Lucas Coenen once again made the Brabançonne resound in Portugal. The 18-year-old Red Bull KTM rider booked his second victory in as many GPs in Agueda. What Coenen and the other protagonists had to say about this GP you can read below.
Lucas Coenen – Red Bull KTM, GP winner (1-1):
“Really good weekend. Another 1-1 on Sunday and a win on Saturday in the qualifying race. The rain made the track very treacherous, I slid all over the place. But it was a positive first moto; I started well and then tried to ride smart. It wasn’t easy to ride a 450 over all those edges of the tracks, but I managed it. In the second moto I managed to handle the pressure from Romain, although I was nervous at times. So I’m very happy to win again. In Lugo (Spanish GP) we’ll go for it again.”
Romain Febvre – Kawasaki Racing Team, tweede (2-2):
"I tried to go for the win, but beforehand my goal was to get a good start and not crash. Because if you have to ride in these conditions after a crash, with mud on your gloves, it becomes very difficult. Today we saw that the starts were good, because in both motos I was immediately in front with Lucas and that will be to our advantage for the rest of the season. Of course I wanted to overtake him and I did it twice in the first moto, but Lucas reacted immediately both times. In the second moto I managed to get back on his wheel but then I didn't manage to find a valid track where I could make the difference. As a racer that is difficult to accept, but I had more to lose than to gain if I had taken such a risk. I leave Portugal with second place in the GP and the red leader's plate. For the last four years I have constantly chased that leader's plate and so I really wanted it today. For me it doesn't come with any pressure, but it gives me confidence for the rest of the season. But the season is still long and anything can happen, so I have to stay sharp.”
Ruben Fernandez – HRC Honda, Third (3-3):
“I really like Agueda, but with weather like this I wasn’t sure how it would go. Luckily it went really well. I certainly didn’t expect to get my first podium in these conditions. I knew I was riding well, so I just had to be consistent in both motos to make it happen. My starts were excellent and that was crucial. Furthermore, I managed to keep the riding mistakes to a minimum. And a big thank you to the team, my friends, family and fans for all their support. I can’t wait to do even better next weekend in Lugo.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, zesde (8-6):
“The rain wasn’t really nice, at least not for me. In the first moto the engine stalled at the start and I even crashed in the second corner. From last place I came back to eighth place, which was actually quite okay. Unfortunately I lost five points because of a yellow flag – which I didn’t see unfortunately. In the second moto I had a good start and a solid race. I pushed hard, but the conditions were difficult. An 8-6 for sixth overall is definitely not what I’m aiming for, but I’m happy that I stayed healthy. Hopefully the conditions will be better next weekend so we can really race again. I’m looking forward to that, because I feel strong.”
Jeffrey Herlings – Red Bull KTM, negende (10-7):
"Yesterday I was quite hopeful until I crashed in the qualifying race, just when I wanted to take the lead. I got hit by another rider and hurt my ribs and elbow. Today I had a lot of pain in my ribs and I could feel every bump in the track. That was really annoying! I came 10e in 7. e and that's not what I expected from this GP, but after what happened on Saturday I think it was OK. For the next race I will definitely be back at 100% and I hope to be closer to the top 5.”
Roan van de Moosdijk – Kosak KTM Racing, 20th (16-21)
“Rollercoaster weekend in Portugal with my best MXGP result so far: P5 in the qualifying race. I was super happy with that performance! Sunday was a bit different unfortunately… The speed was there, but there was just too much going on. But we will take the positives with us to Spain. Thanks to the whole team and my mechanic.”
Brian Bogers – Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, 21ste (18-DNF):
“I felt good on the track, and it was great to be in third place in the first moto – I even had a gap to the fourth guy. Then I made a mistake, my shoulder dislocated, but it popped back up and I was able to finish the race, in 18th. In the second moto the shoulder felt fine, but we had a technical problem and I had to retire. We learn to be strong and mentally resilient. If you fall seven times, you get up eight times. But nobody really tells you what happens when you fall again… It feels like something goes wrong every time I’m back. That much bad luck is mentally hard to handle, but we’re trying to stay strong.”
Photos: Red Bull contentpool/Gold & Goose, Kawasaki, Fantic
