Like a sleeping giant, Jeffrey Herlings arrived and won again. Probably 70% fit, the Dutchman is still arguably the fastest man on the planet. His and other comments below. More comments later.
Jeffrey Herlings: “Back winning! I’ve won a GP every year since 2010 and that’s ten seasons now for KTM and 85 together. It has been a bumpy ride this year but I want to thank all the Red Bull KTM crew and all my sponsors. It has been a rollercoaster with a lot of downs but at least we are trying to finish the year on a high note. I wanted to win here with a 1-1 and found the perfect place to pass Glenn and make it happen. Our goal is to be on the podium again for the last round.”
Jorge Prado: “Two enjoyable races today and they were made way-easier thanks to the good starts. I didn’t have to deal with any roost and could ride my own speed. I did well today; I was not using much energy. It felt like a perfect weekend. I was really motivated to go 1-1 after missing out on the overall in Sweden.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “I don’t like to get passed on the last lap and I really need those points as I still have a chance for third in the championship. I am pushing hard f0r that. Good to see two Dutch flags on the box so I am really happy.”
Pauls Jonass: “It’s been a really good GP, but it didn’t start the best way. I had to work really hard to come back from my start crash in my qualifying race on Saturday, but it also gave me some good confidence coming into today’s motos as I knew I had good speed and I also liked the track. Getting the holeshot in the first moto today was awesome – I’ve been working hard on my starts and to get a first MXGP holeshot is really positive. I felt good the whole race. After Herlings passed me I rode well and, yeah, second place was great. The second race was also good – a good start but then I made a few small mistakes and dropped a few positions. I kept a good pace and managed to move into a position to get on the overall podium, which is a great way to finish the GP. I’m looking forward to China now.”
Roan van de Moosdijk: “Unbelievable! I had a really good Qualifying which gave me a good gate-pick for today but the first moto was quite tough. I battled for many laps with my teammate, then I had a little crash but picked it up quickly to take fifth. I could soon move to third in race two and pushed really hard in the beginning to follow Prado and Vialle for a long time. I kept looking at the pitboard, ten minutes to go, eight minutes, it felt like a really long moto, longer than I have raced most of the year but I made it. I rode two GPs in 2017 and Portugal earlier this year as a wild card but this was my first full-time GP and I already made the podium. I’m speechless!”
Adam Sterry: “I felt good on the track and made some good passes through the first few corners but it was just a line of riders all the way from second to me in both motos; those tight turns are not really my style and my lap times just weren’t enough to move forward.”
Darian Sanayei: “My speed was good yesterday and I was moving forward in the Qualifying race until I lost the front end and damaged ankle ligaments. That gave me last gate pick and it was hard to make up ground here even though I had top-five lap times. The second moto I tangled with some other guys in the first turn and had to come through again; I made my fastest lap at the end but that doesn’t help when you start last.”
Calvin Vlaanderen: “It feels like the start of the year, when I was close to getting on the podium at the first three rounds of the season. To miss out by such a small margin is very disappointing but sometimes that is how it goes. My speed was good all weekend and I showed that with a clear track that I was one of the fastest guys, I just couldn’t make the passes when I needed to and that is what cost me my podium shot. Now I head to China determined not to let this happen again, and looking to round out the season on a good note.”
Tim Gajser: “It was a tough weekend, but yesterday I felt okay. My speed was good, I just had that crash in the qualification race which meant I wasn’t completely 100% today. I got a good start in the first race, but crashed in the wave section and managed to climb back to sixth place after remounting in around 15th. I still knew I could better and I wanted to prove that in race two and again I got a good start, in the top three where again I felt I could I run with the leaders. However I made a small mistake in a corner, tipped over and dropped to fifth. By the time I got back to third they were gone so that’s where I finished. I am disappointed but I will try to take some positive things from this GP and do better next weekend in China. A big thanks to the whole team for their work again and helping me feel comfortable out on the track, and thanks for all the birthday wishes from everyone.”
Gautier Paulin: “Actually my starts cost me a good result this weekend. A good start was important today with the track being so rutty it was difficult to change your line to make a pass. Everything else was there. The track was really rough, but I enjoyed it and I felt good. My YZ450F was really good too, both suspension and engine. Physically I felt awesome, so I am looking forward to China.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Overall today I had the speed to be on the podium. Fourth in the first moto with a gap to the riders behind me and I could control the position. In the second moto, I took the holeshot and for some reason it felt like I was standing still, and a lot of riders passed me. I made a small mistake, and I tried to keep Pauls Jonass behind me, but neither of us closed the throttle and I got put over the berm. After that I had a good pace and came back to eighth. I am sad because I could have been on the podium today, but happy because my second place in the championship is pretty safe now.”
Arnaud Tonus: “Race 1 was alright considering I had a bad feeling on the track yesterday. In the second moto, I was completely ‘off’ and tired for some reason. I don’t even know how I ended up, but I was completely drained of energy. So, I will try to recover and regain some energy for China next week.”
Jago Geerts: “It feels good to be back on the podium after some difficult races. It was a really good weekend for me. I’m especially happy with my first race: good start, good pace and a second place. I also had a good start in the second race but was a bit too cautious on the freshly watered track and lost some places. Luckily, fifth place was enough for second place overall. I’m looking forward to next week. I want to finish the season strong.”
Kevin Strijbos: “Another good weekend here in Turkey. I felt good on Saturday with an eighth in qualification. In the first moto on Sunday I had a bad start but could turn inside on the first corner and came out about seventh, I think. I lost some spots as I made small mistakes and was a bit too careful on the track. Once I started to get in my rhythm, I showed good speed and closed the gap with the top ten but did not have any laps left to make a move. In the second moto I got a good start and rode the whole moto pretty good to finish ninth for ninth overall. I am just happy with my speed and riding at the moment.”
Brian Bogers: “There were both positives and negatives from today’s racing. I’m quite happy with my speed and I got two good starts which allowed me to race for 15-20 minutes with the top five guys. That is definitely something I’m happy with and it felt good when I was out there. Unfortunately the negative thing is the conditioning because it is still not on the level that it needs to be on and I wasn’t able to stay in the top five. I think when it gets like this, I am still feeling the effects of missing the whole 2018 campaign because to lose all that time off the bike in my rookie 450 season is quite a big loss. I now that is something I can work on though and I do think it is improving all the time so that is something I will continue to work on. However I will definitely take the positive things into China and hope to get two more good starts because that really was a good feeling.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It was a little bit of a mixed weekend for me, but although I wasn’t in the best shape coming into the GP there’s been some positives. 10th in the opening moto today doesn’t sound great but I was close to the top five, so I was happy with that. I felt pretty good, but it was a fast track and not so easy to pass on. I had a good pace in the second race and was pushing, I made some nice passes. But once I was behind Paulin it was hard to move forward any further. Then I made a few mistakes, spun out on one corner and dropped a few spots. I’ll work hard with the team next week and head to China looking for a strong end to the championship.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It’s been a very tough weekend for me. Without giving too many details I was extremely ill all Friday night, also with a very high temperature. I knew that if I completed one-lap of my qualifying race I could, if I felt ok, try and race on Sunday, which is what I did. I gave my all in the first moto today, but I just had no power in my muscles. The track was fast and it was just too risky to continue. It’s really disappointing but I hope I can recover and be ready to finish the season with strong results in China.”
Tom Vialle: “Not so bad finally. I didn’t have a good feeling in the first moto and wasn’t very confident on the track but improved for the second race. I’m happy for that and how we finished. 5th overall and 35 points was satisfactory and I’m just 10 behind Jago now. The goal is to push for 3rd in the championship and we’ll have to make two good starts and go for it in China.”
Mitch Evans: “I struggled with a headache and fever today and was happy to be able to complete both motos.”
Zach Pichon: “I’m disappointed about my crash and my riding in the first moto. I bounced back in the second one. I really enjoyed the track today with some good ruts and jumps. Ready for the last one in China!”