Same guys on the top step of the podium at the MXGP of Asia. Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado are breaking records and moving up the all-time lists. Victory after victory and only a miracle would see anyone else win the MXGP and MX2 championships in 2019.
Tim Gajser: “I was having fun on both days this weekend. Unfortunately yesterday I had a crash in timed practice and I hurt my right ankle a little bit, but other than a bit of pain yesterday, it was certainly a great weekend again. In the first moto I had a great start, taking the holeshot and leading the whole race. In the second one, I started third and made quick pass, and then made another one a bit later in lap one before making a gap to control the race. I was really having fun out there although the track was a little slippery in some places, but I still got two moto wins so I can’t complain! I’m trying not to put pressure on myself on each weekend and I know if I can have fun, I can ride really fast and that seems to be working right now. It is also an honour to have the biggest win-streak for a Honda rider in world motocross, a lot of really talented riders have ridden on this great brand and it is amazing to have achieved this. I hope I can keep it going for as long as possible, and I must also thank Team HRC for helping me out so much and giving me all the support I need in order to do this.”
Jorge Prado: “I made two very good motos today and felt better in the second one. I had a good flow and lap-times for half of the race and then started to feel a bit dizzy so I slowed down and kept riding. So I’m happy for the weekend. The track preparation was better today; there were more ruts and it was more fluid. I saw that Thomas crashed in that second moto so I hope he is OK and we can return to our battles at the next GP.”
Tom Vialle: “The first race was really good for me because I could just follow Jorge and keep the speed. I made a mistake with five minutes to go and that decided it. I didn’t have the same rhythm in the second race and in the end just controlled my position to make sure of the podium. I just had trouble to find the right lines, so to take fourth and second overall meant a good day.”
Calvin Vlaanderen: “In one way this podium was a bit of a surprise, but in another way, I feel like I’ve ridden well enough this year to have deserved to be on the box before. Obviously it is only my second race back from injury so I feel like I can improve even further both in speed and in my physical condition but I did feel really good this weekend. I tried to save a little bit of energy from yesterday, to make sure I could ride better today and it worked out well. I could push in both motos, which I couldn’t last weekend so already I have improved in one week so I just want to continue building and building. It was fun to be out there, with some good battles in both races and I enjoyed the whole weekend.”
Arnaud Tonus: “It feels great to rebound from a tough weekend in Palembang a few days ago, and especially on this track. It was very hard to find the flow and a good feeling. It was very slippery, and it took me a while to feel good out there. I felt better today than yesterday. We changed quite a lot of things on the bike ahead of practice today and I already felt better, which helped a lot. It was important to take your time today. I really went step by step because it was too easy to make a mistake out there. Overall I am super happy.”
Jeremy Seewer: “It was a tough track. Yesterday I struggled a bit. I think the track crew did a good job on the track compared to yesterday because I know how tricky it is to prepare dirt like this. I am really happy on the podium for the second time in a row, it is really good for my confidence. Today I just wanted to go home healthy, I didn’t want to take any risks out there, so I settled for a place on the podium and I am happy with that.”
Gautier Paulin: “This was our second GP in Indonesia and it has been tough. I didn’t hit my marks at all. I did not feel so good out there. I made a lot of changes ahead of the second moto, and I felt much better. I was back in my rhythm, but it was too late, but I had some fun. I crashed after pit-lane, and I finished eighth which means the result did not show my speed in the second race, but I am happy to find my rhythm. Better late than never. I am looking forward to going back to Europe and lining up in Loket.”
Romain Febvre: “I had a really good day yesterday. I was on pole. I felt good today, but I crashed when my rear wheel spun under acceleration in the race. I was ok, but my handlebar was bent too much to continue. I made a mistake at the first corner in Race 2 and finished fifth, which is definitely not where I want to be. Hopefully it will be better in Loket.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “I guess it’s been one of those weekends where things should have finished a lot better than they did. The second moto ended at the first corner. Of course, I’m disappointed, but also pleased that I could walk away. It was a big hit. The first moto was a positive start to the GP. It was great to get the holeshot, my first in some time, but I didn’t feel too comfortable with the track. Jorge and Tom were both riding well so I pushed for third. Back to Europe now and onto Loket in two weeks.”
Bas Vaessen: “After struggling all weekend with my knee, I ran into the back of a bike in the start crash second moto. I had no feeling from the neck down for 4 minutes and that was really scary. Feeling in my legs is back now and also slowly coming back in my arms. When we get back in Holland I’ll do a full check up.”
Jed Beaton: “It’s certainly been a mixed GP for me and the team. I really felt like I could challenge for the podium today, but the second moto put an end to that. The track had some tricky places but generally I felt good and found a nice rhythm. There weren’t so many line choices, so keeping mistakes to a minimum was really important. I got a good start in the first moto and made my way through into fourth behind Thomas. I really wanted to catch him, but I just ran out of laps. But I finished the race feeling good. The second race was frustrating. A local rider fell in front of me on the first lap and I had nowhere to go. I certainly wasn’t able to show what I had after that. Now these two fly-away races are done it’s back to Europe and Loket.”
Pauls Jonass: “There have been many positives from this GP, but I know that I should have had an overall podium result. Great starts, good speed, a really strong second moto, just my mistake in the first race that undid a lot of good work from me and the team. It was my mistake that I went off the track, but bad luck that I got some old banners stuck in my rear wheel. The race had been going really well to that point. I got a great start and felt really comfortable in second. Thankfully, I was able to come back with a strong second place result in the final moto, which is a great way to finish these two GPs in Indonesia. Overall, I feel that I have made some good progress – I’ve started to put the pieces together. My fitness is good now, I’ve improved on my starts and I’m able to race at the front for the full moto. I’m really looking forward to the final races of the championship. I want to put it all together and do my best to get strong results from the final six GPs.”
Henry Jacobi: “My first start was not so great and I had to ride hard for thirty minutes to finally get a seventh place. In the second race I got the holeshot and battled in the top three for a few laps but after I nearly had two big crashes I lost my rhythm and confidence.”
Mitchell Harrison: “There’s no excuses but I didn’t enjoy the track; I just don’t feel like myself here and I was sick this weekend. We’re progressing more and more with the bike settings and I’m happy with that, but this track was so special as you had good traction in some sections and then no traction at all in others.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It’s been a frustrating GP for me. My qualifying race went well, the first moto went well, but I couldn’t complete things in the last race – I just didn’t feel comfortable on the track. It’s frustrating because the team did some great work and I felt like a top-six result was really possible. The positive is that my starts were good in both motos, but in the second race I just didn’t feel confident with the track surface. I’m happy to be going back to Europe and looking forward to the final GPs.”
Brian Bogers: “Today wasn’t a good day for me and I feel really bad to have to say that. I didn’t travel all the way to Indonesia to ride like this and I am really, really disappointed with how I performed. I need to push the reset button for the next races and I hope to do better in the Dutch championship next weekend, which can then give me a boost for the next MXGP round. I want to say sorry to the team because they work so hard for me and they don’t deserve a performance like this. It definitely isn’t what we want. I do feel like I can ride better though and that’s what I’m going to be aiming to do for the rest of the season, and just try to forget about this round.”
Zach Pichon: “I was pretty good on Saturday. It was the first time I was in the top five in time practice and then I was tenth in qualifying. Race day was tough. I struggled at the start in moto one and I had issues with the heat also, with stomach pain and small discomfort at the end of the moto. The second race was much better, as I was in a battle in top five at the beginning. After twenty minutes I was empty though and finished twelfth. There were some good improvements on Saturday. Thanks team!”
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