Check out what the riders thought of their weekend in Sweden. From World champions, GP winners and so many more. More to come throughout the day.
Jorge Prado: “It has been a perfect season. I won every GP I raced up until now and many motos and many qualifying races. I was feeling very good this year with the bike set-up and physically. My start was OK in the second moto but then I made a small crash and bent the clutch lever. I had to deal with a race without a clutch and passing riders was tough in the beginning. I had to get used to it. I got better and better and at the end of the moto I made very good laps. I was so close to getting Adam on the last lap. I think it was one of the best races of the year and I felt very comfortable in that second moto. I liked the track a lot and it was prepped very well this weekend. Overall I think I made a clear step from last year to this year: I was riding better. I’m very happy. No mistakes. It’s important to be like that and to keep consistent in a long championship.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a tough race and the first race was also tough. I guess some guys crashed and I got a little lucky and the last pass was aggressive, but it got me the win. Yes, you know, Jeffrey was in front of me in the beginning of the first race, and it is really difficult to pass here. Febvre was close at the end and I got a little nervous, but I kept it on for the win.”
Tom Vialle: “A fantastic weekend for us – both for me and for Jorge. I felt good in the first race and pushed a lot to follow Jorge and when I took the holeshot in the second race I waited until three laps before I looked behind and Jorge wasn’t there. After Imola this was the best reply. Last weekend was really bad, for the championship standing also, and I learned a lot from my mistakes and made it better this weekend.”
Tim Gajser: “Overall I was quite happy with the weekend. In the first moto I had a solid start and was in second place, but then I made a mistake and two guys passed me. It was really difficult to pass them back but I was able to finish in third. The second moto went a lot better, with another good start putting me in second once again. My riding was good and I was feeling comfortable but I didn’t want to pass him too early in the race because I saw that we had a good pace and I didn’t want to give him any lines. Then with five laps from the end, I made a push to pass him and I made it happen, immediately pulling out a gap. I could then see the battle behind and I could see the battle for second, so I knew when Glenn passed Pauls that I would finish second overall. Still, it was a good performance and I’m happy with the day.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “The problem was that I took the holeshot! Yesterday [leading] was fine for twenty minutes but in the first moto I was really struggling with arm-pump. We made some changes to the bike to have the suspension a bit softer because I was not at my normal pace. I led for the first twenty and then couldn’t hold on so well and had a small tip-over. Another rider hit my bike and damaged it pretty bad so I couldn’t finish, which was a shame because I think I could have been fifth-sixth. In the second moto I didn’t get a holeshot: which was pretty good because I don’t feel comfortable leading yet. I was around 8th and worked my way up to 4th. Together with 1st yesterday it hasn’t been bad practice for less than two weeks on the bike. We can still work for a few more races until the ultimate goal in Assen.”
Calvin Vlaanderen: “It’s definitely a good weekend for me again and since my injury I think I’ve been top five in every single overall so that’s quite cool too. Also at the beginning of the season I was tied-third a couple of times so I think I’ve had a really consistent season, if not for the injury. Today was good day though, even if I was struggling a bit in the first moto. I felt much more comfortable yesterday in the qualification race whereas today in race one I was fighting the track. The second moto I felt better and I passed a couple of guys in the first lap to move into third which made things easier. Then the two guys in front made mistakes which I was able to capitalise upon and take another moto win. Now I want to keep this form going and finish off these last two rounds at the same high standard.”
Pauls Jonass: “I’m really happy with my performance today – it feels great to be back on the podium again. It makes all the hard work by myself and the whole of the team worth it and it shows we are definitely making progress, which was the goal this season. My starts were better this weekend, which helps a lot at this track, and I was then able to keep a good pace and stay with the top guys. The bike was great all weekend – we were able to make some changes to the suspension settings, which helped a lot here in Sweden. There was a lot of Latvian fans here this weekend and they made it feel like a home race for me, so thanks to them and I’m glad I was able to give them a good result.”
Roan van de Moosdijk: “It was a little stressful the last few days but I have had a good time the last couple of months and won a lot of races so I was confident going into this last round of the series. Of course I was a little nervous before the second race this morning, but I think that’s normal! My start was pretty good but in the second corner Haarup crashed and I had to stop and lost five or six places. Then I saw Rubini just one or two positions in front of me, so when he passed somebody I did the same. I controlled the race; I knew it was enough. In my mind I was thinking during the last few laps ‘just don’t crash, don’t make any mistake’ so I let one guy pass me back on the last lap to make sure nothing strange could happen to prevent me securing the title. I want to thank everyone around me – Kawasaki, my team, my sponsors, my family, my girlfriend. Now I will race the MX2 GPs in Turkey and China to prepare for next year as I didn’t race any overseas GPs yet. It will also be a good preparation if the Dutch federation finally select me for the MX of Nations; of course both overseas races are hard-pack and Assen is sand but I showed already what I can do in the sand.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It was a really tough day for me here in Sweden. Qualifying went okay and the bike felt good, I was just suffering with my stomach a little and didn’t have the strength to push any harder. It’s a shame because there were a lot of Lithuanian fans here today to support me. There’s two weeks now till the next round, so I hope to come back stronger in Turkey.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It’s been a tough weekend here in Sweden. Qualifying didn’t go so well – I didn’t get a good jump out the gate and was on the back foot for the rest of the race. I moved up into the top 10 but then had a really odd crash and hurt myself pretty bad. My gate pick for Sunday wasn’t good and I was a little sore from the crash, but I was still really motivated for Sunday’s races. My start wasn’t too bad in the first moto, but I still had to work really hard to make up places and the Swedish track was really tricky to pass on. I got eighth at the finish but that just made me even more determined for the second race. I got a better start in moto two and absolutely gave it my all out there. My pace was good and the bike was working great – I did get up to sixth and was trying to chase down the two guys ahead, but they were riding well too, and I had to settle for sixth. It’s a little frustrating because I know I had the speed to do better, it just wasn’t my weekend.”
Jeremy Seewer: “This weekend I am taking away a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives. I am extremely happy to come out of this weekend alive because I felt like the track was really sketchy. I didn’t feel good on the track, I felt quite far off from my level, although I did feel better in the races today even though I crashed twice in the warm-up trying to find the limit. I got two good starts, I crashed in the middle of a Yamaha sandwich in the first race and came back to seventh, which for me was a good finish, especially on this kind of track. In the second race, I got another good start but I immediately felt uncomfortable on the sketchy track, so I just rode smart with no mistakes, playing with the bumps and took absolutely no risk. I did not even know where I finished because so many guys crashed. So, I am just happy to finish safely.”
Gautier Paulin: “The rain coming into this weekend was good for the track. The track was nice and my bike was working good. I had a really good start in the first race, but then I stalled the bike in front of the pit lane and that cost me a few places. The second moto was a bit harder. My start was not as good and I struggled to make some passes and move forward, so I finished around eighth, I think. Anyway, we keep moving forward.”
Arnaud Tonus: “It was a tough day. First race was going alright but I had bad luck with Jeffrey (Herlings) crashing in front of me, and my bike got stuck there. That was a shame. I only finished 12th. In the second race I rode really good the whole moto and crashed at the end and that was also a shame. Another tough weekend. There has been a few in a row now but all I can do is learn from it and come back next weekend.”
Adam Sterry: “I’m a little frustrated to again just miss the podium and to finish fourth in the GP but I was really happy with my riding. Particularly in the second race I had good lines and was riding very easy in second position behind Vialle; maybe it felt too easy as I made a small mistake when I didn’t see a rut in the shadows. I went down and after that I was too far back to catch Vialle and take a podium; that was my mistake. I’m disappointed but I was happy with my speed and my riding and there are still two more GPs to get that elusive podium.”
Darian Sanayei: “Today was a little bit more difficult for me as I used a lot of energy yesterday. My first start was not that good but I pushed really hard for a couple of laps to get to fifth place. Then I made a mistake; some riders passed me but we had some nice battles and I finished ninth. I wasn’t feeling so good for the second race but I did my best; I got a great start and was fourth for a couple of laps but then it was just a matter of survival. It’s not so bad considering the situation, but I know I am capable of more; I know my speed is better than tenth….”
Tommy Searle: “I’m still struggling with my hand so I’m happy with the results and as we have a break next weekend, I hope I can come to Turkey a little more confident. The bike really helped me a lot at the starts. I’m still struggling a little on Saturday but I’m focused on Sunday and the races. I’m happy with the overall results; my thanks to the team! On this track it was easy to make a mistake so my goal this weekend was to take good starts and not take any risks.”
Jago Geerts: “Of course, I’m disappointed with this result. I made a stupid mistake in both races. Both times my front wheel slipped away. I was angry about that, especially in the second race. I felt good, was on my way to a top five result when it happened. Sometimes things don’t go as you wanted to. This was a really difficult Grand Prix for me. I have to learn from my mistakes. I need to avoid those small crashes. Luckily, I’m still third in the championship. It will be a battle for bronze until the last GP.”
Mitch Evans: “On Saturday I had the speed of most other riders in the first couple of laps, but I struggled a little find a flow. I finally found my flow and maintained my positions in the races. On Sunday I felt a lot stronger. My eye was in the race a lot more today and I really wanted to be out there. I was enjoying the track, because it was rougher and more technical, so it was a good day overall and I was able to hold my position well in the races.”
Zach Pichon: “It was an okay weekend and good to be back in top-fifteen overall. I had two goods motos and no crashes on a sketchy track. I felt really good on the track and bike all weekend, so there were some good improvements this weekend and I cannot wait for next race.”
Kevin Strijbos: “Yeah, it was a good day. Yesterday was just horrible. I did not have a good feeling on the track and bike. We changed suspension for warm up and it was way better. My reaction time on the start was really good but, because I was too far on the outside, I could not take a better start. I still managed to push in both motos from the start until the finish, so I was happy. I think it was needed for myself and for the team. All of the riders did great in the team’s home MXGP, which is always good.”
Vsevolod Brylyakov: “I wanted good results this weekend. I have some great memories from here. I was looking forward to it and the qualifying race made me even more confident. I was super motivated going into Sunday, but struggled with the starts and had to fight forward. I just had a small crash in moto one and could only come back to sixteenth. I was a little bit disappointed with that, but the second moto was much better. Overall, I finished my MXGP season on a high note.”
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