Hear from the stars of the show following round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Tim Gajser (1st MXGP): “I really can’t believe that we won today! The crash was pretty bad and I’m pretty sore from it, but as soon as I got back on the bike I had no idea what position I was in – I just wanted to attack again. I had some really good lines and was pushing really hard – going wide open especially in the wave section where I think I made nearly all my passes. I had no idea where I was in the GP overall, but I just saw ‘Nagl’ written on my pit board. I didn’t know what it meant but I just gave everything to pass him, and that was the pass that won the Grand Prix so I’m really pleased that I made it, and that with the team we work so well. I’m just so happy because I really had to fight and work for that one, so it means I’m enjoying it even more. It’s definitely my best MXGP win, for sure!”
Antonio Cairoli (2nd MXGP): “I’m still missing the feeling that I’ve been looking for. I know that the beginning of the season I wasn’t ready but now it’s getting better and better. I’m happy about the season so far except perhaps the race in Mexico where we messed up a bit and I lost a lot of points, otherwise we would be very close in the championship. But I am always in the top five and I’m looking forward to the next GP. This one was close to the win. We still have a lot of work to do. For next weekend my goal, as always, is to win the GP and to stay on the podium for the championship.”
Romain Febvre (3rd MXGP): “In the first moto I made a small mistake, went down and lost a couple of positions. It’s disappointing but we made some changes to the engine in between, and in the second moto I felt like the real Romain Febvre. I was turning fast in the corners and playing with the bumps. The team got me back on the podium today, and I’m really happy with the work we did together today here in Latvia.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek (4th MXGP): “We did a big change with the bike this week for the starts, and to change a bike in just a few days is a big, big step. And it’s not easy on this track. But my starts here were better than all the previous GPs, and that’s because the team did a great job. The gap today was big, and the new bike takes a lot of energy, so it was hard to pass, but we will keep working and the hard work will pay off.”
Max Nagl (5th MXGP): “Overall, I had a good weekend. I got two good starts in both motos, which was really important. Moto one went very well. I was third behind Cairoli but passed him for second a few corners before the end. I managed to get a clean holeshot in moto two. Just before the end of lap one as I was racing in third place Tim Gajser crashed in front of me in the whoops. Unfortunately, I hit his bike and crashed too. From then on I had to push really hard to make it back to the top five. It’s a bit frustrating the GP ended like that. I showed I can fight for the overall win but missed the podium by a few points. Luck wasn’t on our side but my speed was very good and that’s the most important thing as we’re heading to my home GP in Germany next weekend.”
Evgeny Bobryshev (6th MXGP): “I gave everything I had in the races today. I didn’t sleep so well last night with the pain in the shoulder and this morning I was not so sure how well I would feel on the bike. After warm-up this morning I really didn’t think I could do a whole race. With a lot of work with the team physio actually we could have a pretty good day in the circumstances though. I really want to thank the team and the medical staff because they did a lot of hard work with me this weekend. And my wife and father for helping me last night because with the pain I really couldn’t do much myself. Towards the end of the races it was so tough as I couldn’t hold on anymore so I couldn’t push any harder. Of course the crash yesterday was a big shame, but given that we weren’t sure how well we’d be able to race today, we have to be reasonably satisfied.”
Christophe Charlier (7th MXGP): “It was a very positive GP for us. It’s my best result so far in this season and I think it shows how much work we’re all putting in. I had great starts in both motos and managed to stay inside the top six and fight with the top guys for a few laps. My lap times around the track were good throughout the weekend and I proved I have the speed to fight for the top. I’m still lacking a bit of stamina to keep pushing hard until the end of each moto, but the speed is there now and that’s really important for the rest of the season. I’m enjoying my time on the bike and I think I can now start showing my true potential.”
Ben Townley (8th MXGP): “A bit of a shocker to be honest. I moved too early along with Clement [Desalle] in the first moto and just had to put my head down and see where I’d end up. On the first lap of the second race there was a lot of jostling going on. I went inside and I saw Kevin go wide but didn’t expect him to come back as quickly as he did. We touched and I went down and he obviously paid for it later. If it had happened on lap 15, say, then I’d understand people being upset but it was on the first and pretty chaotic. Just one of those racing things and it was a shame. After that I just did what I could. Stefan had told me that the track would get rough and demanding so I played it safe out there. There are some positive signs from this weekend and I really just need to put everything together in one Grand Prix to show what I can do and it hasn’t happened yet this year.”
Shaun Simpson (9th MXGP): “I had quite a good feeling on the bike yesterday and we changed a few bits and bobs to try and get me to feel a bit more comfortable come the heat race. I rode reasonably solid in the heat race yesterday, but the races were pretty tough today. I didn’t really get off to a great start in the first one after hitting the gate and then going down on the second lap, so that was a really tough challenge to come through the pack. Getting fourteenth in the first one didn’t look good and it didn’t feel good, but it was a reasonable ride from where I did come back from. We changed a few things on the set-up for the second race and felt a lot better. I didn’t get out to a great start, just steady away, but then I started coming forward and fitness was really coming into play. With three laps to go we had a little issue with the clutch, as did a lot of other guys today. It is something to look at, but the changes we made worked well and we managed to finish the weekend on a bit of a high.”
Glenn Coldenhoff (13th MXGP): “A lot went wrong for me this weekend. We worked all day yesterday to find a good setup for the bike and this morning it looked like we had found it because I felt much better. I felt good all day, but I had some bad luck. A few guys moved at the start of the first moto and I almost hit the gate, but luckily I was able to stay behind it. I managed to go solid into the first turn but then I was held up by someone. I still finished tenth, which wasn’t so bad. The speed was okay and I felt good out there, I think I was fourth at the start of the second moto but Townley crashed in the first lap and a few others went down. Then I crashed as well and the bike was stuck on a jump and it took me a while to get going again. What is positive is that I was riding well. Now I will work hard, we will do some tests next week and try to bounce back at Teutschenthal.”
Jeffrey Herlings (1st MX2): “I felt good all weekend and I started out fast in the practices so I got the inside gate for the qualifying, which is pretty good for this track. We managed to pull a good start and won the qualifying for the best gate pick for the main races. Both starts were good for us. I think I was fourth at the start of the first race and got to the front in the first two laps and managed to win. Then I pulled a holeshot in the second moto and did what I had to do.”
Jeremy Seewer (3rd MX2): “The second moto was pretty good but Max was just a bit better. It was quite sketchy out there so I didn’t take any risks and kept it safe. In the first moto we had some struggles again but we are working on it, as well as the bike, and we are testing a lot. Overall it was an amazing weekend so a big thanks to whole crew. Everyone is motivated and happy and the season is long and we’ll keep trying to take results like these.”
Petar Petrov (4th MX2): “We got a fourth overall which is not so bad, even if I think that I could have finished second in the second race. There was a crash in the first corner but I went inside and nearly holeshot the race. In the first race I crashed at the start and had to work to come back to sixth. It’s frustrating to finish fourth or fifth in the GPs; I’ve just missed podiums and now it’s time to get on the box. We’ll go into Germany with a lot of confidence; everything is very good, we’re consistent and we didn’t make any mistakes. The track was very bumpy in the second moto, so it was quite easy to make mistakes but I rode smooth. We’re now fourth in the standings and that’s good. We’ll work hard again this week to prepare for Germany; I really like the track.”
Dylan Ferrandis (5th MX2): “It was a tough weekend. On Saturday we worked on the setup of the bike as we had no possibilities to do this during the last two months. Sunday was not so bad; my starts were not so good but in the first moto I rode smooth and got a fifth. I was a little too optimistic in the first corner and crashed, but I did my best to come back from last to sixth. After two months without riding I feel tired at the end of a tough weekend, but I have no regrets; we know that this track is very rough, but it was my decision to come here. The first race after a break is always difficult; I’m sure that next weekend will be better.”
Pauls Jonass (7th MX2): “Everything was going quite good until the last moto. I was second in qualifying and third in the first moto and my riding was pretty good except for the last moto. We changed the suspension a little and maybe that didn’t work out for me. There was a crash at the beginning of the second moto, then I crashed again on my own and I’m really disappointed that my riding was bad in the first lap. But I have a lot of things to learn and the season is long. Now I’ll go home and do the work so we get back to where we should be.”
