Suzuki Factory rider Kevin Strijbos pulled off a surprise victory at last weekend’s Grand Prix of Lommel, going 3-3 for the victory and adding to his other five GP victories. Amazingly his first came in 2005, and between 2005 and 2007 he won those five GPs, but hadn’t won since. That made Lommel all the more special.
While 3-3 results were not any sign of a domination, the victory came a little easier than his last win in Lierop in 2007, when he battled hard with Marc De Reuver and Steve Ramon in one of the best GPs of the decade.
This time around being consistent paid off as his competition crashed, or struggled with bad starts. We caught up with him and asked him about his weekend.
Kevin, is there are time when you give up on winning a GP, or did you always believe it would happen again?
Sure, you know it was always in my mind and I always want to win, but things didn’t go to plan, the whole season actually. This week I couldn’t ride, I had an inflammation on my blister, so I couldn’t ride. I didn’t know what to expect.
This was a big shock obviously for many people. How was it for you?
My last win was 2007 and a lot of the younger guys weren’t even into GPs. I didn’t get a good start, but rode really good and I think it is my first home GP win. It was really special, for the team, we did the special thing with the bike. Second moto I had a decent start and everyone started putting on my pit board GP winner. It was nice for my girlfriend and baby.
You obviously didn’t have much pressure. Did that help?
We often expected a lot here and it never worked out, and this year we came in not expecting anything and it worked out ok. I think I am not good under pressure and I am not good at it, and that is why I rode good this weekend. I had the injury and I didn’t have much bike time, so maybe that helped a lot.
What about the new generation. What makes it so hard to beat them?
You can see with the riding style, all the young guys go flat out, right from the start and that is difficult for me. It’s been nine years, many of these young guys were not even around then.
You have a child expected in the near future. Do you think that might make the pressure different, because having a child is a lot more rewarding than any job? It might make you realize how much fun motocross can be?
I think it does, at the moment I don’t think too much about it, but once the kid is there it will take the pressure off and it will make racing maybe not as important and I hope to get a win when my kid is actually born and maybe even more wins.
You are one of the oldest guys in the MXGP class, you and Antonio. Do you know when you might finish your career? Have you any plans on that?
I want to do next year good and then see how it is. I turn 31 this year and 32 next year, and there comes a time when you have to stop and if you want it or not. I still have fun on my bike, but maybe two more years and then that will be it.
I can imagine winning you were probably as happy for Stefan as you were for yourself?
I think so, he has looked for this the whole year. We had a good winter and also a lot of expectation, from him and from me and we had so many issues. He is really happy and its good for him, good for the sponsors and good for the team we didn’t have the best of seasons until now.
