MX1 comments after Kegums
Clement Desalle, Rockstar Energy Teka Suzuki (GP winner, 1-2)
“Last year I was close to winning here, so I'm happy that I could do it this time. Winning the GP is of course good in itself, but I actually wanted to win the second series, but Antonio was just too fast. In the first series I saw that Bobryshev was starting to get tired. Towards the end I started to increase the pace and gain seconds on him every lap. It was a good weekend, without crashes and with a lot of points.”
Tony Cairoli, Red Bull KTM Factory (second, 4-1)
“In the first heat I had some problems when I tried to get past Philippaerts and lost a lot of time. That's why I only finished fourth. I was therefore keen to win the second series. I immediately started the match aggressively. That approach worked, I won and came second overall.”
Steve Ramon, Rockstar Energy Teka Suzuki (third, 3-3)
“It feels good to be on the podium here, especially because I have been struggling with injuries since the Portuguese GP. Since then, I have barely been able to drive during the week. The first series was OK. My start was good but Clément and Bobryshev were just too fast to follow. In the second series I didn't have a good start but I was able to overtake a lot of riders. I felt faster and more comfortable. I started to catch up to Clément but then my hand started to hurt again. “I had to slow down because I didn't want to take any risks.”
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda (fourth, 2-4)
“The circuit was quite battered and bumpy. At times it just went well, which of course takes a lot of energy. But all in all it was fun. I am happy with the result itself, but also a little disappointed because I am not on the podium here. But I am already looking forward to the next competitions and think that the podiums will come for me.”
Xavier Boog, Kawasaki Racing Team (fifth, 6-5)
“On Saturday I had a hard time finding the right lines during the qualifying race. That immediately made it difficult to overtake. Still, it was good preparation for today because it made me start thinking about a solution to my problem. I had a pretty good start in heat 1, hanging fifth on the first lap. But I didn't have the right rhythm on the waves and I fell back to eighth place. The circuit was very tough and the guys in front of me were almost the fastest of the MX1 peloton. So it wasn't easy to pass, but I still managed to hang in sixth place towards the end of the heat. I also had a very good start in the second series. But just like in the first series, I already lost a number of places in the opening rounds. Still, I would still pass Philippaerts and Nagl to finish fifth. The podium wasn't possible this weekend, but I learned a lot and rode two regular series.”
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (sixth, 5-6)
“This was a difficult day. I actually didn't like the circuit. Most jumps were constructed too softly. Still, fifth and sixth aren't that bad here. Last year this was a really bad GP for me. All in all, I am still satisfied. The driving went well, I was slower than some others, but my ranking wasn't too bad. I'm going to relax for a while now and also train a bit for Sweden. Uddevalla is a good circuit for me. I expect that I will perform better there and harvest more points.”
Maximilian Nagl, Red Bull KTM Factory (seventh, 7-7)
“I'm not really satisfied. It wasn't nearly as good as last week in Germany. The painkilling injections gave me stomach pain and other side effects. The second series was actually a lot better. I got the holeshot and was then able to lead for four laps. However, after that I got tired because I haven't been able to train in recent weeks. I hope that I will get around to training at least once this week and that my rhythm will be a bit better next week. I think Uddevalla is a nice job. I won there last year, so I certainly have good memories of it.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda (eighth, 9-8)
“On the one hand, I was happy with my physicality and my pace during the race. On the other hand, I cannot be satisfied with the end result. I keep messing with my starts or little things going wrong. If I have a good start, I know I can keep up with the leaders.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda (ninth, 8-10)
“It was a tough race for me because the track was tough and I had quite a hard time with the sand. Top 10 in itself is not bad, although there is more to it. However, I am satisfied with the regular top 10 finishes I have had in the past Grand Prix. But now I would like to make the step to top five places. I will therefore continue to work to improve.”
Rui Goncalves, Red Bull KTM Factory (tenth, 11-9)
“This was my best match of the season so far. I rode two good motos and was able to finish in the top 10. This is certainly a boost and immediately gives new motivation to continue working. In the second moto I ran consistent lap times. It's getting better week by week. Now I'm looking forward to Uddevalla.”
Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team (twelfth, 10-14)
“Yesterday during qualifying I jumped a little too short and injured my back. During the first moto it didn't bother me much, but during the second I started to notice it. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't hold on anymore. In the first moto I made a mistake and the front wheel broke off. After that it was a difficult race but it went well. There were a lot of bumps in the track, but there was grip everywhere and that was good.”
Manuel Priem, Aprilia Racing (twentieth, DNF-16)
“I am happy to be able to end the weekend on a positive note. During the first series I really couldn't hold my bike anymore. I really didn't want to take any risks. The circuit is already so dangerous and I felt like I really had no power anymore. In the second heat I had a good start but they pushed me to the side on the wave section. I could only chase last. It was really difficult to get into my rhythm, but half way through the race I managed to get it. Then things really started going well and I had fun driving. I'm happy that I was able to get another 5 points. It went really well here today, so getting points quickly is a real boost for me!”
Photos credit: CDS
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