MX1: reactions after Lommel
Tony Cairoli, Red Bull KTM Factory (1-1, Winner)
“It was a fun race. I love sand riding and this is my favorite track. It is tough and tiring and you have to drive very technically. Moreover, to win here you also have to be very fit. This just proves that my training is going well and that my speed is good. Things are also good in terms of driving technique, so I am very satisfied with this weekend and my two heat victories here in Lommel.”
Max Nagl, Red Bull KTM Factory (2-3, second)
“I am very pleased to be on the podium this weekend, something I never expected. Yesterday I had some problems because I could never find my rhythm and simply wasn't fast enough. Lately I have often been disappointed and I often had negative thoughts, but last night I had a good conversation with Stefan (Everts) and today everything was different again. I got the holeshot twice and that was very important for me. In the first heat I was able to follow Tony and I saw that my speed was definitely there. On the last lap of the second moto I crashed because I was very tired.”
Clément Desalle, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (3-4, third)
“It was a difficult GP, but I'm happy to be on the podium and my shoulder didn't bother me either. Physically it was very tough and I wasn't really satisfied with my riding today. I can do better than that. I'm glad I didn't crash or make a mistake. The duel with Philippaerts was quite fun. The next GP is Loket where I won my first GP last year. It's a circuit that suits me and I love it. As always, I'm going there to do the best I can.”
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (4-6, fourth)
“I found a good line in the first corner and was able to follow Nagl, who always starts well. I was very satisfied with my bike at that start and the tactics were also correct. That good start obviously made things a lot easier. I rode well in the first moto, with regular lap times, something that is important in Lommel. I crashed with Desalle in the second moto, but that's just motocross. Compared to last year, I thought the circuit was much better now. It has become faster and now looks more like Lierop, where I really like to ride and which also suits my style better. I did a good job by finishing fourth overall here and I'm also in good shape. Now we go to Loket and that is a circuit that I really like. In 2008 I won there because I was angry after my bad result the week before in Lommel. Last year I even took a podium place during a difficult period. We'll see what happens next week. The engine is running well and we will continue to work.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors-Honda (13-2, fifth)
“The good news was that my riding, fitness and speed were fine. Unfortunately, there was another bad luck on my GP due to that first series. It went well until the final stages, I made a mistake and then my tank became empty. So I saw at least a top five slip through my fingers! I also had a good time in the second moto. The track was very difficult, but just after half way I still had enough energy to attack. I probably should have even gone a little earlier.”
Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team (7-5, sixth)
“Today it went OK, although I didn't have great expectations beforehand. After everything I have been through in recent weeks and having barely trained with the bike due to my arm injury, I am satisfied with seventh and fifth place. Maybe I was a little too slow in the first moto, but I wanted to have some reserve left for the second moto. That was noticeably better and I think that with some training this week I will be more agile in Loket. Normally I don't get blisters, but now my hands are full, a good indication of how long I have not trained with the bike since Sweden.”
Rui Gonçalves, Red Bull KTM Factory (6-7, seventh)
“I achieved my best results of the season today, something I am of course satisfied with. During the four-week break I was able to concentrate on my training and that paid off here. I wasn't happy with my starts and that made things a bit more difficult during the first laps. But I kept fighting and was eventually able to finish in a good position twice. Now I look ahead to Loket where I hope to do the same.”
Steve Ramon, Rockstar Teka Suzuki (5-11, eighth)
“I had good starts and the riding was also good. But it is a shame that the results did not come. I wasn't that fast in the first moto. I didn't really feel comfortable and constantly lost my concentration. The second heat went better, I passed Max and kept up my speed but in the run-up to a jump mountain I briefly lost balance and went off the circuit, being thrown over the handlebars. It wasn't just a crash because I hit my legs hard against the steering wheel. I quickly got back in the saddle, but once I rode back I couldn't see very well and I needed time to get my bearings. It was a shame I wasn't on stage.”
Gareth Swanepoel, CAS Honda (8-10, tenth)
“I was doing really well on Saturday, but then I threw it away and had to start from thirtieth place. I worked a lot with Joel Smets for riding in the sand, but my physical condition let me down a bit. In the first race I tried so hard to catch Ken that I threw up at the end. I couldn't eat between races because my stomach was still in knots. As a result, the second heat was very tough. I kept a good pace in the beginning and with 18 minutes to go, I launched my final offensive. At 2, 3 laps I passed guys like Barragan, Strijbos and De Dycker. I was still approaching Philippaerts, but with five minutes to go I was completely exhausted. The speed is there and I was happy to overtake those guys. Hopefully I can get even closer to the top five in the last GPs. “
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda (12-9, eleventh)
“I didn't feel good at this track. I had too many crashes and made a lot of mistakes that took a lot of strength to fight back. In the first race I crashed at the start. I hit Tanel because he hit the brakes so early and I couldn't stop. I was far behind and came back well, but lost two positions at the end when I braked the bike to death. In the second heat I had a good start and pushed hard to keep up with the leaders, but at the end I was completely exhausted. My team encouraged me to push further, but I was stone dead! “
Xavier Boog, Kawasaki Racing Team
“I had a crash during the qualifying session. It wasn't a major crash, but it was an unfortunate one. I fell on the motorcycle and hurt my knee. It appears that a ligament in the left knee has been torn. Further research should reveal the condition of my knee. Then I also know from the doctor whether surgery is necessary or not. It's a shame, because everything had gone perfectly so far. In the winter when we came to train here, I crashed so many times, but you get injured less often in the sand.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors-Honda (11-14, thirteenth)
“Of course this is a disappointing GP for me. That wasn't really surprising, because I've been feeling a bit tired the past few weeks and I knew it would be difficult here. Although I am not a sand specialist, I know that I can normally do my thing. The lap times in Lommel were decent, but I couldn't maintain that rhythm for the entire race. When I hit a slump, I immediately lost a lot of time. It was a GP to quickly forget, but fortunately it was also a difficult weekend for my closest competitors in the standings.”
Jonathan Barragan, Kawasaki Racing Team (14-13, fourteenth)
“This was my first GP in four months. My goal this weekend was to finish both races. In the first race I rode safely and took no risks and finished fourteenth. My start was better in the second heat and I pushed for a top ten for a long time. But three laps before the end I had a minor crash and lost a few places, finishing thirteenth. I'm not satisfied with the result, but I can be satisfied with my driving style. I stayed close to De Dycker, Gonçalves and Bobryshev for a long time. I would like to thank the team for not putting any pressure on me and letting me take the time to recover. Physically I'm still not 100% physical. That's why Lommel had too much of a good thing! Loket will be different next weekend. “
Sebastien Pourcel (DNF-DNF)
“We have not yet found a definitive solution for my vision problems. Still, I feel good enough to participate in this. Unfortunately it was a bad weekend. I never felt comfortable on this track and I crashed several times both on Saturday and Sunday. I had to give up twice, but I won't let up. Next week in Loket I will again do my best to get back to where I want to be. “
Photos credit: CDS, Ray Archer, S. Guttierez, Massimo Zanzani
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