MX1 comments after Campo Grande
Antonio Cairoli, Red Bull KTM Factory (2-1, GP winner)
“I didn't expect to win here, but it's always nice to become world champion as early as possible. I didn't take any risks and I was also a bit lucky when Desalle suddenly stopped, but that's motocross. Of course I am satisfied with the new SX-F 350. I never had to pull over with a technical problem and that is very important if you want to be consistent. I love this bike and the whole team, they helped me a lot.
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (1-2, second)
“I am very satisfied with the bike now. The team also works very hard and this was evident in the first heat, which was almost perfect. We now seem to be moving more and more in the right direction. After Loket we tried a new suspension setup with a slightly softer sprung front fork. That turned out to work well for me. I got here very quickly both yesterday and today. I expected more from the second series but today it is very hot and the circuit was difficult. I wanted to win but I'm satisfied with second place. This year I like the trip to Brazil better. I was able to sleep well this time and I liked the track better than last year. Now we go to Lierop, a circuit that I am really looking forward to. Then there is our home Grand Prix. So we will do our best to finish as high as possible in the World Cup.”
Steve Ramon, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (7-4, fourth)
“This morning during warm-up in muddy conditions, I made a small mistake. The engine slid off the track. I didn't crash but to keep the bike straight I put my foot on the ground. My right leg straightened and I immediately pulled back in because my groin hurt terribly. The rest of the day was extremely difficult. Driving was difficult. Someone fell right in front of me at the start of the first moto. But to be honest, I could never go all out today because I had to watch my leg in the corners. There were many deep ruts today that forced me to fight through the pain. Hopefully the muscle wasn't hit too badly.”
Rui Goncalves, Red Bull KTM Factory (6-5, fifth)
“It's always fun to ride in Brazil because this is a bit like my second home GP. I was sick last week and had to take antibiotics to be able to ride this weekend. Today I had to fight to stay at the front, which resulted in two good motos. This was my best MX1 GP so far. Now that I have the speed, I can compete with the best.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda (5-8, sixth)
“It's nice to be the first Honda, but again I had the feeling that I was faster than the results suggested! The first heat was good, as I held third place for eleven laps, but Cairoli and Desalle were just too fast. My pace was also high in the second race, but towards the end I suddenly felt the heat hit so hard that I had to slow down. I hope I can improve my physical condition for next season because I know the speed is there. “
Joshua Coppins, Aprilia Racing Off Road (9-7, seventh)
“This morning during warm-up I hit a rut with my left foot. During the first part of the opening heat I had a lot of problems with my foot. It took a while before I got used to it and could increase the speed. After a while I was finally able to continue driving and was flagged ninth. In the second moto I was somewhere in the middle of the pack at the start. However, my rhythm was good and so I was able to make up ground and positions. I eventually finished seventh and would also end up in that position in the final standings. This is the best result of this season. My feeling with the two-cylinder is now good. With a few minor changes to the set-up we had a very usable bike for this circuit. I was definitely competitive and could compete with the other guys.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda (8-10, eighth)
“On Thursday I was ill and had a sore throat. Afterwards I took some medication, but I didn't have the energy to push myself to the limit on Sunday. It was not a good GP for me. On the other hand, I still scored some points, so that was okay. The track was difficult, but I didn't have the strength to really attack. It remains a strange season with alternating highs and lows! “
Clément Desalle, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (3-17, ninth)
“I was in the lead in the second heat until we had that electrical problem. The lap before I had already thought that the fuel tank was largely empty. We have to look at what happened. I made a few mistakes in the first moto but the speed was good. The last round was a disappointment. I had to change line because of a straggler and moved away. Despite the mistakes I didn't get injured, so that's positive. Tony is now world champion, but next season we will certainly step up our game to play for the world title.”
Jimmy Albertson, Martin Honda (10-9; tenth)
“I crashed with Boog in the first corner and it took almost forever before I could get the bike going again. Once I got going again I rode very well and was almost eighth on the last lap. I had used up a lot of energy during that recovery and I felt that in the second heat. I started seventh and then dropped back to eleventh. From there I could still battle with Coppins and Leok. Towards the end I got tired and it was a matter of keeping a good rhythm. All in all, today was good. The track was very cool even if they sprayed it a bit too much.”
Xavier Boog, Kawasaki Racing Team (DNF-6, thirteenth)
“I already had a good feeling on Saturday when I managed to qualify fourth despite the dust on the track. During the start of the first heat I hit Gonçalves' rear wheel in the first corner. That resulted in a fall, after which someone else ran over my back. It took about a minute before I could stand up and walk. But by then all hope of a good result had disappeared. I rode a few more laps to see how the circuit evolved, but my motocross goggles were damaged in the crash, causing me to get mud in my eyes while overtaking the Brazilian riders. So I decided to stop. In the second heat I was fifth again, but I couldn't immediately find the right lines. As a result, several riders passed me on the first lap. Once I had found the lines I was able to work my way up to fifth place. But towards the end I got tired and would lose another place. In recent weeks I was only able to cycle to maintain my fitness. This circuit was a lot harder than the circuits I trained on last week, but I know what to do with a view to the last two GPs.”
Photos credit: Ray Archer & CDS
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