MX1 comments after Uddevalla
Antonio Cairoli, Red Bull KTM Factory (GP winner, 1-1)
“This is not exactly my favorite circuit, but over the years I have nevertheless had good races here. I wanted to go into the summer break with a good feeling and that's why I wanted to win. I was a bit nervous beforehand because I had problems with my knee in the week before the GP. I just felt something was wrong. Yesterday it felt better and today it was actually perfect.”
Clément Desalle, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (second, 2-2)
“Of course you can't call this a bad weekend, but first and foremost I want to win! I rode quite well and had no crashes, so I can be satisfied on that front. In the first moto I had a problem with my glasses. I thought there was water between the tear-offs, but when all the screens were gone I still couldn't see properly. That made me lose my concentration for a while. Once I lost the glasses, things just got better. However, then I got pebbles in my eyes and had to slow down and be satisfied with second place. In the second moto I had a good battle with Antonio but he just turned out to be faster. So we will think ahead to try to beat him in the next GP.”
Steve Ramon, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (third, 4-3)
“It was a positive weekend. In the first moto I had a good start. But already on the first lap I made a mistake and two riders passed me. Driving was certainly not easy because the circuit was slippery. I hung behind Philippaerts for a long time to be able to pass him. The start of the second second heat was a bit like the first. A little later, however, I saw Clément and Bobryshev driving. I knew I had to get past Bobryshev to be on the podium. To achieve that I had to give a lot. Besides, I almost caught Clément. I had two or three chances to pass him but I didn't want to block him and see us both fall to the ground. I had really been looking forward to this GP and this circuit; This is my fourth podium here now and maybe I'll get another one next year.”
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda (fourth, 5-4)
“I had a bad start in the first moto because my starting gate seemed to drop slower than the others. Moreover, I was also boxed in in the second corner. I came from quite far back to fifth place, then I was alone with Nagl in front of me. We had the same lines but he was a bit faster and I had to force myself to stay with him. But Nagl would still crash and I could still finish fifth. The second moto was great. I hung behind Cairoli and was able to keep up easily. He had found good lines, which I could therefore fully observe. After he made a few mistakes I came closer, but he quickly disappeared from view. Then I focused on Desalle. At one point I tried to pass him, but then Ramon was just behind me. I was like a hot dog in a sandwich. Desalle slowed in a turn and then looked at me. Ramon then came from outside and I got crushed. My right leg went under the motorcycle and I almost had to stop to crawl back onto the bike. If I could have passed Desalle I might have made it to the podium. Maybe next time, but at least I'm getting closer. Now I will mainly train in the sand before we start in Lommel.”
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (fifth, 3-8)
“It was not an easy day. I made the most of the first heat and was satisfied with third place, especially because Ramon was still pushing hard for the end. I think I had to pay for that race in the second heat because I felt a bit tired and I didn't have a good feeling on the bike. I had a terrible start and after that it took a long time to make up as many positions as possible. It's a pity that I didn't get on the podium that way, but the points harvest wasn't too bad.”
Maximilian Nagl, Red Bull KTM Factory (sixth, 6-6)
“Yesterday in the qualifying race my lap times were still quite good. However, today I was one second too slow every lap and couldn't keep up with the top five. This was certainly not what I expected, but the last five weeks have been very difficult for me. I am therefore happy that we now have a longer break to build up my physical fitness for the next GP.”
Xavier Boog, Kawasaki Racing Team (seventh, 9-5)
“With the fastest time in both the pre-qualifying training yesterday and the warm-up today, I proved that I am one of the fastest drivers here. I expected better results in the matches. My start in the first moto was quite bad. I was able to make up some places during the opening lap, but the circuit mostly consisted of one line. I could never find a good rhythm and lost a lot of time behind Gonçalves and Boissière. To finish only ninth was disappointing, even though I still had the second fastest lap at the end of the moto. The second series, in which I finished fifth, was a lot better. The circuit was difficult, but there were more lines than in the first heat.”
Kevin Strijbos, Beursfoon Suzuki (eighth, 8-7)
"I had a good start but was immediately pushed out. I had to start the race from fifteenth position. But I soon got into the right rhythm and started making up places. I would eventually cross the finish line in eighth place. In the second moto I was around 10de place at the start. I had found the right rhythm again and was able to move on to the 8e place. I would hang there for a long time until I was able to overtake another rider in the final phase to gain 7e to become."
Gareth Swaenepoel, CAS Honda (ninth, 7-12)
“I was really satisfied with the first moto. I had a good start and then kept fighting as hard as I could. Throughout the weekend I struggled a bit with the track, but I was still able to keep the pace and fight for seventh place. Something I was of course happy with. My second start was not so good. Moreover, there was more to do in the peloton. I didn't ride very well, but in the end I was able to save 12th place. I have now made up my place in the World Championship standings and the next GP is in Lommel. My parents will be there too. In the past it has been shown several times that the presence of my mother brings me happiness.”
Rui Goncalves, Red Bull KTM Factory (tenth, 12-10)
“I can't really say this was a bad GP, although it could have been better. Now we have a break and I want to use that time to take the next step forward with a view to the last GPs of the season.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda (twelfth, DNF-9)
“I'm currently sitting in the corner where you can throw punches. Because the qualifying race on Saturday did not go well, it again became difficult to get a good start. Still, I was able to start around seventh place in the first moto. Not that bad in itself, but I crashed in one of the first corners when the bike suddenly stopped. In the second series it was difficult to come back and in the meantime the track was completely different. The lines were different and it took a while to get into my rhythm. Fortunately, it worked out in the end.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda (seventeenth, DNF-14)
“Uddevalla was disappointing for me because this was supposed to be a race where I could take back points from the competition. At the end of the day I lost quite a few points here. In the first heat I was very fast and I was in second place for about six or seven laps. Then I was in a duel with Philippaerts. I set the fastest lap but I made a mistake and crashed, breaking my clutch lever. I barely managed to restart the engine and I had to give up. My start in the second moto was not as good as in the first race, but certainly not bad.
I was fourth for a long time until I made another mistake and broke my clutch lever again. This time I got away fairly quickly. Unfortunately I had to give up ground afterwards because driving without a clutch was very difficult here.”
Photos credit: Ray Archer & CDS
Also to read
Competing for the MX AIR TIME 2024 prize pool? Subscribe …
A new edition of MX AIR TIME will be held on Sunday, May 19. Place to be is the Dutch municipality of Beckum. Register now via Motoinside and who knows...Gallery: MXGP Portugal 2024 XXL from NiekFotografie
The riders and mechanics had a hard time in Agueda. This also applies to the photographers because the weather conditions were harsh! Yet our #NiekFotografie made this XXL gallery...Jorge Prado in Simon Laengenfelder over Agueda
The Grand Prix of Portugal will be remembered for a long time and may be one for the history books. The heavy rain that descended on Agueda made this 2024 edition a rush…Danee Gelissen on stage in Italy
During the second match of the Italian Women's Championship, Danee Gelissen was allowed to climb onto the podium. The Limburg rider finished second behind Kiara Fontanesi in both heats in Lovolo. The Ceres71 driver starts…
Your reactions