Jeffrey Herlings took his 62nd GP victory, Thomas Kjer Olsen his first. It was a drama filled day. Here is what the riders thought.
Jeffrey Herlings: (1st in MXGP)”We were fastest all weekend long and it was the cherry on the cake [to go 1-1]. We have more confidence with this result and it means a lot; it felt like a long time since my last win! This is a boost but Teutschenthal is a new weekend and I will hope to get the best out of it.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: (1st in MX2) “It was an unbelievable GP for us. From winning the qualifying race to getting a clear victory in moto one and then battling our way to second in moto two for the overall win, I can truly say I’m very happy with how things evolved in Latvia. Since the beginning of the season we’ve been making steady progress and that clearly shows in our results. Together with the overall victory I’m also really happy that I managed to do my own races. I remained calm and focused and even when I had to make some crucial passes in moto two I took my time and made it happen when I had to. This victory had been a great confidence booster. The pressure for a victory is off now and we will continue taking one race at a time.”
Antonio Cairoli: (2nd in MXGP) “I’m OK with the weekend and expected a little bit of a better result but my opponents did even worse than me so for the championship it is good. I always want to fight for the win but today was not possible and I wasn’t happy with my starts or the first moto. In the second race I came back to second after seeing some very scary crashes from riders around the track. I was riding carefully and could see that Jeffrey was very fast. This was OK for the championship and can begin to see a bit of a bigger picture. I’m happy and we go to Teutschenthal which is a track I always like.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: (3rd in MXGP) “Everything went well today and I finished on the podium which is always good to finish on the box. In Valkenswaard I had some health issues so I had a difficult week in the lead up to Kegums as i have been recovering. I really like the ground here and the layout of the track but today the track was actually really rough especially in the second moto! I like that this is close to my home as I have alot of fans that come and support me and it is good to deliver a result for them. I am really looking forward to getting my fitness back and moving to another race. I hope my team mate Tim is OK from his big crash today.”
Pauls Jonass: (2nd in MX2) “It is a little bit of a pity I didn’t win and in the first race I was passed on the last lap, which was disappointing and put some pain in my heart! At least I could win the second moto in front of my home crowd and come across the finish line first. I didn’t expect so many fans and Latvian flags and it was so nice to ride here. I had a bit more pressure on my shoulders but I enjoyed it. I was a bit sick the week before and I felt it this weekend but they helped push me through. I’m really happy for Jeffrey also to take his first win in MXGP and we extended our lead in MX2 a little bit.”
Conrad Mewse: (5th in MX2) “I’m really happy with my performance in Latvia. We’ve made some major changes during the past few weeks and that helped me find my drive. Recently I decided to return to the UK and now I’m back living closer to my family. Mentally I feel a lot stronger and I believe it showed in our results. My speed has been great during both motos. I got a great start in moto one and went on to claim ninth. Following an equally good start in moto two I gave it all I had to eventually finish third, which is the best moto result in my career so far. We now need to keep that same drive for the following GPs.”
Jorge Prado: (4th in MX2) “I think I did a good job – not super-good but good enough and it was important not to crash and keep learning. I’m getting stronger but I’m a little bit sad about my fitness today because I know it is better than what I showed. The track was really rough and people were making a lot of mistakes; I didn’t make so many and saw some others crash really hard. I came out safe so I am happy. I think I have the speed but I need to be a bit more consistent with my lap-times and be more confident in myself.”
Thomas Covington: (11th in MX2) “It was an up and down weekend but we showed the speed is there. In moto one I had a terrible start and then I was forced to battle my way through the pack. Making some good passes I managed to cross the line in sixth place. My start was a lot better in moto two and I managed to take the lead on lap four. Unfortunately, a few laps later I hit a big hole in the face of a jump and went down hard landing on my shoulder. Luckily there’s no injury. Overall, we’re happy with our speed in the deep sand and I’m now looking forward to getting back to the hard-packed terrain in Germany.”
Clement Desalle: (4th in MXGP) “After a tough race in Valkenswaard two weeks ago it’s great to have a good weekend here. I couldn’t train as usual after Valkenswaard as I had pain in my ribs, and I only qualified in eighth position on Saturday but I got a holeshot in the first GP moto. That was good. My second start was not as good as the first one as there was a small problem with my gate but I soon came back to sixth and finally finished fifth as another rider crashed. I scored the same points as Cairoli and Bobryshev but missed the podium but it was a good GP for us.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: (8th in MXGP) “Of course we were expecting more after the last few weeks. We trained in a different way and it looked like it worked a little bit, we were consistent. I feel really good on the bike at the moment and we made some improvements. 10-9 for 8 overall: we want more but know where we need to work and we’re motivated. In two weeks time we have Germany and it is not one of my favourite tracks but we will give our all.”
Gautier Paulin: (5th in MXGP) “It was a really challenging GP and I’m happy we managed to collect some good points for the championship. Track conditions were tough but it’s the same for everybody so that’s no excuse. To be honest following our win last time out we were expecting for some better results but things cannot always come our way. This weekend we worked hard on further improving our bike setup and we managed to find a very good setup for Sunday’s motos. Getting two bad starts made my life harder but I did my best to remain close to the leading pack in both motos. Also in moto two I stalled the bike and had a small fall. Claiming two seventh place results for fifth overall is not bad at all under these circumstances. We keep our heads down and will continue doing our best in the GPs to come.”
Max Anstie: (6th MXGP) “We enjoyed a solid come-back from injury and I think that’s what matters the most. Coming into Latvia I was a bit stiff during Saturday’s qualifying race but my pace kept improving as the weekend went on. On Sunday I rode two strong motos being able to ride smoothly and always within my limits. I forgot all about the injury and could do my own races. I started moto one outside the top 20 and slowly built my way up to ninth at the chequered flag. My start wasn’t good either in moto two but I kept my head down to eventually claimed seventh. It’s my best moto result in the MXGP class and it shows the speed is there. We will keep the momentum going hoping for some even better results in the races to come.”
Max Nagl: (7th in MXGP) “I’m really satisfied with my riding during the weekend. We got off to a strong start in the qualifying moto. I got the holeshot and was leading the race until the last lap. A few small mistakes made me settle for second. Going into the final motos I was really motivated for some good results and the bike was working great. Despite getting two bad starts I pushed hard in both motos. In moto one I had a small fall while battling to get inside the top ten so ended up finishing 11th. Then in moto two I battled my way from 18th to eighth at the finish line. I’m happy with seventh overall, especially in such a challenging track. I’m happy to go back home in one piece and will continue working hard for my home GP in Teutschenthal in two weeks time.”
Michele Cervellin: (24th in MX2) “Today was not a good day for me. In the first moto I had a crash and suffered a bang on the head. I started the second race as I wanted to take some points but really it was not a good race for me either. My hand is fine now so I look forward to getting my fitness back, some bike time in and then getting back to where I should be.”
Jordi Tixier: (14th in MXGP) “I’m happy to go back home safe after this tough weekend, as the track was very, very rough here. I rode carefully in the first practice session, and qualified in fifteenth position. On Sunday I had two very great starts, but from my gate I was outside in the first corner and at the second start another rider pushed me out so I was last! In the first race I hit the ground with my right leg after a jump; it was painful for two laps but then I felt better and finished thirteenth. In the second moto I finished again thirteenth, even though I didn’t take any risks with my leg in the right-hand corners. They were pretty good results for a comeback, as I effectively rode with only one and a half leg here! Now I will need a few days to recover as I just trained a couple of hours before coming here; it was the first time that I had ridden on two consecutive days since my injury.”
Lars Van Berkel: (25th in MX2) “Today actually went alot better than yesterday. The first race I didnt have a good start but I just kept pushing and in the end managed to get past some riders to get to 20th position. I tried to go alot more aggressive in the beginning of the second race which actually didn’t pay off for me as I wore myself out. Then I started making stupid mistakes which allowed a train of five riders to go past me and then similar to the first race, I managed to pull back some positions again to 20th. It is not really where I want to finish but I still took some points.”
Arminas Jasikonis: (10th in MXGP) “Today was a wonderful feeling. In the first moto I had a good start but someone pushed me from behind in the first corner so I went a bit wide and lost some places. I came from around 10th to seventh and I felt I could have gone higher, but then the bike had some issues so I had to pull out, which was obviously disappointing. Then in the second moto, I just had this feeling I could pull a holeshot on my RM-Z450WS and although some people say it’s down to luck, I really felt I could do it in this moto. So after the holeshot I led for about 10 minutes and that was amazing with all the Lithuanians in the crowd. It was just so nice to be upfront and leading a race. I got a bit tired but still ended up top three. It was crazy. I have to give a big thanks to Stefan, and just the whole Suzuki World team. It’s been a tough winter but we’ve made huge steps and this top three is reward for everyone who’s worked so hard for it. Thank you again to everyone that helped and all my fans for supporting me.”
Jeremy Seewer: (9th in MX2) “The first race was really positive. I got a good start, was pushing hard and was coming through into the podium spots. However before I could get there I made a small mistake and lost four or five seconds. I soon got back up to Pauls Jonass but he was riding smart, blocking the lines and making it really difficult for me. I kept pushing though and on the last lap I was able to make it happen, which was a really nice confidence booster. At that stage I was really looking forward to the second moto as I knew on board my RM-Z250 I could do even better than second place, possibly winning the overall. “Second race I had another really good start but while I was sliding into the first corner I just grabbed a little bit too much throttle and slid out. If you’re not on the limit there it is easy to lose a lot of spots so you have to push it. I was still really confident to get through the pack and make that podium happen but then coming through, one guy decided to cut right across the track and I hit his rear wheel so hard and went over the bars. Luckily I’m not hurt but then one guy hit my bike and that damaged the whole sub-frame. I tried to continue for a few laps and even with the bike like this I was able to make my way through the field but then the exhaust broke off so I had to pull off the track. It’s so frustrating to watch a race unfold in front of your eyes but I’m looking past this already as I can’t change it. We are definitely not giving up and I’m excited for the next round to get back out front.”
Bas Vaessen: (12th in MX2) “In the first race I got an amazing start on my RM-Z250 and for a long time I was in seventh position. Then I made a small crash which broke up my rhythm and I was just so tired those last few laps due to six weeks not riding that I dropped back to 14th. The second moto was good also. I had another decent start, battling with some riders and despite another small crash, I was able to catch back up to the group in front and I felt like I finished the race strong, which is a nice thing to have on my comeback ride.”
Darian Sanayei: (6th in MX2) “I had a fine weekend. I got a very good start in the qualifying race and had a decent moto to finish seventh and earn a good gate; that is so important! Today in the first moto I got another good start – I was like third or so. I didn’t have the speed of the absolute front runners but I rode a solid race to finish seventh which was not so bad because the track was rough and very demanding. I got another good start with a fourth or fifth in the second race and again finished seventh; seven was definitively my position this weekend! It’s a pretty big improvement on the last few GPs and I’m happy with that. Now we have two weeks before Germany; hopefully we can keep on building and be a little bit stronger there.”
Petar Petrov: (17th in 250SX) “I’ve been sick during the week; I thought I’d be fine but I wasn’t at all and I had no energy all weekend long, so it was just one big struggle. I can’t wait to get back home, see my doctor and see what is the problem and be ready for Germany. It’s frustrating being at the back as we are working hard; now it’s time to put some good results and I just hope that it will pay off soon.”
Seva Brylyakov: “Since Valkenswaard I never stopped working. I did all the work I could have done but at the beginning the muscles were completely weak and paralyzed. We got a lot of feeling back, a lot of power back too and I made a test on Wednesday before coming here; it was a flat track and the pain was not so bad but as soon as we were here on this rough track I immediately felt that my shoulder was not protected enough. I still have two muscles in my shoulder paralysed and I decided not to race; it was very difficult decision to take, very frustrating to see all the people riding. I’m looking forward to do more stuff to make my shoulder back in shape again and come back hopefully in Germany.”
Hunter Lawrence: (16th in MX2) “I made it as difficult as possible for myself by starting from around 30th position but then made my way up to 10th so I was really happy with how I rode. I think I probably would have got the award for most passes in that race for sure, so my speed and ability on the track were really good. Second moto I had a bit of a better start and was again clicking off the positions, moving up inside the top 20 again but I slid out with another rider and lost some time. I got back up again, continued to make some more passes but on the big step-down I cross-rutted which sent me over the bars. It was a pretty big crash but I picked the bike back up and I felt fine after a couple of laps but it’s a disappointment to finish that way after showing so much speed during the races. Thankfully though I live to fight another day so we’ll keep working and won’t ever give up.”
Zach Pichon: (12th in EMX250) “I didn’t get a great start in the second race, and in the first turn someone from the inside cut in front of me and he hit my front wheel and I crashed. I got back on and rode another four laps but the pain was too much to continue. I pulled off the track and went to get an x-ray and the doctor told me I had broken my collarbone. Now we go home and we will see if I need to get an operation or not. I just hope I can back on the bike quickly.”
