Take a look what the competitors thought of their weekend. More comments to follow throughout the day. Victories for Guillod and Cairoli, but a happy weekend for Jeffrey Herlings as he extends his already huge lead in the MX2 points race. Ray Archer image
Valentin Guillod: “It was a great weekend and started well from Saturday. I felt good on the bike straightaway. I was aiming for a good result and make points but the race with Max was very nice and clean. I finished second when Jeffrey came up to our rear wheel so that was OK. I made a good start in the second moto, took the lead and didn’t make a mistake. It was my best race and it was really cool to fight with Jeffrey. I had fun and I think my team and all the fans had fun; it was motocross and a nice show.”
Antonio Cairoli: “I have a lot of great memories here in England, here I won my first moto at the Motocross of the Nations with 250, long time ago in 2006. I have a lot of fans here, everybody is cheering a lot and you can feel it. I’m really happy, because the weekend went pretty perfect and I will not change nothing. I’m confident about the future, the best is yet to come and I’m really happy that I’ve made the decision to go on the 450, is much easier to ride compare to the 350, even if I still have to learn a lot how to get faster. I want to wish to Rui Goncalves a good and fast recover, is one of my best friend and I was sad to don’t see him racing today.”
Clement Desalle: “I had first position in the Qualification Practice and my start was not that bad in the Heat race. I was right behind Nagl when he lost his rear wheel and I had to sit up; I lost a place-or-two to fifth. I got back to second and felt like I could push further but then made a couple of mistakes and the gap was ‘elastic’ between us. I want a really good start tomorrow. We have a couple of small things to try with the settings to feel more comfortable on the track because you really have to concentrate here. The bike has to be 100%…and the rider also.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “I am definitely satisfied with this weekend. I have only won three GPs so far this season but what is important is to be consistent and do well in the championship. After seven rounds in I am 92 points in front so the main thing is to stay out of trouble and not get injured.”
Pauls Jonass: “This weekend was a big improvement after the last three weeks. I had two consistent motos and three really good starts. That made it easier. Now I hope we can bring in an even better result to France in the next round.”
Jordi Tixier: “It’s my fourth consecutive podium and I’m happy with that, even if the result is not what I was expecting as I could do better. In the first race my start was not so good and it took me a while to find a good rhythm; in the second I was in third, close to the leaders at the beginning of the race, but then the track became drier and both Jeffrey (Herlings) and Valentin (Guillod) were able to go faster. We still need to work for the win and next weekend it will be a pleasure for me to race in France with the number one plate on a track which is new for everybody.”
Max Nagl: “It’s disappointing to have lost some points in the MXGP championship, but despite not having a great weekend I’m still holding the red plate and that’s a good thing. I didn’t have any big problems during the weekend, just not the result I hoped for in the second moto. The re-start of the first race helped me. I got a bad start and then crashed and had to work my way to 16th. So to finish third at the end of the re-start was good. I felt good and during the last five laps, I was closing on the riders ahead of me. I got a great start in the second moto but I lost my rhythm trying to pass Shaun Simpson. I had guys trying to pass me when I was focused on Shaun and I lost my rhythm a little. If I could have got in front of Shaun early on I think my race would have been different.”
Todd Waters: “It was an up and down GP for me, but I definitely feel like I’m getting stronger. I was gutted when the first moto was red flagged as I was fifth. In the re-start I also felt pretty good and was holding my own. I made a small mistake towards the end of the moto, but ninth was ok. In the second moto things just didn’t go my way. I came together with Rattray pretty hard and was feeling a little fatigued. The result wasn’t anything to shout about but generally I feel like I’m getting faster. I just need to start well and stay fast for a full moto.”
Max Anstie: “It was amazing to lead the first moto in front of my home crowd. I’ve never led before in England so that was impressive as there were so many fans attending this GP ! Maybe I was thinking too much when I was leading the race, and in the last fifteen minutes Guillod and Herlings joined me. I pushed as hard as I could in both races; my second start was not as good as the first one but I rode hard to recover to sixth. I missed the podium by just one point, and with two consistent results I’m now tenth in the standings and we’ll continue working hard.”
Thomas Covington: “It was a pretty good GP for me, I got a good start in the first moto and was fifth, then Tixier and later Seewer passed me so I finished seventh. In the second moto I hit neutral coming out of the gate; I was last but I came back through to tenth place. Not a bad weekend, and I was happy with my riding; the track is great, I really love it, and, with many jumps and different lines to pass, it’s a good track for me.”
Petar Petrov: “It was my first racing experience with the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team, and I’m happy with the changes I made during the weekend, even if I don’t really like this track. I had only four days on the bike before coming here and I finished tenth overall with a eleventh and a ninth position. My second start was really bad; Thomas found a neutral and I hit him so I was nearly last but I made some good passes to finish ninth. This week we’ll do more testing; the bike is powerful and I got a top ten result already in the first race after just a few days testing, so I’m already looking forward to the next race. “
Romain Febvre: “I’m really happy and it is an amazing feeling to win a moto. When I crossed the finish line I didn’t think I was on the podium again and it was another great feeling. I struggled a bit with my start in the first moto and was behind Waters for a long time. It was so difficult to pass but I managed it with two laps to go and I set my fastest time then because I was free. Seventh was not so good and I was looking for better; I thought my speed was better than that. The second race was more like it and I passed all the guys to win. The rain made the track sketchy in some places because it was really hard and slippery. I decided to slow down a little bit in the last few laps so to not make a mistake.”
Jeremy Seewer: “I knew my speed was there on Saturday but we needed to make some small suspension changes and I felt really good today. I had a pretty good start in the first race but after a few laps I got a bit stiff with my arms and was stuck behind Tonkov as well; it was not easy to pass that guy! I lost my rhythm for a while but anyway by the end I could push to pass Covington. Another good start in the second moto and I had some elbow contact with other guys but that’s racing. I was behind Jonass for a long time and had a good flow going. I thought I could push faster but the track was a little tricky with the rain and on a track like that you can crash pretty big with just a small mistake. I told myself not to take risks for just that one point. Overall I’m a bit pissed with another sixth place…but it could be worse!”
Christophe Charlier: “The excruciating stomach cramps, dehydration and shivering were bad enough yet it pains me even more to have lost a great opportunity. I felt good on the track and got off to a great start in the opening moto. Already before the race and in the morning I felt under the weather. Things only got worse during the moto. I was so sick that I had to throw up while riding. I tried to fight as much as I could but I knew that I didn’t have the strength to ride to my abilities. It was a day to forget soon, I will do all I can now to be prepared for the French GP.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “I feel tired! I’m happy to be back but its tough. We had a red flag in the first moto and it was fifteen minutes in. To come back from injury usually you need all your energy in those first races. It was not too bad today and my starts were decent. I fought for what I got and I had some speed out there. I was out for five weeks and have only been on the bike for a week so I’m happy. My foot didn’t hurt this weekend so it means I’m healed-up. I will work to get back as soon as possible but I’m happy with what I did.”
Julien Lieber: “I didn’t have the right feeling with the bike this weekend. We had been doing a lot of testing but here it wasn’t working. I wasn’t happy with my riding and also the result in the first moto. We made a lot of changes for the second moto and we could see some difference already from the start. I had a small crash but to finish fifth was a good way to end the GP.”
Tyla Rattray: “In the second moto I took a rock in my goggles and then got a lot of dirt in my eyes and couldn’t charge forward. I felt very good on the track, we had some good starts, but also a bad one in the second one, the starts are now so important that you need to be in front to be able to go that pace with the front guys. My best start was in the first race, but they red flagged it so I lost this advantage. I’m safe, but keep my head down and keep working and look forward to the next GP in France.”
Xavier Boog: “I was for sure expecting better results for this first race with Team Monster Energy KRT, but I had a series of very bad starts this weekend and then struggled to make passes. I’m disappointed but we’ll work hard with the team this week to prepare the next round which is a real ‘home GP’ for me as Villars is not far from my town.”
Brent Van Doninck: “I don’t know what happened in the second moto start. I wheelied a bit coming out of the gate and I think Brylyakov came across and touched my handlebars. I took Benoit with me and I made a front flip. I landed on the side of my head and my neck. I was riding again but I was a little dizzy and not focussed. I ended up crashing again. I wanted to do the same in the second moto as I did in the first but it did not turn out like that.”
Benoit Paturel: “It was a difficult weekend for me; no luck! I started well in the first race but in the second corner Seewer crashed in front of me. I always seemed to be coming back! The same in the second moto. I also fell off myself in that one. It was a bad day but I will work very hard for England.”
David Philippaerts: “Not a great weekend. We were searching for a solution with the bike to give me a bit more speed but I think it was more about the rider! Those guys were very fast today and I just tried to run at the best speed I could. Not good results but we will keep working to get back into the top ten.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: It was a really good day today. I had a really poor start to the first race, but I came through well to fourth place before the race was stopped. I was pretty empty at the red flag but I’ve been feeling strong this weekend so I cleared my mind and found more energy for the restart. I had good rhythm and came through well again from tenth to fourth and felt good with the bike. In the second race it was a bit tough as I was still a bit tired, but overall it was good and I’m really happy with a consistent day and good points. All the team worked hard to get everything right as we did a lot of work yesterday and I’m really happy overall with this weekend.”
Gautier Paulin: “Every weekend is pretty similar right now so we all keep working hard to improve things. The real step is getting away from the start to the first corner. The pace was great in warm-up when the track was flat but I’m disappointed I cannot fight in my proper place. I’m not used to riding in this place so we have more work to do.”
Shaun Simpson: “Great weekend. It is always nice to put on a show for your home crowd and I felt like this was a special one already from Saturday with some new kit for the occasion; the look good-feel good factor. The track wasn’t especially to my liking. It was really fast and not nearly as technical as it has been in the past. I knuckled down. I fluked a good start in the ‘second’ moto – the restart – because someone next to me went early and so did I and the gate dropped just as we both moved. I ran in second and dropped back to fifth while holding Paulin off. In the second one I finally nailed a good start! My second holeshot of the year. I was pumped on riding out front. I led four laps I think and the crowd was getting behind me. I gave myself a massive ‘whoo-hoo’ as I went down one of the big step-downs on the first lap. I just enjoyed it. I was a little bit off with my speed-fitness at the end but I think the restart got a few riders today. I held off Gautier [Paulin] again. So overall sixth and I was looking for two top sixes here and I met my goals. I’m real happy and thrilled to put on a show for the public. I’m looking forward to France now which should be a new track for most of us.”
Ben Watson: “The whole weekend was difficult up until that last race. We had too many problems. It started well and I was sixteenth in the first session and liked the bike. For the Qualification Heat I was on the line waiting for the Fifteen Second board and the engine cut out with something happening to the ECU. So I was last on the gate for the motos and didn’t have a great start in the first one. I tried to push through but then the fuel pipe came open and the bike stopped again. I managed to pull into the pits to get it sorted but by the time I was out I couldn’t get into the points. I had a terrible start in the second race; I think I was actually last. I pushed through as hard as I could and I felt like I was riding really well. Sixteenth and a few more points and I just hope I can have a bit of luck soon.”
