VThirty-one years after father Peter Herlings won on the Keiheuvel ahead of Brad Lackey and Graham Noyce, Jeffrey Herlings added his name to the long list of honours. But not only 'The Bullet' had something to say after the Balense BK round. We gathered a few reactions for you:
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Red Bull-KTM), winner
“It was a fantastic day; three out of three. So it couldn't have been better! Winning that way is of course very cool and riding the 350 was also great. In advance I expected that I would go for the win here, but it is twice as much fun if it actually works out. I'm really looking forward to Matterly Basin and the British Grand Prix. I want to win there too, the World Cup is not over yet! The only downside on the Keiheuvel was Clement Desalle's fall, hopefully he will recover quickly.”
Due to the violence of 'alien Herlings' we would almost forget that Joël Roelants rode a very strong race!
Joël Roelants (BEL, JM Racing KTM), second overall
“It was a bit difficult at first, especially in the first race. After that the driving got better and better. I was also very happy with the last race, except that my foot sprained halfway through the third moto. Then I slowed down for a few laps and I wanted to give up. Fortunately, he warmed up again afterwards, and I started attacking Max Nagl again. Unfortunately it was already too late and I ended up fourth. My second place in the daily rankings was certainly a good result, especially because it was after Herlings. Hopefully my foot will heal completely before Matterly Basin! Adjusting to the 350 is also going well, but I rode way too tense in the first moto. I had to let the bike do more of the work and that got better as the day progressed. Because I had already hurt my foot in Loket, I had hardly ridden the motorcycle last week. As a result, I suffered from pumped up arms.”
Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Suzuki), third overall
“It went well today, I had the holeshot in the first heat. Herlings quickly came over and he was clearly faster today. There wasn't much point in even trying. For a moment I came a little shorter, which took quite a bit of strength. I also immediately got big arms. I also had a pretty good start in the second race, but I fell in the first lap. When entering a bend my engine stopped. From last place I was able to finish eighth. The last series was actually almost the same as the first. I had a holeshot but Herlings immediately came over and he was away straight away. To be honest, I didn't know where I got it! I tried, but there was nothing I could do about it. Still, I am satisfied with my day. I rode quite well, despite the big difference with Herlings, I in turn also had a lead of more than 30 seconds on the third in race 1 and race 3. The Keiheuvel was different from other years. The quads left you with deep ruts that didn't make it any easier. It wasn't very hard, in fact it wasn't even as tiring as other editions!”
Blue wonder power milk, not from Hooverphonic but from Tanel Leok and TM.
Tanel Leok (Est, TM), fourth overall
“I am quite satisfied with the end result and the riding in the last heat. In the first moto I was stuck behind that crash with Clément Desalle. That's why I lost time, but I still finished sixth. The second race went well and I came second. At the end I was third when I crashed, so I could only finish fifth. The TM keeps getting better
Shaun Simpson (GBR, LS Honda Racing), fifth overall/BK leader
“I didn't have a good feeling today. Due to an injury to my index finger that I sustained in the morning, it was also difficult to hold the bike. That was quite frustrating because the track looked cool and there was a big crowd. I was really looking forward to my first motocross at Keiheuvel, especially because I had already heard so much about it. Moreover, driving in the sand went quite well during the Limburg GP in Lommel. In the first race I fortunately managed to stay out of trouble in the tumultuous start, but actually I only had a really good start in the second race. Of course it is nice to lead the Belgian Championship, but it is also a strange feeling. I don't want to become champion because the others dropped out or had bad luck, but because I was the fastest.”
Photos credit: CDS
