Factory Yamaha came into the 2024 MXGP World Championship with very high expectations with a rider line up consisting of Jago Geerts, Maxime Renaux and Calvin Vlaaderen.
After just two rounds of the series, the team were already hit with injuries. Jago Geerts got injured in the first MXGP qualifying race of the year and picked up left clavicle and elbow fracture. The Belgian will be out for a while but is hoping to at least return for his home GP at Lommel.
Maxime Renaux broke his foot last year and it has continued to give him issues. After the first moto in Spain he decided to pull out and go for more surgery. He now faces a lengthy time on the sidelines.
It leaves the team with Calvin Vlaanderen as the sole rider who is getting better and better despite breaking his collarbone over the winter. At the latest round of MXGP in Arco di Trento he finished moto two in second and finished fourth overall.
With Vlaanderen as their sole rider in MXGP at the moment, it begs the question, what will Yamaha do in terms of a fill in rider? They handed Todd Kellett an opportunity to contest the MXGP round in gnarly Riola.
Rumours around the paddock in Arco di Trento suggested they would look to give Andrea Bonacorsi a chance to move up to the MXGP World Championship. The reigning EMX250 champion is only a rookie in MX2 and is still only 20 years old. He has a heavy build and showed when racing the MXoN at the end of last year for Italy he suits the bigger bike.
However, at the second moto in Arco di Trento, Bonacorsi showed his has got what it takes to run at the front of MX2 after finishing third in the second moto. Despite him impressing in MX2, we believe that Yamaha still plan to call on him to race the MXGP World Championship starting at round five in Portugal.
Yamaha would still have Thibault Benistant and Rick Elzinga racing the MX2 World Championship.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bonacorsi will race the rest of the MXGP World Championship or when Geerts and/or Renaux return, they decide to allow him to race MX2 once again. It’ll one to keep an eye on and where his future is in 2025: MX2 or MXGP?
More news as and when it is official.
Image: Yamaha Racing
