Article by: Geoff Meyer – Photo: Ray Archer – KTM Images
A long list of riders put up a fighting effort against the mighty Red Bull KTM Factory team, and while it was bright orange on the top two steps of the podium in both MX1 and MX2 there were many great performances. Here are the comments from around 30 of the top riders involved in the weekends action.
Tony Cairoli
“I didn’t expect to do that well her because its not my favorite track and yesterday I was struggling a bit with the hard pack. I know I had to make two good starts because everyone here has a good speed. So I got the two holeshots and I could push to the last lap. There was more tension in the first race because I had Paulin and Desalle right behind me. In the second I pushed for the first 20-25 minutes. I knew I had Ken behind me and he was controlling the riders behind him so we had a pretty nice race together.”
Ken de Dycker
“I had a good win yesterday for pole but I didn’t get a good start in the first moto. I had the speed but I wanted to save something for the second race. But overall a good second moto and a good GP. I think we’re having lots of success because we train hard and everyone knows that the KTM bikes have been on top now for I think five years. But behind the scenes it’s also the fun things we do together – that’s what motivated everyone.”
Jeffrey Herlings
“The riding was really good. There’s just one thing to work on and that’s the start but in Bulgaria that will be less important because you have a 180 degree turn so hopefully we can work on that and maybe have some new set up for the bike. You know even if its hard pack or sand it doesn’t really matter anymore for me. I’m the fastest on all the tracks up to now so I hope to have this consistency, not to make mistakes and not give up the dream of being undefeated.”
Jordi Tixier
“I got a good start in race one and it was so much easier for me to stay in front. But I had a bad start in the second race and was back at tenth. It was really difficult to pass on the first laps and I had to really attack to get into fourth place. I tried to close the gap but it wasn’t possible so I decided to stay in fourth for second overall in the GP.”
Pauls Jonass
“I made it happen today. It was a really good two races but I need to work on my starts and then it will be easier for me. Now I will work hard to keep this first place and try to hold onto it until the end of the season.”
Clement Desalle
“The first moto was not too bad but I was disappointed because I was stuck too long behind Gautier Paulin and I could not pass him. My start was better in the second moto. I was third but in the second corner I touched Searle and it was like my bike was glued to his. I don’t know what happened. I restarted last and on the second lap I crashed again. I came back to eighth but it was a bad day. My work didn’t pay anything back.”
Kevin Strijbos
“I was OK today. I didn’t have a good feeling in the first race and when I was behind Leok I was stuck there for a bit and by the time I passed him there was a big gap to the others. Sixth wasn’t too bad but I wasn’t that happy because I didn’t feel sharp and was tired in my arms. I was anxious about the second moto because I wasn’t sure how I would get on. My jump was good but the wheel span on part of the gate and then someone – I think it was Simpson – came right across from the inside and hit me all the way to the outside. It felt like I was almost last! The speed and riding was good after that and I moved forward with Gautier and every time he overtook I was able to go past also. I ended up having more confidence than the first moto and I hope I can start the Grand Prix next week with this good feeling from the beginning. I think I can make the podium soon. The pace is there, I just need a few small things to click into place.”
Jonathan Barragan
“I wasn’t happy with my first race but I got a good start in the second and it’s much easier running near the front. My speed was good for the first half of the race but I didn’t have such good lines in the second half and lost a little bit of my pace which cost me some places. I’m much happier with my results today, especially getting back into the top ten.”
Matiss Karro
“It’s been a difficult week for me preparing for this GP. I haven’t had any hard pack practice and tried to get on the Genk track but it was shut so I only managed to practice on sand at Lommel. My bike fitness still isn’t there but I got awesome starts and managed to hang on in both races. The track was really grippy in some places and really slippery in others and physically it was very hard but I’m happy how I rode considering it was my first time on hard pack this season. I will be fitter next week and I hope I can do even better.”
Xavier Boog
“The hard track suits me better than the sand, so this weekend was much better than Valkenswaard. In the second moto I would have needed a little bit more speed to keep the few riders in the last bit of race behind me, but I’m satisfied with the weekend and set for the next steps towards the top,”
Rui Gonçalves
“Weekend was tough for me, but I won’t give up. I just want to forget the small mistakes I made this weekend and take the positive steps we’ve made with me, I’m sure I bounce back in Bulgaria next weekend.”
Max Nagl
“First of all after all the problems pre-season I am really happy for the team, mechanics and Honda, as we’ve been training so much in the last few weeks and finally I have been able to make another step to improve my speed along with my physical condition. I still need to work on my starts, as in the first race it was terrible and I crashed on the first lap, so I was last and it was so tough to fight through. I was still 11th but I was very angry, as the speed was definitely there for the front. We changed some small things on the bike for the second heat; the start was better, and the riding improved a lot. I am so happy to have third place, as it took a lot of energy for me, the whole team and everyone. It was also great to have so much support here, as we aren’t so far from Germany, so it was nice to see some of the fans. The track was really tough today, as it was just one line so I had to follow the guys in front, and the big st ones in the roost were bad; my hands, chest, everything, all hurt like hell. If I changed the line there was a lot of loose dirt, so there was no traction and the gap to the guy in front increased again. The only way to pass was to follow and pressure them hard into a mistake, which is what I did with Barragan and Boog. Now I’m looking forward to Bulgaria next weekend, as it’s a track I’ve won on in the past and I hope we can get closer to a podium finish.”
Gautier Paulin
“I had a good feeling on this track, but the second start was not what I am used to and there was a pile-up at turn one and I had to ride over another bike! It was difficult to come back through the field after that, even though I posted fast laps throughout the forty minutes. There were many stones on this track, and when you’re following another rider you got hit many times on your body! It’s great to be back on the podium in third overall, but it could have been better. We got to Bulgaria next week and I won there last year.”
Tommy Searle
“I’m pleased with my weekend; we continue to improve our results and I’m happy about that. We’ve found some good settings on the bike and I got two great starts today. I was second for a long time in race one but then I got a little tight and fell back to fifth. I had another good start in race two, but at the second turn Desalle hit me and we crashed; I don’t know why he tried to go so fast in this corner, that was his fault. Then I came back to sixth; it was probably my best race so far on a 450, so I think that soon I will be able to achieve my first podium. The track was really difficult, so stony and slippery, but there were some nice jumps and a good atmosphere with the Italian fans.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek
“Yesterday during the qualifying session I made a mistake and crashed; it was not a big one but this morning I couldn’t move my shoulder. I did only three laps during the warm-up, and visited the doctor; he told me that nothing was broken, just a sore ligament, and I took some pills for the race. It was painful but I was able to get two top ten results; that’s my best MX1 GP so far. I wasn’t riding as usual, but it was important to get two times points and I hope that next weekend my shoulder will be OK.”
Dylan Ferrandis
“Yesterday I had a great start in the qualifying race and I was fifth when the engine stopped with electrical problems, probably the consequence of a collision with Charlier. I was last on the grid, but my first start was good as I was seventh; I even moved forward to sixth but then I suffered some arm pump and had to drop back to eighth. My second start was even better but I was at the outside at the first corner and finally left turn two in fifteenth place. I had a good rhythm in this race and came back to eighth again. I’m happy as I have no more problems with my broken finger and got my first good result of the season with a sixth position on the day.”
Alessandro Lupino
“I knew from the first practice session that my speed was OK here, and with a good start I could easily have achieved a top five result. The first heat was not so bad but the start corner was slippery for the first moto and Ferris took me with him in a crash; I broke one radiator and needed to make a pit stop to check the bike, and then I came back in the race with a painful rib when I rejoined the race and fought back to sixteenth. The second start was better but I was not aggressive enough during the early laps; the rib was very painful and I finished seventh but that is not what I want from my home GP. I had a medical examination after the race and the doctors told me that the 4th rib is broken, so let’s hope that I can race next weekend.”
Jimmy Decotis
“ I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, coming here last week and racing for the first time on a European track. I had a good start in the first moto but crashed in the first lap when someone ran into me from behind. It was a tough race after that. In the second race I was in the top fifteen but got cramps and struggled, I hate to retire but that could be dangerous on this track. I know that the Bulgarian track will be different, and we’ll have one more week to work and prepare it with the team.”
Max Anstie
“My goal was to go out to have fun and see what it would bring. I struggled with the starts. It was a fast first turn and there were a lot of crashes going on…and then they watered it! We were skating around that track for the first couple of laps and there were guys going down everywhere. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time really. I felt like I rode strongly and pushed the whole race. I felt good but I just started too far back. It is difficult to pass all those guys, especially on a track like this. We’ll have to take this as it is. I know what I need to work on for Bulgaria. I cannot thank the team enough because everyone is pushing hard and we are making improvements.”
Julien Lieber
“Today was not good for me. I crashed at the start of the first heat and was right at the back and then I went down again two more times trying to fight through. I don’t know where I finished. At the second start I was pushed right off the outside of the first corner. I came around the lap in 17th and then just worked from there. I was not good on the track and didn’t have a good feeling. I had the sensation that I was always going to lose the front end. We need to work to be better.”
Jeremy Seewer
“I feel really good. To be ninth overall in the GP was more than I expected – my original goal was to take points – so ninth is awesome and it is fun and beneficial for me to race in this category with these guys. I’m happy with my rhythm for sure.”
Brian Hsu
“This is my first race of the year and I struggled a little bit. Yesterday I sucked! It wasn’t my day. I didn’t get through the qualifying heat and had arm-pump so I had to make the last chance and go straight to the race. It went OK; the position wasn’t great but I felt good about the riding. Today was a different day! The start was better – in the top eight – and I enjoyed it a lot more. I’m really happy with the 125; with more power for sure I can go faster!”
Shaun Simpson
“Overall this weekend was not so bad. Surely I’m not completely satisfied but the track was continuously changing and in some places there were some bad lines. In the first race I was 12th and I finished 9th, in the second manche I was in a good position but then I made some mistakes and I crashed finishing 14th.”
Ivo Monticelli
“ I’m not satisfied with my performance. In the first manche, I had a very bad start. In the first lap I was in 26th positions and I succeed in catching up until the 19th place. The second manche was a little better. I started in the middle of the group, 16th, and I tried to stay focused but I even crashed finishing 18th.”
Samuele Bernardini
“ In the first race, I kept the 11th position for three laps and I even succeed in entering the top ten but then I crashed and I started in the last place. In the second manche, I had a bad start and I crashed again. I didn’t enter the rhythm of the race. I tried to ride but in the middle of the race I abandoned.”
Dean Ferris
“It was a shame about the first race because there might have been a chance of sticking the bike on the box but I’m happy about how strong I am after the injury and it’s good to be back and scoring points like that. It is less than four weeks since I had surgery, so I’m pumped. We changed the bike a bit for the second moto and that’s the most comfortable I’ve felt all year and I could flow on what wasn’t an easy track. We made a couple of clicks on the suspension and used a different tyre; it worked. There were a couple of spots where I could have possibly passed Butron for second but then also a few places that let me down and he was a bit quicker. I paced myself at the start because I didn’t know how fit I’d be. I haven’t practiced on the bike during the week since I left Australia because of the flyaways and then the injury. I thought I’d try to pounce on him [Butron] at the end and that he might tire but he stayed strong. I did everything I could. Hopefully from now on I can start the ball rolling again and start to get some podiums for the team.”
Christophe Charlier
“I’m happy with today. I felt great on the bike and the team and Yamaha have worked a lot to make it very good. I made two excellent starts and pushed to grab as many points as I could. The podium was close….next time! The track was easy to handle but it was very hard to pass people. There were not many lines or space in the corners. I’m happy with the weekend.”
Mel Pocock
“I was happy with my qualification race yesterday and that gave me some confidence for the motos. The first start was OK but I couldn’t run the pace of the leaders and found a flow that I could manage because it was really easy to get out of shape on this track. I went to a hard-pack tyre compound in the second moto and that was a mistake. I should have stayed with the softer one because it made the bike feel very nervous in the corners and I was fighting for grip. I feel like I should have done better today but I struggle on these hard, fast square-edge bumpy tracks. Just need to keep going…it’s a tough sport!”
Maxim Desprey
“In the first moto my start was really bad. I was twenty-fifth on the first lap! So to come back to fifteenth was OK. In the second I was right up there until a small crash but I rode well and I’m happy. I’m getting better and I feel like I am making progress. These races offer many challenges and that’s the best way to learn.”
