A big day for Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado, two young men looking to pick up more GP wins and World titles. Check out quotes from the two winners at the 2019 MXGP of Germany and other riders.
Tim Gajser: I was enjoying riding on the track this weekend. It was a really technical circuit with deep ruts which made line selection really important. I’m also really happy to take the holeshot in both races, as well as the qualifier yesterday, because we weren’t able to do that in the early part of the season but now we are getting the perfect jump out of the gate. In the first moto I did make a little mistake but I was still able to pick up the bike and remount as the leader, so that went okay. Then in the second race, I didn’t want to push too hard. I pulled out a lead of about five seconds and then kept it smooth because the track was a little sketchy in that second moto. The shadows and the sun was quite low which caused problems on certain parts of the track. However overall I’m very happy to win another overall and to extend my lead in the MXGP championship. I’m feeling really happy with how I rode and how the whole of Team HRC is working together.
Jorge Prado: “It was another good weekend and I’m happy because I was struggling a bit yesterday. I felt better in the second moto, on a track that was far from easy, because it was tough to get a flow. It was enough to get the job done today. We’ve had a lot of races recently but I will go back home in this small break and keep training. My goal this season is to keep improving.”
Tom Vialle: “A really good weekend for me and a good turnaround because I didn’t have a great feeling on the bike yesterday. Today I had two solid starts and races. The track was very hard: it wasn’t so fast but with really deep ruts and I liked it. I have been going step-by-step with my confidence and feeling this year and I’m really happy.”
Arnaud Tonus: “This weekend was a bit more challenging, because I had a tough qualifying race yesterday. I was pretty far out on the start and I had to dig deep going into the first corner, but I managed to be inside the top-five in both races. I had a good battle with the Yamaha riders in the first race, but I managed to pass Jeremy [Seewer] on the last lap when he made a mistake. I had another good race in race two and was able to finish on the box for the fifth time. It was also amazing to have Gautier [Paulin] up on the podium with me. We have a great atmosphere inside the team, so this is a very special moment for us and the team. I am super happy for him.”
Gautier Paulin: “I cannot thank the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP team enough. For the past few weeks it has been tough for me, so I have been off the podium. I had a big crash in Portugal, then was unlucky in France and then met the ground again in Russia. Last weekend in Latvia I felt more like myself, but I did not reach the points I wanted to. The feeling was there and it was a good training. It was tough, I had to fight hard for this one, but I know and have known my entire career that nothing comes for free, so I fought and now I am here. It feels great.”
Mathys Boisrame: I really enjoyed the track this weekend. I really like the hard-packed conditions and the jumps and ruts. I found some really good lines and used them well in race two. It was so cool to finish race two in second place and to be on the podium in MX2 is really fantastic. It’s not easy racing at this level, but I hope for more success.
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Fourth isn’t what I wanted from this weekend, but it’s not too bad. In the first moto today, I got a good jump but I don’t know exactly how I lost some places in the first few corners. I just didn’t feel great and wasn’t able to push like I wanted. I was slow getting into the race, so fourth was the best I could do. I was really ready to give my all in the second race, and things were going well before I fell. I lost my balance a little and bounced across some ruts and clipped a hay bail. I’ll take a breather now and prepare for the upcoming fly-away races. I feel like the first half of the series has gone really quickly and I’m looking forward to the second half now. I’ve been starting well recently, so I’m feeling positive for the races ahead.”
Brian Bogers: It actually went pretty good today, I felt comfortable most of the day and even the starts went not too bad. In the first race I started around 15th and was able to move directly into around 10th place. I made a couple of passes and I was in eighth for most of the race before a small mistake near the end of the race dropped me to ninth. It’s in the top 10 and that’s where I want to be so I’m happy with that. The second moto I never felt happy and I couldn’t find a good rhythm. I was around 10th in the start and then dropped a couple of spots but I ended up 11th, which wasn’t too bad but still, I felt I could have done better. Unfortunately that meant I was 11th overall which is still just outside where I want to be, but overall it was a decent weekend.
Roan van de Moosdijk: “Unbelievable! 1-1 for my first perfect weekend; I was first in every session in practice and in racing. The start was the key and today I was fourth leaving turn one; I soon had the lead so I could ride my own race and check out to control the race. I’m really happy that I didn’t make any mistakes today; I was riding safe in the sketchy section. I didn’t look at the standings but I know that I’ve closed the gap with the leaders again and I’m just focusing on each race. I’ve got a great family behind me at Kawasaki and F&H Racing and we can look forward confidently to Teutschenthal next weekend after taking the last two overall wins and four motos from the last five.”
Adam Sterry: “I almost got the holeshot in the first race but before we reached the finish line for the first time another rider hit me and his handlebar was in my back wheel when we crashed together. I was so far behind when I could get back in the race but I had really good lap times and good speed and I came back to fifteenth. I got another good start in the second moto, nearly as good as the first one; I found my rhythm all race and managed to make a gap on the pack. Fifth is my best single moto result this season. Now I’m excited for Teutschenthal; I like the track and hopefully I can get some more good starts there.”
Henry Jacobi: “I finally got quite a good start again in the first moto and made some quick passes in the beginning. I was behind Watson almost all race and my plan was to make a pass in the last couple of laps but I had a bike issue. The second start was not so good, twentieth or something like that and in the first lap some riders passed me; I had a strange feeling during the first few laps, but then I found my rhythm again and came back to sixth with very good lap times. Now I’m looking forward to my home GP next week.”
Mitchell Harrison: “It’s my best result since Portugal, and it was a really good day. We made some little changes to the bike and I felt more comfortable, but I didn’t got good starts this weekend and I had to make my way through the pack. In the first moto I came back from twenty-third to twelfth and in the second moto from twenty-fourth to finish twelfth again. I charged hard and I feel really good with the bike now; I can’t wait for Germany. The track was great here; it’s a little like some tracks we have back home in Michigan and I felt very comfortable.”
Jed Beaton: “I’m really happy with the way things have gone this weekend. To get sixth overall is another very important step forwards. I felt like both races were pretty similar really, just with a fall in the first moto that cost me some places. I didn’t get the best of jumps from the start in either race, but I held a tight line around the first turn and made up some places. That put me around 10th and I just pushed hard from there. Falling in the first race cost me some places but overall I was pleased with my riding. Fifth in the second race was good – it’s been a while since I’ve been racing with the guys near the front so it’s just good to be back racing there. It’s a really positive way to the end the GP. To be hitting some good form mid-way through the season is great. I’m looking forward to the overseas races now, and hope I can build on today’s results.”
Pauls Jonass: “I’m super pleased to finish as runner-up in the second moto, but also a little disappointed for myself and the team that I missed third overall by just one point. It was two very different motos for me this weekend. The first race was tough because I got arm pump. I’m not sure if I pushed too hard after a decent start, but I lost my rhythm and went backwards for most of the race to finish 10th. My speed was good during the last 10 minutes, but it was too late then. The second moto was great, really important for me to show I have the speed to be up front for a full race. I followed Gajser for a while and managed to pull a gap over third and then just stayed consistent and stayed there all race. One point from the podium is frustrating but the result is really important ahead of the fly-away races that are coming up next.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It’s bee another frustrating race day where I haven’t managed to show my qualifying speed. The rider next to me moved at the start in the first race and I went too early and hit the gate. Then I crashed in the third turn, so I was dead last. I pushed hard to come back to 12th, but it wasn’t where I wanted to be at all. The second race was better but again not what we were hoping for. I’ll re-group now and prepare for Indonesia.”
Julien Lieber: The weekend started well but didn’t finish so well! I got a great start in the first moto and I had a good feeling and good lines on the track; I found a spot to pass Seewer for the second position and my rhythm was so good that I made a little gap on him. I wasn’t pushing so hard and at the bottom of the big hill I always took a line on the left of the track as it wasn’t so bumpy there. I don’t understand what happened; it was a huge crash and I’m so disappointed to finish the weekend like that.”
Stephen Rubini: I’m really happy with my riding this weekend. I enjoyed riding here in Germany very much. The track is very technical – bumpy with lots of hard ruts. This is the kind of track I like. I took great starts in all of the races which helped a lot. I now need to stay focused to win the championship. We have one race in the sand of Lommel and one race at the hard-packed track of Sweden. So it’s not done yet and we still need to work hard. I’ll try to keep the red plate until the end.
Vsevolod Brylyakov: “It was a very challenging and difficult track this weekend! I was nineteenth and seventeenth place in races one and two for eighteenth overall. Obviously, I am far from being happy about my riding and the results show that too! I am still searching for a better and more comfortable feeling, but there are also so many positive things. After a tough two years, where I did not even hit a mid-season mark with huge injuries, I am here, racing, building my confidence from race-to-race and have highlights of speed. Now we will have a break with MXGP, as we are not going to Indonesia, and next for us will be the Czech Republic. I have time for a little break to regroup and put work in to get myself better and stronger for the upcoming MXGP rounds.”
Anton Gole: “This weekend was a big step in the right direction. I made two small crashes in the qualifying race, but today was a great day. I had two good starts and two solid motos. Today I battled inside the top fifteen in both motos and I feel like I belong there, so that was just awesome.”
Jago Geerts: “I didn’t feel comfortable at this track. It started with a big crash during time practice on Saturday and ended with a DNF in the last race. Frustrating, because I could have finished in the top five in both races. So, this is really a disappointing weekend for me. The issues we had are unfortunate, but they are part of the sport. I’m glad that I can go home healthy.”
