• Both Desmo450 MX machines finished the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha in the top 15, proving their reliability
• Mattia Guadagnini took a top 10 in race two despite the challenging track conditions
The second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was held this weekend at the Cozar Motor Ranch circuit in the Castilla-La Mancha region, 200 kilometres from the Spanish capital, Madrid. After claiming eleventh and eighteenth in the qualifying race on Saturday, Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini lined up for the two motos on Sunday on a track made hugely difficult by the heavy rainfall that had fallen since the early hours of the morning.
In race one, Seewer started at the front, but an opponent's slip saw him involved in a multi-rider crash that scuppered his race immensely. He recovered admirably to bank fourteenth. Guadagnini clinched 21st in a race conditioned by a long stop in the pit lane due to a technical problem.
At the start of race two, Jeremy made it through the first corner unscathed, crossing the line in tenth on the first lap. Mattia, meanwhile, had to recover after being blocked by a rider who fell at the start. The Swiss rider fought hard throughout to ultimately secure fourteenth place. It was a comeback race for the Italian, who managed to break into the top ten despite starting from the back. He climbed as high as eighth before taking the chequered flag in ninth, which meant he finished fifteenth overall, behind his teammate.
The next round of MXGP is in a week on the classic track of Saint Jean d'Angely, for the Grand Prix of Europe.
Jeremy Seewer: “Today was a full mud race and I was in survival mode. I was doing well at the start of the first moto, but then somebody crashed in front of me. Then someone else hit me from behind and I fell. I restarted last and was covered in mud, so it wasn’t an easy one. The second moto was better, though. I started around tenth, but soon I was layered in mud, and it was a real struggle. It was a very tricky day, so now we are hoping for normal conditions again to see where we stand.”
Mattia Guadagnini: “Today, the conditions were unbearable for everyone. We had some problems with the bike and I made too many mistakes. In the first race, I rode very well, but I was almost two laps behind and I did what I could. In the second, I was near the back at the start, but I made a good comeback to eighth and finished ninth. I didn’t score many points, but we are only at the beginning of the championship. We have time to improve. In any case, I am satisfied with how I rode in conditions that were beyond the limit.”
