MXGP of Portugal Qualifying Race

• Seewer ninth in the Portuguese Grand Prix quali race after a great comeback in the mud

• Guadagnini immediately close to the top 10 on his return to racing with the Desmo450 MX

The seventh round of the season of the MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship takes place this weekend on the red clay track of Agueda, on the Portuguese Atlantic coast, 250 kilometers north of the capital Lisbon.

The Portuguese Grand Prix marks the return to racing for Mattia Guadagnini after the crash suffered on the eve of the GP of Sardinia that forced him to miss three rounds. The Italian rider end the timed practice session on a tough and fast track with the 19th time, while Jeremy Seewer, fresh from the podium achieved in the home race, took the 9th gate for the qualifying race, one only second from the pole position.

Between practice and qualifying, the track conditions changed dramatically, with heavy rains that changed the nature of the soil, making it muddy and technical. At the start of the moto, Jeremy got off to a perfect start with his Desmo450 MX and immediately moved into fourth position, while Mattia was 16th with a good start. During the third lap, the Swiss slipped a first time, got up but was hit by a splash of mud that limited his visibility and ended up off the track, restarting in 20th, while the Italian climbed back up to twelfth. Seewer's unstoppable progression led him to climb 11 positions, until he returned to the points zone finishing 9th, with Guadagnini 12th after a regular and cautious race that rewarded him with a good gate for Sunday's heats.