Above photo: MXGP podium – MXGP of Qatar
The 2017 MXGP Motocross World Championship series kicked off over the weekend with the 2017 MXGP of Qatar at the Losail circuit. In the MXGP class, former world champion Red Bull / KTM’s Antonio Cairoli told everyone he’s ready to call it a career just yet. The eight time world champ went 1-1 and stood on top of the podium. He was joined on the podium by HRC / Honda’s Tim Gasjer (2nd) and Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle (3rd).
In the MX2 class, consistency ruled the day for the podium finishers. Red Bull / KTM’s Pauls Jonass went 1-1, Kemea Yamaha’s Benoit Paturel went 2-2 and LRT / KTM’s Julien Lieber went 3-3.
Check out what over twenty of the world championship riders thought about their weekends in Qatar below.
Antonio Cairoli: (1st in MXGP) “It was a great weekend and I’m really happy. It is my fourteenth season here in the world championship and I’m really happy; not many riders have reached this before and to be here for so many years. I have won at least one GP each year, which is amazing. The start of the season we had some good races and no injuries during the winter so I could train a bit better than the years before. We also had the bike set-up much better. So I was looking forward to this first GP. I was a bit sick with some intestinal flu coming here and was still taking medicine up until Thursday so I was unsure how my reaction would be for the race but it was pretty good and I really enjoyed the racing, and the track was pretty technical so I could make some good lines in places. I could push until the end in both motos. We are really happy with the result and will be ready for the next GP.”
Tim Gajser: (2nd in MXGP) “Yeah, I am actually really happy overall with the weekend. It didn’t start the best as I have been really sick all weekend but I was able to achieve two good races despite this. The first race I didn’t have the best start and I had to battle with Bobryshev and Desalle all race. It was tough to pass because there was only actually one fast line and the other lines were not the same speed. In the second race, I had a better start, I was leading and I pulled a gap between myself and Cairoli. Then, in the last two laps I was destroyed and I couldn’t give anymore but I am happy to start the season with second overall this weekend.”
Clement Desalle: (3rd in MXGP) “It is really good to start the year on the podium. I was not happy with how things were going on Friday. It was hard to pass, it was not easy riding out there and I wasn’t pleased! It was much better today. I had a good feeling on the bike and that is very important for me and I had some good starts. I changed my mentality a little bit but so much depends how and where you are after the second corner! Today I could make a difference. The first race is done now and we can look ahead.”
Pauls Jonass: (1st in MX2) “I didn’t expect that I would get two moto wins this weekend as well as qualifying. I had a good gate pick, two good starts, two consistent motos without any big mistakes – which was also a goal coming to this race – and to go home with two wins and my first overall makes me so happy. We still have eighteen GPs to go; it is such a long season. It will be difficult to continue like we were today but I will do my best! Today I really enjoyed my riding. I think I still have a lot of room for improvement but I am so happy with the bike and the team have done so much.”
Romain Febvre: (5th in MXGP) “I think third was my place today. Tony and Gajser were really fast and I couldn’t fight with them yesterday. It was a shame in the first moto because I made two mistakes and lost the chance for third place on the podium. I was not feeling so sharp on the track or the bike…so I’m happy to take that third in the second race.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: (4th in MXGP) “Today was positive for my overall result in the championship but looking at the races I didn’t feel I did as well as I could have. In the first race, I made a mistake and dropped the bike in the corner before the start as I didn’t feel comfortable with my riding. In the second race, I had a really bad start and I struggled with the track but I know I had good speed as we changed a little bit on the bike for the second race. The changes were much better for my riding style in these conditions and I knew I was faster in the second section of the track. The track was really tough to pass; I feel that last year it was much better prepared. I was trying to change my line and I just couldn’t gain anything by doing this.”
Kevin Strijbos: (11th in MXGP) “First race I got a good start but ran wide and Anstie also ran wide and went off the track. I just about saved it but lost a lot of positions. My riding though, I just couldn’t push, I didn’t have any energy or anything. I don’t know what was wrong. It was better in the second moto as again I got a good jump off the metal mesh but then they moved past me when we got on the soil and I couldn’t make it up. It’s something we have to work on but overall I felt way better than the first moto, I felt strong, I felt good, but it’s so difficult to pass, I think I spent the whole race behind Jeffrey Herlings. He’s a smart rider and knows how to protect his lines but I tried and the team could see I tried. The result is not great but we are going to stay positive and keep the positive things in mind for next week and we shall see what happens in Indonesia.”
Jorge Prado: (8th in MX2) “I didn’t feel so good on the bike. I rode pretty tight and I think we can expect better in the next races: I know I can do much better. I feel pretty bad…but sometimes you have bad days. I didn’t get arm-pump but couldn’t ride like I normally do. The track was really rough and I had trouble with the deep ruts and the bumps inside them.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: (9th in MXGP) “The day started off not so good. I had a bad start but worked my way up to tenth on the first lap before I wanted to push too fast and ended up making a mistake. So I had to restart dead-last and wanted to get back with the guys as quick as possible and made another mistake: I was not focussed enough. I told myself to keep calm, do my thing and get a rhythm. I had some hard fights and finishing in fifteenth is not the result we are working for. My riding was quite good in the second moto. Van Horebeek and Bobryshev passed me and those guys were just a little bit quicker. That race was quite solid though. I’m ninth in the championship right now and it could be worse.”
Shaun Simpson: (16th in MXGP) “I am ever the optimist and even on the worse weekend I can still find a positive and something to build on throughout the week. I know there is a lot to do, my speed and fitness can definitely be improved but that will come, I am not stressed about that. The main thing is that we got through this weekend, I’ve put some points on the board and through it all I actually feel okay.”
Jeffrey Herlings: (15th in MXGP) “What can I say? It was terrible but what can we expect? I broke my hand less than two weeks ago, we got it plated the day after (the crash) and then I was supposed to race ten days later. Plus before that I had an injury with my wrist so I missed another four weeks. I didn’t really have the feeling I needed on the bike and I had a lot of pain: it was pretty bad. In Motocross you need your entire body and I wasn’t 100%. We made some improvements on the bike anyway and I’m grateful to have such a strong team behind me and such a strong 450.”Gautier Paulin: “I’m really satisfied with my performance in Qatar. To start the season with two consistent moto results for sixth overall is hugely important. It just shows there’s a great base for us to continue working during the season. The weekend started with a good third place result during qualifying. It was a good confidence booster for the rest of the GP. My bike has been working great throughout the weekend as well. In moto one I made a small mistake after the start and had to fight from the back of the pack to finish sixth. If I hadn’t lost time at the start, I believe a top three result was well within our reach. Then in moto two I didn’t get a great start but made some quick passes and found myself in fifth. Getting some consistent lap times I managed to finish fifth.”
Max Anstie: (10th in MXGP) “It was a good start to the season. We proved in Qatar that we’ve done our work. I felt fast throughout the weekend and overall I’m happy with my performance. I got a good start in moto one but a few laps later I got off track and lost some time to finish 13th. Then in moto two I got an even better start and battled my way to 10th at the chequered flag. It was my first GP on a 450cc bike and I believe I showed I’m in a good place with my speed. We can continue working hard with the goal to improve from here. I’m expecting the GP in Indonesia to be a good one and I’m looking forward to it.”
Jeremy Seewer: (6th in MX2) “It’s not what we wanted to do today of course, but I’m happy to be in one piece. It’s a long season so all is not lost but I’m really disappointed. First moto I had a bad start and I crashed in a slippery spot on the first lap, my fault, and then I just couldn’t make it happen to make it through the pack. I have to say, it is very difficult here to come back from a mistake, it’s mainly one line. The second moto I lost the distance to the top few guys with my bad start but once I was through, I could go their same speed. I think the speed is there, we just have to improve a few things to get up there.”
Max Nagl: (9th in MXGP) “My riding kept getting better as the racing went on. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling so comfortable on the track during the qualifying moto, but worked hard and managed to get a good pace during the final races. I got a great jump out of the gate in the opening moto, but lost a bit of time entering the first corner. Getting an eighth place result I think is good for the start of this championship. Then in moto two I had a better start but as I was battling with Coldenhoff I hit a kicker on a jump and went over the bars. It was a big crash but luckily I got away unhurt and managed to finish the race. I’m going back to Europe now to continue my training schedule for a few days, before boarding the plane to Indonesia, where the goal is to improve on my results.”
Jeremy vanHorebeek: (7th in MXGP) “This is not my favourite track. I am just happy to leave here without any injuries. I suppose it’s a pretty decent start to the season, but I know I can do way better than this.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: (4th in MX2) “I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start the season. I might have done two GPs in MX2 last year, but this feels like a whole new experience. I can’t thank the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 squad enough for all their great support. The work we’ve done during the off season has paid off and we were capable to battle for the top in Qatar. I got two great starts and kept battling for the top three throughout both motos. We had some great battles with the riders in front and I kept pushing until the end of each race. The speed is there and we shall now focus on remaining consistent. This season is going to be really long and we are hoping for the best.”
Hunter Lawrence: (11th in MX2) “First moto I was feeling good. I didn’t get the best start, top 15-20 something like that and I was coming through the pack pretty good and I was happy with how I was going. Then I made a mistake on my part with another rider, a rookie mistake. Got back up, finished 18th which isn’t the best but this is the world championship and it’s not going to be easy. I came back in, put it behind myself and looked forward to going out there and doing it again. Second race I got a better start, around 12-13, made some passes and found myself inside the top 10, coming through to finishing sixth behind Jeremy. It felt like we had a good rhythm going as a Suzuki train, so that was pretty cool. Really though, I’m just happy to have got it out of the way, the first round can have a lot of carnage so I’m happy to be walking away with no injuries and to have made good progress.”
Thomas Covington: (16th in MX2) “It’s been an up and down weekend for us. In moto one I believe I showed the speed is there. I got a decent start and was racing within the first six riders, but a small fall dropped me to 13th. Then I started pushing hard again and managed to cross the line in eighth place. My holeshot in moto two was a good confidence booster. Midway through the moto and as I was running in fifth I had a crash and then couldn’t start the bike. I know I can do a lot better and I’m really looking forward to the coming races. Next week we’re racing for the first time in Indonesia and the goal will be to battle for the top in MX2.”
Bas Vaessen: (17th in MX2) “I felt more comfortable today than yesterday, night and day difference. I had the 24th gate pick but came out in seventh place. I had an amazing start, not sure how, but I stayed in sixth for 25 minutes. However, then I started to ride too tight and defend too much and then a couple of guys passed me which was a shame because I had the speed. The second moto I came out 22nd or 23rd but I was feeling good, I was passing a lot of guys and moved into 16th but when I tried to make the pass into 15th I crashed and dropped back to 20th. I ended up finishing 17th but my riding was ok, I had good speed, speed for the top 10 I think. I just need to keep improving and while my results might not show it, I improved a lot this weekend and if I can keep it steady this season will go well.”
Conrad Mewse: (24th in MX2) “It was a tough GP for us. We tried our best during the weekend but nothing seemed to work out for me. Getting poor starts in both motos didn’t help either, so I ended up battling for the top 20. This is definitely not the results I was looking for coming to Qatar but this was just a bad GP for me. We all know the season is really long and I will give my best to go get what’s there for me next week in Indonesia. I believe there is still a lot of opportunities for me to prove my abilities and I am more than willing to go after them.” Download high-resolution images here.”
Michele Cervellin: (5th in MX2) “I am really happy about my first GP in Qatar finishing fifth overall. The team and I worked well together and the bike was perfect. I think I may have been a bit nervous yesterday as it was my first GP with HRC and was a lot to take in but today it all felt good. I found a faster line in the first race for passing other riders and using this line helped me get up to sixth. I liked the track and I felt good on it. I look forward to trying to improve this in Indonesia next week.”
Chihiro Notsuka : (26th in MX2) “To be honest I am feeling tired this weekend as in the first Moto I crashed and it took a lot to get back on the bike again and finish the race. I need to work on my speed as everyone was faster today and the track is really bumpy with deep ruts which I am not used to riding in. The bike is good but I do not feel I am riding at my best, I am learning how to ride in this new class and I want to improve my race position overall in the next few races.”
Photos by: Ray Archer
