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Jeremy Seewer & Arnaud Tonus at the 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
NEWS

Swiss power continues in MXGP as Seewer pushes up to world no.2 in Asia

Jul 142019

Monster Energy Yamaha racers have been scrapping for podium positions behind serial winner and championship leader Tim Gajser for the last six rounds of 2019 MXGP. As the HRC man won again at Semarang and the second of two rounds on Indonesian soil in a week, (the twelfth dash of eighteen this season) it was Jeremy Seewer and Arnaud Tonus – the devastatingly quick Swiss twosome in the premier class – that obtained silverware to test their hand luggage allowance back to Europe.

In Seewer’s case the hot event around the rough, slick and spectacular Semarang circuit gave the 24 year old a second podium appearance on the bounce and allowed #91 to move up to second place in the MXGP standings behind the runaway Gajser.

Jeremy Seewer at the 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
 
Jeremy Seewer at the 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
Jeremy kept cool and conservative around the vast Semarang jumps to finish 3rd and 4th for 3rd place overall. There were a few near-misses for the likeable athlete, who watched tumbles by peers like Romain Febvre, and he could do little about the agility of Tonus who claimed the runner-up rank on the day.

“I’m really happy to be on the podium twice in a row; it gives me a lot of confidence,” he said. “I managed a good pace and just wanted to go home healthy. I didn't want to take any more risks because there were a lot of crashes out there.”

 

In just his second season in MXGP after moving out of MX2 as a world championship silver medal holder, Seewer’s consistency has been rewarded with his lofty position in the 2019 points table. His haul at Semarang helped him to leapfrog the injured and absent Tony Cairoli. “The championship changes a lot with guys out injured, it is never nice to see it and nobody wants it. I’m second now but I don't put it at the front of my mind too much. It’s hard to forget about it…but I just try to perform at my best and we’ll see where I end up.”

Jeremy Seewer & Arnaud Tonus at the 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
Arnaud Tonus 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
Arnaud Tonus 2019 Grand Prix of Asia

For the Monster Energy Yamaha quartet it was a case of ‘sweet sixteen’ as all four ‘blue’ riders have helped towards a vast podium tally of sixteen trophies so far. Tonus is the most prolific of the bunch and after missing out on a sixth successive celebration at Palembang the previous weekend the ex-Pro Circuit ace was back on the box at the second time of asking in Indonesia. “It was very easy to make a mistake and many guys crashed, which helped me out a little bit,” the modest Tonus admitted after his 2-3 scorecard. “I was just trying to stay on two wheels and go faster and faster step-by-step. We had a tough weekend last week so it is good to be back.”

Romain Febvre at the 2019 Grand Prix of Asia
Pole Position sitter Romain Febvre had a costly first moto when a damaged YZ450F obliged the Frenchman to dismount in the pits. He took 5th place in the second outing. In MX2 Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Jago Geerts was one of the flock that rued race mistakes. The Belgian could only take 9th overall but fared better than teammate Ben Watson who had ripped away the metalwork from his broken left hand through trying to competed at Palembang and was forced into the stands at Semarang.

After two long, sweaty weeks in Asia, MXGP will take a weekend to recover before action resume back in Europe. The Grand Prix of Czech Republic is scheduled for the end of July and on the usual hard-pack of Loket.

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