2022 MXGP of Sweden | Race Highlights & Report

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CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE 2022 MXGP OF SWEDEN

The 15th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship saw Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Jago Geerts dominate the podium in MXGP and MX2 as the pair secured Grand Prix victories at the MXGP of Sweden.

Tim Gajser of Team HRC made his return to the box after a tough GP in Belgium, while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff made it back-to-back podiums in Sweden, making his fifth visit to the box this season.

Meanwhile, in MX2, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was forced to settle for the second step after finishing the weekend tied on points with Geerts, who got the win after his second heat victory.

Overall, it was a great return to Uddevalla who was missing from the podium in 2020 and 2021, with the local crowd of more than 21 thousand showing their support and creating a great atmosphere around the track and in the paddock.

MX2 RACE REPORT & RESULTS

In the first MX2 race of the day, the Fox Holeshot went to F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo who briefly led before being passed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts was third ahead of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder, SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo and Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup.

Geerts then got alongside Horgmo and passed him for second on the second lap, while Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan van de Moosdijk passed Haarup for sixth.

Geerts was looking fast as he set a couple of fastest laps of the race, though Vialle was quick to respond as he improved the fastest lap time and stretched out the lead to 2.127 seconds.

On lap four we saw Geerts go down and out of second, though he managed to pick himself up quickly and re-join the race just behind Horgmo.

Adamo went out of the race early on, as he rode back in pain to pitlane. He also did not line-up for race two.

By that point in the race, Vialle had a comfortable 7-second lead, as Geerts looked to get back past Horgmo for second.

Moosdijk then found himself in trouble as a problem with his rear brake saw him lose several positions before he was able to find his rhythm and manage the situation. He eventually finished in 13th place.

Haarup meanwhile was setting up a pass on Längenfelder who was not making it easy for the Dane.

Vialle stretched out his lead to over 10 seconds while Geerts looked like he was settling into second and happy to take the points rather than any unnecessary risks. In the end, Vialle won the race ahead of Geerts, Horgmo and Längenfelder who was able to hold off Haarup until the chequered flag.

In race two, the Fox Holeshot was secured by Längenfelder who was ahead of Horgmo, Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, Vialle and Geerts. Benistant was quick to get himself into second after passing Horgmo on the opening lap, as Vialle did the same shortly after.

Meanwhile, Geerts found himself battling with Moosdijk, as the pair swapped positions a couple of times, though the Belgian was able to make it stick and secure fifth as he set his sights on Horgmo.

On the second lap, Benistant crashed out of second and got going again in eighth which meant that it was Längenfelder, Vialle, Geerts, Horgmo and Moosdijk who were in the top five.

Geerts got sight of Vialle and began to push, setting the fastest lap of the race. Though the pass came easy in the end, as Vialle made a small mistake and crashed. The Frenchman was able to get going quickly just behind Geerts.

Moosdijk passed Horgmo for fourth, as Geerts closed right in on Längenfelder, but the German was not going to give up the lead so easily as he made Geerts work hard at it until lap 11. By that point, Vialle was right there too, which meant Geerts could not put a foot wrong if he wanted to win the race.

Vialle had a much easier pass on Längenfelder who made a mistake and then it was game on between the two title contenders until the chequered flag. Despite the pressure, Geerts was able to bring it home, to win his 11th race of the season.

A 2-1 result also put Geerts on the top step, as he and Vialle ended the weekend tied on points. Vialle was forced to stand on the second step, while Längenfelder made his fifth podium appearance to finish third.

After 15 rounds, Geerts maintains a 23-point lead over Vialle, while Längenfelder stays third. Three rounds remain and it will be a tight battle for the MX2 title between Geerts and Vialle.

Jago Geerts: “I’m really happy about today. In the second heat, Simon was really tough to pass, I really needed a couple of laps to find a good spot. But in the end, I managed to pass him, and I won the GP. So, I’m really happy about that, the points have stayed the same, so it was a really positive weekend for me and now I am looking forward to the next weekend in Finland, again on a sand track, which is always fun to ride”.

Tom Vialle: “I felt good all weekend on the track. The first race was really good for me, I was riding good and I could control a little bit while Jago crashed. I had like a five or six second gap and won the race like this. And then I had a small crash myself in the second race and I was around six seconds behind Simon and Jago. I could catch them but it was difficult to pass but we were all riding really fast. And Jago didn’t make any mistakes so I didn’t really find any spots to pass him. Of course, a little bit disappointed that I didn’t win the GP but the points gap stays the same, so it was not so bad in the end”.

Simon Längenfelder: “I’m back on the box, which I’m happy about. In the first race I got a good start but was sleeping a little bit, so went back to fourth. And then I was stuck behind Kevin Horgmo and I tried to pass him but couldn’t make it happen by the end of the race. Then went into the second race and took the Fox Holeshot and I just tried to do good. In the first 20 minutes, I rode good and then when Jago and Tom passed me, I made some mistakes and lost some ground on them. But all in all, I would say it was a good weekend. And now I’m looking forward to the past three rounds”.

MXGP RACE REPORT & RESULTS

In MXGP race one, Valentin Guillod of iXS Hostettler MXGP Team was the Fox Holeshot winner, but the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing trio of Maxime Renaux, Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff were quick to pass the Swiss and take the first, second and third positions. Guillod dropped to fourth but was ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado.

Yesterday’s qualifying race winner Mitch Evans of Team HRC struggled in the first few laps of the race after crashing but managed to get going again and was making very strong progress throughout the race.

Renaux then began to come under strong pressure from his teammate Seewer who was trying everything to get by. Meanwhile, Guillod remained impressive in fifth after being passed by Gajser. Prado was looking to do the same, but the Swiss put up a strong fight for much of the race.

Further down the field, Evans was making strong moves towards the top 10, where he eventually finished after what was a strong effort from the Aussie.

After six laps, Prado was finally able to pass Guillod, as Renaux opened up the gap to 2.020 seconds over Seewer and Coldenhoff.

Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen went out of the race after what looked like a mechanical issue.

Towards the latter stages of the race, we saw Seewer get back onto the rear wheel of Renaux, as Gajser attempted to get by Coldenhoff who was able to fend off the Slovenian.

In the end, it was a Yamaha 1-2-3 as Renaux took the win from Seewer and Coldenhoff as Gajser was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Prado. Meanwhile, Guillod crashed on the final lap and dropped from 6th to 9th.

In race two, the Fox Holeshot went to Seewer, his third of the season, who initially led Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre, Vlaanderen, Evans, Gajser and Coldenhoff but before we even got to the end of the first lap, Gajser was able to make some quick passes to land himself in second place.

Renaux though had a big crash on one of the tabletops on the opening lap and did not carry on with the race. The Frenchman was able to walk away injury-free and it was confirmed that he is feeling banged up and bruised but nothing more serious.

Seewer was looking fast in the first two laps, as he set two consecutive fastest laps of the race as he opened a small margin of 1.599 seconds to Gajser, Febvre and Evans.

Evans was on a charge as he clocked the fastest lap of the race, a 1:50.808 as he began to close in on Febvre and Gajser. At that point, the top four were nicely bunched up together and it looked like we had an intense battle for the race win on our hands.

Though as the race went on, Seewer was looking more and more comfortable in first as Gajser was not looking to take any risks after a big crash in time practice on Saturday.

It looked like everyone began to settle into their pace, as not many passes were being made until Prado began to charge for Vlaanderen and ultimately passed the Yamaha rider for sixth.

In the end, Seewer secured his fourth race win of the season ahead of Gajser, Febvre, Evans and Coldenhoff! A 2-1 result gave Seewer his third GP victory of the season, while Gajser finished second and Coldenhoff made it back-to-back podiums in Sweden.

Heading into the 16th round of the series, Gajser holds 115 points lead over Seewer who remains second ahead of Prado who is third. Coldenhoff is just a further 18 points behind and has a chance to challenge the Spaniard for the bronze medal over the next three Grand Prix.

Jeremy Seewer: “Yeah, starting yesterday, I felt really good in time practice. And for some reason that went away in the qualifying race. Of course, we don’t show everything in qualifying, but still, I didn’t get the feeling that I wanted. In the second race today, I took a good start, which made it easier, especially on a track that is hard to pass. I felt a bit quicker than Maxime in race one but couldn’t find my way around. Anyways, amazing weekend, I’m trying to collect more of those first place trophies… and try not to break them too!”.

Tim Gajser: “Yesterday, I had a big one, in time practice. Luckily, thankfully, I was able to walk away from that without any big injuries, just a bit sore on the wrist. Today was good, the speed was there though the starts were not the best and like Jeremy said it was not easy to pass because the top ten guys are all basically on the same speed. But in the end, happy to finish on the box and looking forward to Finland”.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “The weekend started difficult I would say, I was feeling really bad yesterday but we made some changes and it definitely worked out and I’m thankful for the team for the effort they put in. I felt a lot better today. I guess it was a dream race for the team, for me I should have been in a different position, but 123 Yamaha, it says something. In general, first race was good, I got myself into fourth position and passed to follow my teammates, we were basically more or less the same speed and I finished third. I knew the start will be important and I was a bit sleepy at the start of the second race and definitely had to fight for the first few laps to make some passes to fifth. Normally, third and fifth you don’t manage the podium, but yeah, lucky to be here again I guess but it’s always good to be here!”.