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Analysis: Classy Coldenhoff ready for more success in 2023

Consistency key again next year.

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Having ended the 2022 MXGP campaign with a largely excellent run of results, Glenn Coldenhoff will be keen to carry this momentum into 2023.


Words: Edward Stratmann | Lead Image: Ray Archer


Entering his third, and potentially final, year under the coveted Monster Energy Yamaha Factory awning, the Dutchman will be eager to hit the ground running and immediately impose himself.

Although he finished a notable fifth in the standings last term behind only champion Tim Gajser, Jeremy Seewer, Jorge Prado and Maxime Renaux, some difficulty in a couple of the early rounds and at the end prevented him from soaring higher.

Getting his 2022 crusade off to a promising start by going 9-3 for fifth overall at Matterley Basin, this was a solid opener indeed that was accentuated by his two blistering starts, especially considering he suffered heavy arm-pump in the first moto.

Heading to Mantova next, a venue he’d enjoyed plentiful success at previously, Coldenhoff endured a weekend to forget. Unable to find his rhythm or feel at ease on the bike, the Dutchman could only muster 17-14 finishes for an unsatisfactory 17th overall.

“I didn’t feel great today. I was struggling quite a bit, only the practice sessions were good, but from that moment on I felt like the track got really sketchy. No excuses though, I just didn’t feel right. We tried hard to get comfortable, but it didn’t work in the first moto, and it was a little bit better in the second, but if you look at the results, I am disappointed,” he lamented on the Yamaha website.

After a solid outing in the Dutch championship prior to the MXGP of Argentina, where he was able to make strides towards feeling better on his Yamaha YZ450FM, he performed far better at the scenic Villa La Angostura circuit.

Securing an improved fifth overall by virtue of his 8-6 moto scores, much positivity could be found from the way he handled the fast, sketchy conditions, made ground on suspension settings and how he fought through to sixth from the back of the field in the second race.

His efforts would serve as a catalyst for an uptick in fortunes, for he was superb in Portugal, with him strikingly winning the qualifying race before picking up brilliant 4-3 finishes on raceday to secure fourth overall, just two points shy of the podium.

Following that up with further top five overalls at Trentino (fifth) and in Latvia (fourth), where he logged moto scores of 2-11-5-3, this was further evidence that he was gathering momentum and finding some crucial consistency. Not bad at all considering he faced adversity in the form of two crashes at Pietramurata and a broken shifter in the qualifying race at Kegums.

While the #259 couldn’t transfer his form into a muddy, treacherous Maggiora, with 10th overall all he could muster, he bounced back admirably in the sandy confines of Sardegna.

Riding expertly at the draining, deep Riola Sardo track, his experience and nous shone brightly on his way capturing third to bag his first overall podium of the term. Forced to come from the back in the opening moto, Coldenhoff’s valiant charge saw him come home in eighth. Then, in the second, the way he managed the sweltering heat and exacting surface was extremely impressive, with him eventually claiming second behind the imperious Calvin Vlaanderen, who went 1-1.

Recalibrating his focus to the hard pack of Spain, there was much to like about his efforts here too, which saw him not only win another qualifying race but also produce two accomplished rides on the Sunday to go 5-2 for second overall.

Coldenhoff then made it three consecutive overall podiums, with his triumph in the second moto at Ernee after a frustrating first moto that featured multiple crashes, propelling him to third overall.

Things took a downturn in the next couple of rounds in Germany and Indonesia to halt his progress, with an off day in the former and illness in the latter, ensuring 10th and fifth was the best he could do.

Back ready to put his best foot forward at Loket even if he wasn’t feeling 100%, going 4-4 for fourth overall was definitely the uplifting outcome he needed, which instilled him with the confidence he needed to embark on a fantastic purple patch.

Still under the weather heading into the famous Lommel, there’d be no denying the masterful Monster Energy Yamaha star, however, for he doggedly battled on to achieve a phenomenal second moto victory to accompany his fourth in the opener to bank third overall.

“It’s been a tough week. I have been sick and didn’t do anything all week. Normally when you go into a GP in Lommel, you are prepared, motivated and confident you can win. I didn’t feel like that this time. My energy was low. I knew I had to preserve my energy in race one or I would have nothing left for race two. I managed to still finish fourth and knew that with a little bit of luck I could still take the overall win. But it didn’t happen that way. I have to be happy, and to take a moto win here in Lommel is also pretty special,” he insisted in his post-race comments.

Making the trip to Sweden hoping to replicate his GP win from 2019, a back healthy again Coldenhoff rode with polish and composure once more. While he couldn’t elevate himself to the top step, grabbing third overall was a fitting reward for his measured riding.

His undoubted highpoint of the season then happened in Finland, as he claimed his first overall victory in the testing sand of Hyvinkaa. Underlining what a force to be reckoned with he is in these conditions, Coldenhoff rose to the challenge to flex his muscles against his adversaries in the blistering heat, with his triumph in the second moto particularly special, where he took the holeshot and scorched off to a commanding win.

“It was a good weekend. I have waited way too long for this. I have always believed in myself, and I know I am capable of being here and doing this. I am just really happy,” he declared after clinching his first overall triumph in roughly two years, on a day where Yamaha also remarkably filled all the podium spots.

“This is my first win with the Yamaha as well, and it’s really nice to pay them back with this victory. They have put in a big effort to help me get here, and in the last few weeks it has really paid off.”

Holding third in the championship entering the last two rounds, all eyes were focused on his battle with Prado and Renaux to see who’d come out trumps. Disappointingly for Coldenhoff, though, the Spaniard and his teammate pipped him due to the Dutchman’s issues with starts and untimely mistakes at St Jean d’Angely and in Turkiye.

Ultimately settling for a credible fifth in the standings, this was a handy return for what was a consistent crusade aboard his Yamaha that saw him achieve three race wins, a grand prix win, six podiums and two qualifying race wins.

To close out his year, Coldenhoff was selected for the 10th time to represent the Netherlands at the Motocross of Nations, an event he’s previously enjoyed immense success at both individually and collectively. But it wasn’t to be this time around for him, with an incident-filled weekend, that featured a frustrating crash and him being landed on, meaning he had to settle for 13th in his class.

Signing on for another year under the Monster Energy Yamaha awning, where he feels right at home and knows he has the support to compete at the highest level, Coldenhoff’s ready for a big 2023. “I’m really happy. I’ve been with Yamaha for two years, and this season, I feel like we have made some big improvements,” he asserted.

“I am looking forward to keeping the same group of people around me. We have built such a strong relationship in a short time, and they have always stood behind me, so I really appreciate that. I like the setup and the people we have around us from the osteopath to the trainer, all these things contribute something, and I think this is important. Here, I have everything I need, and we have some even better things coming, so I look forward to it, and I am ready to go for it again next year.”

Already getting valuable time on the new bike and well aware he has what it takes to mix it with the many elite pilots in MXGP on a variety of surfaces, next season looms as a terrific opportunity for him to build on his consistent 2022.

Not a man to be underestimated or written off even though he’s in the twilight of his career, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the vastly experienced star contending for wins and podiums again.

While much of the attention will focus on the return of Jeffrey Herlings, reigning champ Gajser and a fully fit Romain Febvre to see if they can resume their captivating duel from 2021, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on the silky smooth, technically gifted Coldenhoff, who’s proven over the years what a class act he is and that he can well and truly match it with the best of them on his day.

Features

Stat Attack: Indianapolis Supercross Review

See now.

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With the tenth round of AMA Supercross in the books, statistics maestro Paul Pearcy has provided MX Vice with some brilliant numbers to tuck into from what was a great night of action. Enjoy

250 Class

Qualifying

  • Top 3
  1. Max Anstie: 49.492
  2. Tom Vialle: 49.492; (Max got top spot because his time came in the first session, while Tom’s time came in the second session)
  3. Pierce Brown: 49.719

LCQ

  • Top 3
  1. Jeremy Martin
  2. Ryder Floyd
  3. Hardy Munoz
  • Laps Led
  1. Jeremy Martin: 5
  2. Hardy Munoz: 2
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Jeremy Martin: 52.413
  2. Preston Boespflug: 53.150
  3. Gage Linville: 53.549
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Jeremy Martin: 53.655
  2. Preston Boespflug: 54.259
  3. Ryder Floyd: 54.373

Race 1

  • Top 3
  1. Cameron Mcadoo
  2. Haiden Deegan
  3. Seth Hammaker
  • Laps Led
  1. Cameron Mcadoo: 12
  2. Daxton Bennick: 1
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Haiden Deegan: 49.561
  2. Tom Vialle: 49.660
  3. Cameron Mcadoo: 49.854
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Cameron Mcadoo: 50.830
  2. Haiden Deegan: 51.086
  3. Seth Hammaker: 51.907
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Preston Boespflug: 2.970
  2. Cameron Mcadoo: 3.184
  3. Jalek Swoll: 3.287

Race 2

  • Top 3
  1. Haiden Deegan
  2. Cameron Mcadoo
  3. Tom Vialle
  • Laps Led
  1. Haiden Deegan: 12
  2. Jalek Swoll: 1
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Haiden Deegan: 49.493
  2. Tom Vialle: 50.690
  3. Pierce Brown: 50.868
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Haiden Deegan: 51.522
  2. Cameron Mcadoo: 52.214
  3. Tom Vialle: 52.580
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Jeremy Hand: 2.040
  2. Coty Schock: 2.315
  3. Max Anstie: 2.634

Race 3

  • Top 3
  1. Tom Vialle
  2. Pierce Brown
  3. Cameron Mcadoo
  • Laps Led
  1. Tom Vialle: 13
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Tom Vialle: 49.844
  2. Chance Hymas: 50.020
  3. Cameron Mcadoo: 50.175
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Tom Vialle: 51.493
  2. Pierce Brown: 51.563
  3. Haiden Deegan: 51.892
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Marshal Weltin: 1.984
  2. Seth Hammaker: 1.997
  3. Nick Romano: 2.233

Overall

  • Top 3
  1. Cameron Mcadoo; (1st win of the season, 80% podium rate this year)
  2. Tom Vialle; (80% podium rate this year)
  3. Haiden Deegan; (40% podium rate this season)
  • Laps Led
  1. Tom Vialle: 13; (Tom is now tied with Austin Forkner for most laps led this season at 37.  34% of total laps raced)
  2. Cameron Mcadoo: 12
  3. Haiden Deegan: 12
  4. Jalek Swoll: 1
  5. Daxton Bennick: 1
  • Best First Lap Position Average
  1. Tom Vialle: 3rd 
  2. Cameron Mcadoo: 3.333
  3. Jalek Swoll: 4th 

Points

  • Top 10
  1. Cameron Mcadoo: 98
  2. Tom Vialle: 96
  3. Pierce Brown: 87
  4. Haiden Deegan: 82
  5. Coty Schock: 79
  6. Seth Hammaker: 72
  7. Daxton Bennick: 71
  8. Max Anstie: 62
  9. Chance Hymas: 60
  10. Jalek Swoll: 58

450 Class

Qualifying

  • Top 3
  1. Jett Lawrence: 48.523
  2. Eli Tomac: 48.554
  3. Cooper Webb: 48.568; (The difference between 1st and 3rd was .045 seconds.)

LCQ

  • Top 3
  1. Kyle Chisholm
  2. Justin Starling
  3. Devin Simonson
  • Laps Led
  1. Kyle Chisholm: 7
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Ty Masterpool: 52.415
  2. Kyle Chisholm: 52.810
  3. Freddie Noren: 53.248
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Kyle Chisholm: 54.223
  2. Ryan Breece: 54.271
  3. Freddie Noren: 54.390

Race 1

  • Top 3
  1. Jett Lawrence
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Chase Sexton
  • Laps Led
  1. Jett Lawrence: 10
  2. Ken Roczen: 6
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Jett Lawrence: 48.639
  2. Ken Roczen: 49.225
  3. Cooper Webb: 49.581
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Jett Lawrence: 51.023
  2. Cooper Webb: 51.383
  3. Ken Roczen: 51.402
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Aaron Plessinger: 2.774
  2. Eli Tomac: 3.095
  3. Chase Sexton: 3.785

Race 2

  • Top 3
  1. Jett Lawrence
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Chase Sexton
  • Laps Led
  1. Jett Lawrence: 10
  2. Ken Roczen: 6
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Jett Lawrence: 49.499
  2. Ken Roczen: 49.713
  3. Chase Sexton: 49.849
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Jett Lawrence: 50.735
  2. Chase Sexton: 50.884
  3. Ken Roczen: 50.908 (That’s a difference of .173 in average lap times over 16 laps)
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Ken Roczen: 2.537
  2. Malcolm Stewart: 2.641
  3. Chase Sexton: 2.676

Race 3

  • Top 3
  1. Jett Lawrence
  2. Chase Sexton 
  3. Ken Roczen
  • Laps Led
  1. Ken Roczen: 10
  2. Jett Lawrence: 6
  • Fastest Lap Times
  1. Ken Roczen: 49.131
  2. Chase Sexton: 49.284
  3. Jett Lawrence: 49.314
  • Best Average Lap Times
  1. Jett Lawrence: 50.477
  2. Chase Sexton: 50.483
  3. Cooper Webb: 50.594; (That’s a difference of .117 in average lap times over 16 laps)
  • Most Consistent Lap Times (Least difference between fastest and slowest lap times)
  1. Chase Sexton: 2.528
  2. Cooper Webb: 2.885
  3. Jason Anderson: 3.079

Overall

  • Top 3
  1. Jett Lawrence; (The only other person to have a perfect sweep at a triple crown was Ken Roczen in 2020 also on a Honda.  Jett has now won 50% of the races this season, with a 60% podium rate)
  2. Ken Roczen; (Ken has a 50% podium rate this year)
  3. Chase Sexton; (Chase has a 50% podium rate this year)
  • Laps Led
  1. Jett Lawrence: 26; (Jett now has 130 laps led, 50.7% of total laps)
  2. Ken Roczen: 22; (Ken has the second most laps led at 49, Just 19% of total laps)
  • Best First Lap Position Average
  1. Ken Roczen: 1st 
  2. Jett Lawrence: 2nd 
  3. Jason Anderson: 4th 

Points

  • Top 10
  1. Jett Lawrence: 210
  2. Cooper Webb: 189
  3. Chase Sexton: 185
  4. Ken Roczen: 175
  5. Eli Tomac: 174
  6. Jason Anderson: 165
  7. Aaron Plessinger: 162
  8. Justin Cooper: 120
  9. Justin Barcia: 109
  10. Dylan Ferrandis: 107

Lead Image: HRC

Love what we do? Please read this article as we try to raise £30,000.

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British MX Nationals

Thank you. It’s been a hell of a ride.

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Since buying back MX Vice in November 2019, it has been challenging. One of those crystal balls would have been handy for navigating some problematic situations. Who would have thought COVID-19 would be a thing?

Those who follow MX Vice know we started from nothing but an idea. A fan who loved the sport created a Facebook page, website, and social media presence that would become disruptive. It has made numerous talented media people who were allowed to run with it for over thirteen years. Being in the UK/Europe has always been difficult; I’ve always believed that if we were a US media company, we would have been embraced and appreciated for our work ethic and the content we produce. We always cast one eye over the US in Europe, and you can’t blame the top European riders for doing the same.

MX Vice has always tried to give people a voice, especially the riders who are not in the limelight and the teams that put so much into the sport. We love people’s passion and sacrifice to improve and challenge themselves. That, for me, was the natural pull, not the money but the passion and sacrifice. We all know we would not be in motocross if it were about the money. I always considered MX Vice the media version of Steve Dixon’s team in MXGP (which I have a huge amount of respect for), where we have always tried to challenge without the factory budgets.

We knew it would be tough this year with so many businesses and brands cutting marketing budgets and reducing costs; this was never going to be good for us. We have just had two incredible months of stats, with January and February bringing in over 1 million people to the website, which is quite bittersweet. As much as the funds are low, so is my energy and health. COVID impacted me more than I could ever envisaged. My health has deteriorated ever since I caught COVID; my immune system is not in a great place, and when I try and work to the standard I set myself, my body breaks on me, and it takes me days to recover. Ed Stratmann has been a revelation since he took the editorial reigns and has pushed MX Vice to new heights, which is incredible given the lack of resources he has had to work with and support from myself. I have been missing from the podcast show to reduce my time, as I am now self-employed and working for two companies to pay the bills.

Every journey ends, and that’s not what we want. Over the past 13 years, we have given it everything, leaving no stone unturned. We’re proud of how we have disrupted, challenged decisions, held organisations accountable, and illuminated incredible stories.

We will have an auction for signed shirts donated by riders, podcast equipment, and memorabilia to pay off the invoices of some contributors. If, however, you want to see MX Vice continue, you can donate here: https://ko-fi.com/mxvice or purchase a shirt or memorabilia. If we meet our target of £25,000, which is currently outstanding to run this year, then Ed and I will continue. However, we fully expect this won’t happen due to the large sum required.

It’s hard out there at the moment. Take care of your health and family, and never lose your passion for the most fantastic sport in the world.

Burf.

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Features

Lit Kit Gallery: MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina

The best from round 1.

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Check out some of the freshest fits, helmets and more from the MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina. Lead Image: Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum.

Photo credits: Red Bull KTM – Ray Archer / Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum / Yamaha MXGP – Full Spectrum + Eva Szabadfi / JM Honda / Kawasaki MXGP / Fantic MXGP / Yamaha MX2 – Full Spectrum / HRC MXGP / GasGas – Juan Pablo Acevedo


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