught Febvre but couldn’t find a way through into third. On the day, the Yamaha YZ450FM rider placed fourth overall and just one point shy of the podium. Leaving round six, Renaux remains sixth in the series standings.
It was a bittersweet French Grand Prix for Gajser. Finishing third in Race One marked a strong start to the day for the Slovenian, however, in Race Two, he was caught up in a first-turn collision that left his machine too badly damaged to line up for the restart. It was a frustrating end to the Grand Prix for Gajser, who remains fourth in the championship and aims to bounce back next weekend in Germany.
With a mixed Grand Prix for the team now complete, the series continues next weekend with the MXGP of Germany.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of France.
Maxime Renaux
5th MXGP of France, 33-points
6th MXGP Championship Standings, 218-points
“Looking at the bigger picture, it was still a good weekend for the championship. Of course, in the short term it’s disappointing to miss the podium at my home GP, but I just didn’t have the legs to push past Febvre in the second moto. Still, I’m taking the positives from the weekend. We know there are a few areas we still need to work on, so we’ll keep pushing and continue improving. We scored good points for the championship, but obviously we want to fight for more, so now we move on.”
Tim Gajser
9th MXGP of France, 20-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 223-points
“The first moto was actually pretty good for me. The start wasn’t great and I came through from the back, but my riding felt good and I showed that in the race. In the second race, I didn’t get the best start and then I hit Tom Vialle’s bike. It was in the first turn and I couldn’t avoid it. The impact destroyed my bike and I hurt my knee a little bit as well. In the end, they didn’t allow me to restart, which was tough to accept, especially as I’m feeling comfortable on the bike. That’s motocross though. We’ll check the knee, but hopefully we’ll be back next weekend and ready to do our best again.”
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
