Maxime Renaux has revealed that he raced through an injury at the MXGP of Arnhem after getting hurt one week earlier at Uddevalla, explaining his difficult weekend at Round 16 of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship.
The Monster Energy Yamaha rider arrived in the Dutch sand already carrying an undisclosed injury and admitted he had been unable to ride during the week leading up to the Grand Prix. Despite the pain, Renaux attempted to compete but saw his weekend unravel after a crash in the opening moto.
“I got injured in Sweden and haven’t been able to ride this week,” Renaux explained. “I tried, but it was very painful. Yesterday and today I managed to ride despite the pain, but unfortunately I crashed in the first moto. I’m very happy it wasn’t anything serious, but we decided not to line up for the second moto.”
The Frenchman and his team chose the conservative approach, withdrawing from the final race of the weekend to avoid making the situation worse ahead of the closing rounds of the season.
“We decided to play it safe, go home, get treatment and then see what we can do for the final races of the year,” he added. “It’s tough, but I knew I was coming into this weekend in a difficult situation. I gave everything and did everything I could, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Now the priority is to recover properly and see what we can do in the races that remain.”
Renaux’s recent form has slipped under the radar after podium finishes earlier in the season in Switzerland and Montevarchi. The injury setback in Sweden and the difficult Arnhem weekend have only added to those struggles.
Despite leaving Arnhem without scoring a single point, Renaux remains eighth in the MXGP championship standings with three rounds still to go. The final races of the season could also mark the end of his time with Yamaha, as speculation continues to grow about a potential team switch for 2027.
