The Grand Prix of Indonesia was another day for Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado. Below are some comments from the leading riders.
Tim Gajser: “All day I really enjoyed riding the track. In the first moto I grabbed the holeshot and made a little gap and controlled the race. I had a lot of fun out there and managed to win the first moto. In the second race I didn’t have the best jump out of the gate so I got closed off on the straight, but as they ran wide, I was able to cut inside and take another holeshot. On the fourth lap and went off the track, and my rear tyre spun on the dusty ground and I had a little crash. I re-joined the race in third place, but managed to pass Jeremy immediately. I saw that Romain was riding a really good pace out front so I decided to settle for second place and to win another overall. Obviously I’m still happy with how the day went and my standing in the championship. ”
Jorge Prado: “I had a great start in the first moto and good pace without pushing but then I made a mistake at the end of the waves and hit the floor quite hard. Tom passed me and started to pull away so I had to use a lot of energy to catch him and in the end I was happy with the win. In the second moto I don’t know what happened when I got into the lead. I ran off the track and was losing positions all the way back to seventh. When I could finally get going and pull back to second Thomas was a bit too far away and I was on the limit with my energy. Anyway, it is another GP win and great for the championship. I have good memories of Semarang last year, so let’s keep going.”
Tom Vialle: “Today was very good and I felt great on the track. Fast starts again and a lot to be happy about. When Jorge crashed in the first moto I moved into the lead but started to feel a little bit tired after three laps. The last five minutes were tough and Jorge passed me again. I tried to follow but it was hard work! The rhythm in these races are very high in the first laps so it is important to get good starts and this is another thing to be pleased with this year.”
Romain Febvre: “It’s been too long since I last won a race. It’s been hard and I have wondered what I am doing, but finally it’s in and I have done it, but still I am second overall, and I would like to win the Grand Prix. It’s always nice to win races, but I want to stand on the top step of the podium. It feels like it has been so close this season, but I miss it by just a little bit. I hope that it is coming, and I look forward to going to Semarang next weekend because I like the track there, it is fast and nice to ride, so I hope for good weather, good starts and then it will be good.”
Jeremy Seewer: “I’ve been really consistent this season and this is what I have wanted to do. I have shown at the last GP’s that I am a threat to the podium, just some small mistakes cost me coming into here. I have had many good races this year and I feel good on the bike. I am really happy with my consistency even though I didn’t start the season the way I wanted to. I am happy I got on the podium here in such tough conditions, I managed to post two good results with two good starts. I know that there are places that I can improve, and I will work on these, but for now I am happy that I am here and I am happy with the way things are going.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “I really am pleased with winning the second moto. I was frustrated with my result in the opening race, I know I could have done a lot better but I wasn’t able to get a good rhythm, maybe because I was trying to be too conservative because of the heat. So I wanted to show what I could do in the second race. I just gave everything and felt really good. I got a good start, made some passes and kept pushing. The race was so different for me compared to the first moto. Finishing the GP with a win, and a podium result, is great. Now I’ll rest and relax a little before the next race, which I’m looking forward to.”
Jed Beaton: “It’s been another good GP for me. I felt like Germany was a really good step in the right direction, and that I was finally managing to put things behind me and deliver the pace I know I can. I kind of kept that momentum going here with two more strong results. It was a tough GP, we all knew the heat wasn’t going to be too much fun, but both races went well for me. I’m pleased things are moving in a good direction now, hopefully next weekend will be another positive weekend, too.”
Henry Jacobi: “It was a very hard day for me; coming here with a little cold I didn’t feel good on the bike. Having the eighteenth gate pick didn’t help me for the starts, and I also made a couple of mistakes in both races but I fought really hard to score two top ten results.”
Adam Sterry: “It was very tough, I pushed my body to the limits and I struggled in the heat. I don’t really know what to say; I got a bad start in the second moto but pushed to the end to get a ninth place, which was an improvement from the first moto. The weather didn’t help this weekend, but we have one week to rest and prepare the second GP in Indonesia.”
Mitchell Harrison: “In the first moto I crashed with Mitch Evans at the start and I was a long way last when I regrouped; the bike was damaged, my gloves were half way off but as it was possible to continue I came back in the race and when Prado lapped me I saw his lines and that helped me. I had a great jump at the gate in the second start but I wheelied; I was eighth at one stage but unfortunately a few guys passed me in the last laps. It sucks, but I rode well. I love the weather, it looks like home and the track was really unique, tricky with many ruts. I enjoyed it.”
Brian Moreau: “I had a decent start in the first race, but couldn’t pass Pichon and lost my rhythm; when I finally passed him I got to ninth but I had no more energy in the last ten minutes. It was a tough race. I got a good start in the second moto as I came inside in the first corner; I was sixth and even passed Prado but then I couldn’t push anymore as I was exhausted and could only ride round to finish the race and save some points.”
Ben Watson: “It was a difficult weekend as expected. During the qualifying race I was ok, my mind was not so focused on the pain. I was pleased to finish 10th. I woke up Sunday morning and didn’t have a good reaction after racing on Saturday. I tried to ride in warm up, but it was just too much for me to handle. I was putting myself in too much risk with being unable to control the bike properly. It’s disappointing to sit out another GP, but I have to be smart and just take it on the chin.”
Pauls Jonass: “I made a mistake in the qualification race on Saturday and crashed heavily on my shoulder, which made the whole weekend difficult for me. It’s really frustrating as I felt good on the track. I guess I was lucky it wasn’t a serious injury, but I banged my shoulder hard and that made it tough today – I didn’t have the power I needed for the ruts, braking bumps and landings from the jumps. But I did the best I could. I got a decent start in the first race then went a little wide in the second turn. After that I couldn’t push like I wanted to because of my shoulder. I made a few passes but eighth wasn’t what I wanted. Race two was similar – I couldn’t go any faster. It was a little bit of surviving, getting the most championship points possible. I’ll rest now and go again next weekend.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It’s been another frustrating weekend for me. I really wanted to improve my confidence with some strong results here in Indonesia and I felt good on the track. But again things haven’t gone how I wanted them. I didn’t find the heat too bad and I felt good at the start of the second race. I got to fifth and I felt really comfortable there. I crashed, not a really big crash, but I hit the ground pretty hard and that put me back down the results. Some days to rest now and then I’ll give everything at the next GP.”
Gautier Paulin: “The weekend started well. The track was cool and really tacky, I managed to post the fastest time. In the first race I didn’t get the best start and we are all really close in speed on the track, so it was difficult to pass. At one point the guys got away and I secured seventh. The second race was challenging because I had a small issue on the sighting lap, so I started a little bit stressed out. I got a normal start, I was third around the corner and I finished fifth although I had a small issue with the front brake, but no excuse, I felt good on the bike so I am really looking forward to the next round. We will keep our head up and continue to push. I really want to thank the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP team for all of their hard work and support.”
Arnaud Tonus: “Tough weekend overall. I feel like I took some time to get used to this track and find my rhythm. I was starting to find it, but it was a bit too late. I was sixth in the first race and then I got a good start in the second race, but even before the exit of the first turn the bike stopped, so it was unfortunate. These things are part of the sport and they happen, so we will just shift our focus to the next round.”
Jago Geerts: “Now I am feeling really good. I had good speed all weekend, I felt good on the track here. I didn’t get the best start in race weekend, but I moved quickly up into third and then I had a big crash and hurt myself a little bit. In the second race I was third out of the first corner and I was feeling really good on the bike and on the track. I moved quickly into the lead and led 25 minutes of the race before I crashed. I finished fourth. It was a really good day despite the crashes.”
Brian Bogers: “The day didn’t really go as I wanted, especially the first moto. The first five or six laps felt okay and I was riding with the fast guys but then the heat hit me really bad and I couldn’t push anymore. I felt pretty bad about that so I really wanted to try harder for race two. I got out of the gate really well and from the beginning I was pushing even harder than the first moto. I didn’t want to save myself because that isn’t a good mindset and it seemed to work because even when I got a little tired with the heat, I could still keep pushing. I ended up with a twelfth and an eighth for eighth overall so that’s not too bad but I still want to do better.”
Mitch Evans: “Saturday was really good. I was really happy with that. Today just was not our day. Got caught up on the start straight and had a pretty big crash there, but I was not too banged up. Then after that, I kind of jumped off the track a little bit on one of the jumps. The dirt was so soft and I just went over the bars. The bike landed on me and whatnot, so I was pretty beat up and pretty sore. I pulled in from that one and decided not to race the second one, because the pain was too much. Pretty bummed with it. That is now four races in a row that I have not scored points in.”
Zach Pichon: “It was a hot weekend. I had a decent start in first moto, struggled with the heat and finished fourteenth. I was then a bit disappointed after bike problems in moto two. A tough weekend, but I am motivated for the next one.”
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