• Top 10 for Mattia Guadagnini on his return from a long injury
• Both Desmo450 MX bikes cross the finish line in the brutal Portuguese mud
The MXGP of Portugal unfolded this weekend at the Agueda circuit amid especially challenging weather conditions. After a strong performance in the qualifying race, both Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Factory MX Team riders set out to achieve solid results on Sunday and battled to the final lap on a track made barely rideable by the heavy rain. The downpour, which began Saturday night and continued into Sunday’s races, turned the Portuguese circuit into a treacherous basin of mud.
Starting fourth in race one, Mattia Guadagnini, returning from injury after missing three GPs, quickly found a good rhythm and settled into sixth place. However, fatigue in the closing laps caused him to drop three positions, and he ultimately crossed the chequered flag in ninth. It was a more challenging bout for Jeremy Seewer, who began just behind his teammate in seventh but, hindered by a few mistakes, slipped out of the top 15. He managed to recover slightly to claim fifteenth.
Mattia had a less impressive start in moto two, coming through the first lap in 11th, while Jeremy held ninth for the first half of the moto. Both riders focused on securing valuable points and gathering data in extremely tough conditions. They finished in reverse order of their early positions - Mattia in 10th after an admirable late-race push and Jeremy in 11th. The combined results gave Guadagnini a respectable 10th overall, while Seewer took 13th, maintaining his consistent presence in the championship’s top 10.
The eighth round of the Motocross World Championship will take place next week at the Lugo circuit in Galicia and will serve as the MXGP Grand Prix of Spain.
Mattia Guadagnini: “Not bad; it was hard to hope for anything more, even if in these conditions anything was possible. I started well in the first moto, but I struggled a lot in the last 10 minutes, and I lost four positions, which made a big difference in the result. In race two, I started less well, and I tried not to make too many mistakes. After half the moto, I was tired, so I just tried to bring it home because it was really tough. Top 10 on the way back is fine. I couldn't have hoped for much more, but I didn't aim for less, so for today it's fine like this.”
Jeremy Seewer: ”Not too much to say. We scored points and didn't do anything crazy, but I want to be more upfront, especially after yesterday with the feeling and riding I had. But today, we know how mud races are - sometimes they go your way, sometimes not. It seems like at the minute we're struggling with them. Usually these races happen once a year, but it seems like we need to get used to this more, as since last year we've had so many mud races. I need to work, and we need to improve. We need to improve together in these conditions, but I'm still happy because, like I said, in normal conditions and normal racing, we made a step. We saw that yesterday; I'm way more confident. We lost it today, but you know, we stay positive and keep pushing forward, and I think some good results will come soon."
