Monster Energy Yamaha rider Jeremy Seewer might not have a World championship and he might not have a long list of GP victories, but what he does have is a strong work ethic, and determination to battle the likes of Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings, Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado.

Already this year the two time MX2 runner-up and current World number two (his second runner-up finish in MXGP) made big steps, fighting with those four previously mentioned riders and at one point in the year he was a serious contender to win the championship.

A slight bobble in the sand races in Lommel suddenly dropped Seewer off the contender list as Tim Gajser took over, but he still came back at the end of the season to pass Cairoli for second place in the World, leaving a long list of multiple GP winners behind him in the points. 

Always a pleasure to interview the rider from Switzerland gave us a look at his season and expectations for the future.

MXlarge: Jeremy, how are you doing?

Seewer: Doing great thanks, and yourself?

MXlarge: I am doing good, just a little cold.

Seewer: Yes, I was just cycling, and my fingers are really cold.

MXlarge: Did you ever try and get away from the winter and the cold for a holiday at this time of the year?

Seewer: No, not really, because it is so busy I just love to stay home in Switzerland and October is always really nice and then we start to prepare for the season, so I don’t really have time, and that is okay.

MXlarge: Second in the World, so congratulations on that. Is seems you have a lot of second place finishes since you started racing motocross, even back in the EMX days. Does it get tiring finishing second, or are you pretty happy with how it’s going?

Seewer: I mean yes, if I look at my medals at home, they are all silver, so yes, it does get tiring, but if I look at the year, I am still making progress. This is in the end what counts, and I still step it up. I won a Grand Prix, which I didn’t do before, and I am competing with guys like Jeffrey, Tony, Gajser, Prado and this is super positive. Even though I am second again, this was the hardest one to get so far.

MXlarge: You mentioned those guys, the guys with so many Grand Prix wins and so many World championships. I am guessing at the start of the year you need to concentrate and just think of them as men with two arms and two legs, but can you think much about what you are actually doing, because as you said, it’s a big group you are fighting with now and statistic wise, you shouldn’t even be fighting with those guys?

Seewer: You know, at the beginning of the year, okay you have a goal you work for in the winter, you have to have goals, but you need to take it race by race, and perform and collect as many points as possible an not look at the big picture, because that takes a lot a lot of the pressure. That is the point, all the guys I am surrounded by are several World championships, many GP wins and they are not joking around. It is super nice to be vice-World champion, that means a lot with the riders that are around in this era.

MXlarge: There was a moment in the year that you and Jorge (Prado) were the two fastest riders in the class, and a lot of people were starting to say you might be able to be World champion and then it went wrong. Was that because of pressure, or bad luck, what happened there?

Seewer: It was a combination. At that point, Tim had some off races. He didn’t win everything, he had an eight place or a 10^th place, and then Faenza that is my track, that is the tracks I love. Then when I got close, Tim started winning many races and his worst was top three or something and I started to struggle with the heavy sand races, like Lommel, and stuff. I am not a bad guy in Lommel, I have been on the podium there, but I couldn’t battle for a win like in Faenza and Tim started winning. Everyone else I had under control, but not Tim.

MXLarge: In that moment, when you are Jorge were the two fastest, did you start to think you could be World champion?

Seewer: Yes, for sure, but I never looked at the points, I just need to get that out of my head, but I was prepare for that, it wasn’t like I was thinking I could be World champion, not that, but I was collecting as many points as possible and I tried as well as I could to make it happen. There was more pressure from the press and stuff, but I just did what I could and that didn’t add pressure.

MXlarge: Herlings, Gajser, Cairoli, and Prado, those guys with all the championships, they have all been with the same team for a long time, the same brand. It is clear that is very important to have that to be a success.  How important is that to build that?

Seewer: It is very important, and I saw that again this year. The switch Yamaha made from Italy to Holland, from Rinaldi to Wilvo and this was a change again, even though I stayed in the same team. There were things this year that didn’t go to plan and of course this happens in a transition, but for sure, it is important to stay in the same team. Have your mechanic, the people you trust, build confidence, make progress. Starting a new brand takes time and in MXGP now every little detail counts. This will only get better for me next year.

MXlarge: It is a Dutch team, and I know the Dutch well as I live in Holland. They are very correct, very professional. How has that been for you as a person from Switzerland, which is a similar culture to the Dutch?

Seewer: I mean yes and no. I am not your typical Swiss guy, because I don’t live there you could say. I spent time in a Belgian team, and I like that type of mentality. As you said, the Dutch mentality is completely different again. I loved the Italian mentality, when I was with Rinaldi. For some reason I like that open, and warm-hearted mentality let’s say, but also the Dutch teams are fine. Maybe a little bit too structured, because you need some human touch in there, but that will be sorted for next year, with my mechanic and so on.

MXlarge: 2021 the team will be Glenn (Coldenhoff), Ben (Watson) and yourself, a really nice group of not only good riders, but also nice people. I was speaking to Ben and I mentioned how you and Glenn are really nice guys and there should be a good team vibe?

Seewer: For sure, team-mates are important. They will always be your rivals and it could be in a good way or a bad way and I think with these guys it will be a good way. I have been team-mate to Glenn before and we have the same character and I think it will work well. We can push each other and be rivals with a good amount of respect. I don’t know Ben that much, but he seems like a super nice guy and normal and we will see. I can’t complain about my team-mates at all.

MXlarge: The calendar for 2021 is out, and we don’t know how much it will change, but what do you think of the calendar so far?

Seewer: Honestly, I saw it, but I didn’t look too close yet. We need to how COVID is and what happens there, but the calendar looks alright. If we started the season like normal, it would be tight, not enough time to recover and get ready again and it seems fine to start later and I am not complicated and I hope we can start going overseas and see the GPs like before.

MXlarge: So how are you looking now until April?

Seewer: I just did some testing after Trentino, and (last week) was the first week being calm. I will take a few weeks off for sure now, no time on the bike and do other things. I will stay busy with my body of course, keep fit, but not the normal schedule and then I will start preparing for the normal season. Let’s say if we start (the season) in April, I will start 100% to prepare at the end of this year. 

Roman Borak images