Marvin Musquin, Red Bull KTM Factory (2-1, winner)
“I'm happy to be on the top step of the podium. The game with Roczen was very exciting today. He was very fast and besides this is a difficult circuit. In the second series I went very deep to win the GP. This is certainly a good thing for me and the team in view of the championship.”
Roczen was untouchable in the first moto, but had to give up on Musquin in the second.
Ken Roczen, Teka Suzuki (1-2, second)
“The first series was just great. I took the holeshot and never looked back. I also had a good start in the second series, but in the first corner I lost my way for a while. I was able to get back to second place, then passed Marvin (Musquin), but crashed when I tried another line to double a straggler. So I had to get back to work. There were a lot of brake bumps in the circuit and overtaking was not easy. I took a lot of risks to pass Marvin again. Sometimes you just have to open the throttle all the way. I am already looking forward to traveling to Brazil after the ADAC Masters competition in Möggers (Austria).”
Paulin always wants to reach the podium during the remaining GPs.
Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (5-3, third)
“I have worked hard to get back to my actual level. Right now my main problem is that I keep having good and bad starts. At the start of the first moto I was far behind the leaders. Still, I am satisfied with the end result because the bike and the team are simply great. Moreover, I am gaining self-confidence from week to week. I am now aiming for two good starts in Brazil and then in the next two races.”
"Jerre" Van Horebeek fell just off the podium after a strong GP.
Jeremy Van Horebeek, Monster Energy CLS Kawasaki (4-5, fourth)
“I'm happy with my results this weekend, even though it's always frustrating to miss out on a GP podium by a paltry point. On Saturday I set a good lap time in the timed practice and I actually liked the circuit more than on Sunday. I had a good start in the first moto and was in a battle with Roelants for a long time until I was able to pass him. Then I beat Simpson and finished fourth. I was happy with my riding but my second start was certainly not as good. I entered the second corner in twelfth place. After three laps I was sixth, but I would lose too much time behind Simpson. I couldn't find the right rhythm and when I was finally able to pass him halfway through the race, the leaders had already flown away. But this was still a good performance, much better than last week in Lommel.”
Shaun Simpson, Red Bull KTM Factory (5-6, fifth)
“There was a lot of water on the circuit, but my driving was good. If I had not crashed, I would have achieved a top three finish today. But anyway, I have collected a truckload of points here.”
Arnaud Tonus, Teka Suzuki (8-7, sixth)
“An eighth and seventh place is certainly not bad. I rode decently, regularly and my rhythm was also good. I had a good start in the second heat but already during the first lap I had a problem when I tried to throw a tear-off and somehow damaged my goggle lens. That made the rest of the match difficult due to limited visibility. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with this GP as a whole.”
After his pole position on Saturday, Frossard probably expected more from the Czech GP.
Steven Frossard, Monster Energy CLS Kawasaki (14-4, seventh)
“On Saturday I really loved the track; it was wet and slippery and I am used to those conditions because I train on a similar circuit in the winter. I was able to set the fastest time, which immediately gave me confidence for the heats. I got away well in the first moto and entering the first corner I was already third. But in the next corner Simpson hit my front wheel and I crashed. Someone even ran over me, causing me to have no feeling in my back for the rest of the race. The throttle cable was also damaged, but I persevered and still finished fourteenth. In the second heat I had a good start again but Charlier fell in front of me and I jumped on his motorcycle. After that I drove around stressed and couldn't get further than fourth. I had expected higher rankings in advance, but that's motocross. Fortunately, I didn't lose a place in the World Cup standings, but that in itself is of course not enough to be satisfied about.”
Zach Osborne, Bike-It Cosworth Yamaha (11-8, ninth)
“I had a hard time today. After fifteen minutes the best was over, from then on it seemed as if I was driving around on automatic. This is probably an effect of my concussion two weeks ago. I should have had myself checked then after that crash, but I guess I just didn't want to know because I'm still fighting for a top five finish in the World Championship. The circuit was a bit over my head today. It was very one-line and that makes it difficult. I'm going through a tough time right now, but we'll get through it.”
Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi (10-11, tenth)
“It was a difficult circuit and I'm not that strong on this type of track yet. But I still know that I can achieve a top ten finish in every moto. The first heat went well until the last lap. Then I made an error in judgment by not jumping the double jump in one go, which caused me to lose a place. Which was obviously frustrating. I just made too many mistakes. During the opening phase of the second heat I ended up in soft mud which caused me to lose some places. At the end of the first lap I was fourteenth. I was able to come back to eleventh place. Towards the end I was doubled by Musquin and Roczen, which of course wasn't that good. I will now train harder and then we will see what Brazil brings.”
Herlings passed Simpson in the final phase of the first series.
Jeffrey Herlings, Red Bull KTM Factory (3-/, eleventh)
“It was a tough weekend, the rain on Saturday didn't help much. In the first moto I had a good start and was able to hang in third for a long time until Marvin passed me. In the second heat I was fifth or sixth away. Then someone else crashed right in front of me, I hit the ground and dislocated my shoulder. I am now going to have my arm examined by Dutch doctors. I hope the injury heals quickly. I will only start when I am 100% fit again.”
Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi (7-/, fifteenth)
“I am satisfied with the first heat. I started well and had a decent rhythm. Towards the end Gautier (Paulin) passed me, but I still thought it was a strong race. At the start of the second heat I was third but slipped on a jump. I'm lucky no one hit me. I hurt my hip a little and couldn't finish, but I'm hoping for more good starts in Brazil.”
Photo Credits: Ray Archer, Massimo Zanzani, S. Guttierez
