The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team had a bad day at the office, in round 7 of the FIM world championship MX2 in Faenza. Jago Geerts salvaged a fourth place overall, after a big crash in the second race. Ben Watson, who also went down in race 2, finished tenth overall.
#193 Jago Geerts. Image by @shotbybavo
Geerts got a good start in the opening race and was right behind Vialle in the first turn. But the Belgian dropped two places in the first lap after a small mistake. Team mate Watson took a terrible start and faced a 'mission impossible' from P24.
Geerts was getting his claws into fellow Yamaha rider Renaux in the third lap. It took them four laps to pass the Italian wildcard rider Guadagnini. After, the two Yamaha riders had an exciting battle for second place until the end. Geerts launched several attacks, but couldn't get around Renaux. Meanwhile, Watson was really on fire. The Brit was one of the only riders that made a lot of brilliant passes on the difficult rutted Italian track. Ben finished ninth after a remarkable catch up race.
Crashes
Both Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders took a good start on their YZ250FM in the second race. Geerts was second in the first turn, Watson seventh. Jago was right under the rear wheel of Vialle for several laps, but couldn't take the lead. In lap 9 things went terribly wrong, when the Belgian had a highsider on the uphill wave section. Geerts dropped from 2nd to 14th position. Meanwhile, Watson was moving the opposite way: from 7th to 4th place. Unfortunately, the Brit crashed two laps from the end and finished 11th, two places behind his team mate Geerts, who gained five positions in the final laps. Both Geerts and Watson have retained their positions in the world championship classification. Geerts is second, but is now 21 points behind leader Vialle. Watson is still seventh in the championship.
#919 Ben Watson. Image by CDS
#193 Jago Geerts
4th overall
“I can't be happy with this result. My first race was still okay. Third, not bad. Although, I was a bit frustrated that I couldn't pass Renaux. I felt better in the second race. I was right behind Vialle, preparing an attack when things went wrong. My back wheel got a lot of grip on an uphill section and I couldn't hold the bike. I'm relieved that I escaped without an injury. I lost some valuable points today, but not the championship. There are still a lot of races to come. I will fight until the bitter end."
#919 Ben Watson
10th overall
"Although the results are terrible, I am positive. I was happy with my riding. I made a silly mistake to start from the inside in the first moto. It’s difficult to make passes, I pushed from 24th to 9th. In the second moto I went further outside. I took a better start and had a solid race. I was really happy with my riding. Unfortunately, I had a big crash with two laps to go. I am thankful to be wearing a Troy Lee Designs helmet as it could have been much worse. I have some cuts, but I've been stitched up now and I will be 100% for Sunday."
Marnicq Bervoets
Team manager
"This is a very tricky track. You can ride 30 perfect laps, but can get thrown off the bike on lap 31. This circuit is really brutal. You have to be carefull all the time. Geerts raced pretty well in the first moto. Watson missed his started completely, but showed his potential in his catch up race. An impressive performance on this kind of track. The second race was a disaster for us with both riders crashing, while riding in second and fourth position. We lost some valuable points today, but the championship is far from over."
RESULTS
Race 1
1. Tom Vialle (Fra/KTM)
2. Maxime Renaux (Fra/Yam) +0:02.327
3. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +0:04.570
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Den/Hus) +0:21.659
5. Mathys Boisramé (Fra/Kaw) +0:28.291
9. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) +0:39.327
Race 2
1. Tom Vialle (Fra/KTM)
2. Jed Beaton (Aus/Hus) +0:06.470
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Den/Hus) +0:09.420
4. Maxime Renaux (Fra/Yam) +0:29.500
5. Stephen Rubini (Fra/Hon) +0:31.200
9. JAGO GEERTS (BEL/YAM) +0:47.968
11. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) +0:55.070
Overall
1. Tom Vialle (Fra/KTM) 50
2. Maxime Renaux (Fra/Yam) 40
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Den/Hus) 38
4. JAGO GEERTS (BEL/YAM) 32
5. Jed Beaton (Aus/Hus) 31
10. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) 22
World championship classification
1. Tom Vialle (Fra/KTM) 307
2. JAGO GEERTS (BEL/YAM) 286
3. Maxime Renaux (Fra/Yam) 236
4. Jed Beaton (Aus/Hus) 209
5. Mathys Boisramé (Fra/Kaw) 182
7. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) 161
Next race: September 13, GP8 Faenza (Ita)