Thomas Covington (MX2) and Tim Gajser (MXGP) were the big winners at round four of the 2017 MXGP Motocross World Championship series, and the MXGP of Leon, Mexico.
Check out what the riders had to say about their weekend in Leon after the checkered flags waved and the points were tallied. Click here for full results from Mexico and updated point standings after four rounds.
Tim Gajser: “I am really happy. I felt good all weekend, I was enjoy it and having fun on the bike. Actually, in the second moto it was tough as Cairoli was pushing me all the way and also the track became really hard and slick in some places but I am really happy that I won that one and the overall as well. I am really looking forward to the next one already. I haven’t changed anything in what I do, I am just having fun on the bike and I think that is key.”
Thomas Covington: “It was one of the best GPs of my career. I felt good throughout the weekend and that helped me stay focused and do my own races. Following our qualifying race win we had a great gate pick for the final motos. I didn’t get the best of starts in moto one but got my head down and managed to get fourth. My start was a lot better in moto two. I got the holeshot and soon found myself in second behind Jonass. I spotted some good lines and was able to make my move for the lead a few laps later. Winning the second moto and getting the overall victory is a great confidence booster. We had a rough start to this championship but things are a lot better now. I’m looking forward to the races to come.”
Gautier Paulin: “Everything is coming together for us and it feels really rewarding to get on the podium. We’ve made big improvements with the bike and I’ve also managed to improve my starts. We were strong throughout the weekend in Mexico. From the time practice to the qualifying heat and the final motos we were always inside the top three. In moto one I made a good start and managed to cross the line in third. My start was even better in moto two. Despite feeling a bit tired I managed to get a good race pace to end up third again. I can’t thank all my team enough for all their hard work. I’m having fun on my bike at the moment and our goal now is to consistently battle for the podium at each GP.”
Antonio Cairoli: “I’m really happy because this is one of the tracks on the calendar where I always struggle to find a rhythm. The second moto was a little better, even if I was a bit tired with asthma, and I could stay with Tim and we pulled away from the others. I couldn’t make a pass in the first moto and the result today could easily have been a 2-2. We still have to improve something to be closer to Tim. I’m confident and I know I can ride well but the goal is always to start at the front and that’s very important in MXGP at the moment.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “I don’t know what happened today. I want to thank Red Bull KTM because they have supported me so much and through all those days when we went 1-1 but now we need to keep on working and we will keep fighting and soon be up with the front-runners. We’ve had a couple of top tens so now we have to look to top five, top threes and up to the front.”
Pauls Jonass: “I was really disappointed about my crash on the last lap of warm-up, and had to have some stitches and aesthetic so in the first race my hand was a bit numb. I made a few mistakes and it was difficult to ride. I had a really good start in the second race and led for a while. So fourth overall and it could be better but I salvaged some points.”
Jeremy Seewer: “I did everything that I said I wanted to do yesterday. I just let it happen and the results came out well. I had a really good start in the first moto, we knew that I could do that after yesterday so I was pleased with that. Then I just put in some fast laps and felt good on my bike, I made a gap, and then took the win comfortably. It was nice to take a win in normal conditions, after my first victory which was in the mud in Indonesia. The second moto, I had the same start in mind but it didn’t quite work out as well. I was pretty confident to get it done but sometimes it just doesn’t work out right. Still, I was in a decent spot, it was just hard to see the track and finding lines to pass those guys. Finally, I got to behind Julien Lieber and Jonass in fourth and then I passed Lieber which would have given me the overall, but I wanted to pass Jonass too. I got really close behind him, but that’s when I made a mistake. I went a little bit off my lines, came off the bike but avoided the crash. It wasn’t too bad, I lost a position though before I got back on and that dropped me back to fourth, which is where I finished.”
Hunter Lawrence: “First moto I didn’t have too bad a start, and with this illness I was just trying to last the full moto. It wasn’t too bad, I picked up a couple of positions, made some passes and finished 11th. No crashes, so I was happy with that. I then came back in, tried to reboot, recover as much as possible and come out for moto two. I got a similar start as moto one, mid-pack and tried to ride as best as I could, giving everything I had; the same sort of mentality as the first race. At the fifteen minute mark though, I was pretty already done, I had no energy or strength left so I ended up 14th. Not a bad weekend overall, today was good all things considered. Two motos in the top 15 with no crashes is not great but it gives me something to build on for when we get back to Europe.”
Clement Desalle: “Saturday was OK with good results in the practice sessions and a fourth position in the race for starting positions; it was my best qualification since the beginning of the season! Today I made a good start in the first race, then Cairoli passed me and I was just behind him when I made a mistake during the first lap; I was ninth after this crash, and could only make one pass on Febvre to finish eighth as it was so difficult to overtake on this track. In the second moto my start was even better and I was fourth behind Paulin when I made a small mistake and Van Horebeek passed me. I finished sixth, but I didn’t take any risks as the season will be long; my feeling was not so good and I had no fun riding here. Now we go back for the European rounds of the series; I’m third in the standings and we’ll continue to work hard with the team.”
Arnaud Tonus: The weekend has been really good. I was feeling really good on the bike even though my starts were not so good but I found some solutions and managed to come back for sixth and fourth for fourth overall. I am really happy.”
Jeremy VanHorebeek: “My weekend was not too bad. I didn’t get the best starts but I managed to get through the first lap really clean and into the top five straight away. It was like a battle all the way, and there was only one good line on the track. In the first moto I was okay with the altitude but in the second moto I struggled a bit. I was pushing for third but I got really tired in the last laps because of the altitude and dropped back to fifth. But two times inside the top five is good and is also good for the championship.”
Romain Febvre: “The start was difficult. The first moto I started mid-pack and then I was eighth after a few laps. I got stuck behind Max Nagl and could not pass him and then I started to make some mistakes. I got arm-pump and had to slow down so a few riders passed me and I only finished eleventh. In the second heat, my start was better, but I only got back to seventh. I am not really happy about the weekend but I am happy to go back to Europe where everything will be back to normal.”
Jorge Prado: “I came here with more confidence than ever because I had some great days of practice in the U.S. I was riding so well and physically I was feeling great but this weekend a few different things happened. I couldn’t get on with the track and was tight on the bike and I also had a stomach problem – but that’s not an excuse because I wasn’t performing like I wanted. I was lucky I was riding a KTM because it was the fastest bike on this type of track and at this altitude. I was slow but the other guys still couldn’t pass me on the straight. I need to put things together better because if you are not 100% then it is hard to be at the top.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “I am quite happy to go home in one piece. I felt bad yesterday and had a lot of pain this morning and was quite worried the shoulder would pop out. I saw in the first moto it was OK to have solid pace but not my normal speed. I got a bit more confidence that my shoulder was strong enough. Eleventh in the second moto was quite good damage control and now I’m really looking forward to Arco which is one of my favourite tracks.”
Michele Cervellin: “Today was ok for me. In the first moto I didn’t have a bad race as I finished ninth but in the second I finished eleventh. Eleventh wasn’t so bad for me in the championship as the points help but it isn’t really where I want to finish. For me the start is still a challenge but I improved on this today in both the races. Overall I have had good points for the championship but I am looking forward to racing back in Europe in two weeks.”
Shaun Simpson: “I felt like it could have been better than the results I had today. I didn’t really get off to a great start yesterday with losing my knee braces and all that stuff so, I never really felt great all weekend. I just kept riding within myself. In the first race I rode pretty solid, in the second race my speed was there and my fitness was there, I just got caught in a battle with Evgeny Bobryshev, but it was only for fifteenth. It was frustrating, unlike Argentina where I definitely felt off the pace, this weekend I felt I had the pace to be inside the top ten but couldn’t make it happen. I am looking forward to getting back to Europe where we can continue to improve and develop the bike especially in conditions that are really hard and slick and bumpy, and come back strong in Trentino.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “It was a difficult weekend but we did our best to collect points for the championship. We struggled a bit with the track and the high altitude but worked hard and made progress during the weekend. My starts were not good so I had to push hard in both motos. In the first race I went as high as sixth but made a small mistake before the end and had to settle for seventh. Then again in moto two I was outside the top ten at the end of lap one. I made some passes and got seventh again for seventh overall at the GP. Despite tough conditions we collected valuable points and remain fifth in the MX2 championship standings. We’re heading to Europe now and we will keep fighting to go even higher in the standings.”
Seva Brylyakov: “It’s good to finish the weekend with a sixth place, as it has been another tough GP for me. This weekend again I show great speed, and it made me confident for the races but also a little bit frustrated after the races because I’m not at the place where I should be finishing in the races. In the first moto my start was quite good and I was battling for seventh place; I saw the other riders were not far away and I was riding calm, just waiting for the moment to pass but the rider behind me was doing strange things and finally I crashed. It was difficult to restart the bike, and finally I came back from last to fourteenth but it cost me a lot of energy as I had to push until the end of the race. My start in the second moto was more difficult; I was sixth and was catching the guy in fifth position until my clutch cable was damaged. I finished sixth. Now I have to take care of my body after the crash on Saturday, and we’ll continue to work with the team before the next round in Italy.”
Adam Sterry: “This weekend was an improvement for me, the results are still not what I would like but it’s coming better as I finished both motos in the top ten. We changed a few things during the week, but a crash in the first moto made my weekend hard as I had to rejoin the race in eighteenth position. The second race was better as I was sixth after the start, but I had such bad blisters on the hand I burnt two weeks ago that it was dangerous; it was difficult to handle the bike and I finished ninth. But we are going in the right direction; I just hope that my blisters will heal soon as before coming here I could only train twice. It’s not ideal, in fact it’s annoying but there’s nothing I can really do about it. I’m looking forward to getting back to the European tracks, and we will now work on our starts.”
Stephen Rubini: “This GP was much better for me than the previous ones; I came here with another mind-set and I had a better feeling in the practice sessions. In the qualifying race I had a big crash; I had some pain in my shoulder but I recovered to seventeenth from last position. Today was better. I was able to finish eighteenth in the first moto even though I crashed at the second corner. My second start was again not so good, but I came back to fifteenth and it’s the first time that I have scored in both races. Now we move to Europe; I know most of the tracks and for sure there will be more riders involved but the goal will be to continue to learn and score points.”
Darian Sanayei: “I struggled on this track in Leon; I just couldn’t find the pace the top guys were running here. I couldn’t push my limits. In the qualifying race I crashed and hurt my shoulder a little bit, then in the first moto I was pretty far back; I got through to fourteenth but I fell and finished seventeenth. In the second race I started in the back again and could only come back to sixteenth to score nine points this weekend. I will keep working and hopefully I will be able to get some good starts in the next rounds.”
Max Nagl: “It was a tough GP for us and I’m glad we managed to salvage some good points. I feel that all the travelling we’ve done this season has affected my body and I felt tired throughout the weekend. Despite a not so great gate pick I got two good starts. In moto one I was running in fourth before eventually dropping to seventh. Then in moto two I was again running close to the top but had to settle for eighth. The work continues for us and I can’t wait to get back to Europe for the next GPs. I’m looking forward to returning to our normal training and racing schedule. I know the speed is there so it’s up to me now to show we can battle for the top.”
Max Anstie: “Overall, I’m satisfied with my performance. I rode strong and showed the speed is there. The weekend started quite well with a top three in the qualifying heat. In moto one I was a bit too eager to get a good start so made a small mistake after the gate dropped. I made some good passes during the moto to end up inside the top ten in ninth. Then in moto two I was running in sixth but made a mistake and crashed. My bike works very well and I’m confident we’re moving towards the right direction. It was great Gautier got on the podium and I’m hoping we’ll have more than one Husqvarna machines on the box in the following GPs.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: “The first race everything went really well. I had a good start and I just kept myself in second place, everything was simple. I had a lot of pressure behind me with the pack of four riders but I kept second place. This is really positive for me, I was feeling good. Coming into the second race I had a bad start then on the opening lap, I can’t really explain what happened. There was a simple table top, I landed in the same place every time and this one time when I landed, I slid and the bike went sideways so I crashed on my side. Maybe it was because there was a heavier wind. I hurt my hip a bit so it was difficult coming back then I fell a second time. The track was slippery and dusty so it is safe to say I am disappointed about the second race. I am healthy and happy so I can move forward, I am looking forward to head into Europe”
