World Championship MX2: reactions after Lommel
Ken Roczen, Teka Suzuki (1-2, GP winner)
“This weekend just went perfectly for me. Saturday was already a good start, but Sunday was even better. I have made a lot of progress in the sand and I am very happy with that. When I rode here for the first time two years ago, it didn't go well at all. This feels special because we have spent quite a bit of time here in Lommel. So this match is a bit different from the others anyway. The first heat was very good. In the second moto I had a fast rhythm, but I still couldn't follow Jeffrey. We changed a lot on the bike last week and that made it run just fine, especially at the starts.”
Jeffrey Herlings, Red Bull KTM Factory (3-1, second)
“On Saturday I had a bit of ups and downs and crashed a few times. Still, I was able to finish second in the qualifying series, so I could go to the starting gate second on Sunday. In the first series I had a very good start. I was second for a while but after two laps I passed Marvin. When I was in the lead I wanted to open a gap but I got a small slide. That put me in third place and that's how I would end the heat. Not really good, but not bad either. I immediately knew that it would be difficult to win the GP. Still, I rode as strong as I could in the second moto. It was nice to win the heat and feel strong again. I am now only eight points behind Steven Frossard in the World Cup standings. I hope to do well again next week in the Czech Republic.”
Marvin Musquin, Red Bull KTM Factory (2-3, third)
“I came second and third today and in the second series I was able to regain ground on Roczen towards the end. I wasn't fast enough, but this is still good for the championship, although I would of course have preferred to win. Next week we will ride in Loket on a hard track, hard and slippery and that suits me better. I would love to win in Loket!”
Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team (7-4, fifth)
“I feel strong, but I still had a bad start in the first moto and a mediocre start in the second moto. Then I was in the top ten but not close enough to the top of the race. These were the main reasons why I was not closer to the leaders today. Last year I wasn't competitive enough in the sand, but now I have the feeling that I can compete with the sand specialists. The circuit was very tough with a lot of bumps and potholes, but I still have a good feeling about my riding. Especially after my intensive sand training here in Belgium in recent weeks.”
Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi (6-6, sixth)
“I was quite fast all weekend and knew I was close to the top five in terms of speed. Together with my father I had worked out a good strategy for the starts and it turned out to work well. I rode a steady pace but ten minutes from the end my rear brake failed. That meant that I had to adjust my driving style so that I was no longer on Simpson's rear wheel. In the second series I ended up in a similar situation, when Roelants passed at the end, but the braking problems remained just as mysterious. But that's just part of motocross. Not only we but also the motorcycles suffered today. I am happy with the result because this was certainly one of the hardest GPs.”
Shaun Simpson, Red Bull KTM Factory (5-7, seventh)
“I did everything I could to start this GP in the best possible shape. The qualifying race on Saturday was quite good, which allowed me to choose a good starting position for the actual GP. In the first moto I felt good. In the second moto I started well and was on a roll for twenty minutes, but then I got very tired. I was aiming for a top five finish so I would have liked to have done a little better than seventh overall.”
Steven Frossard, Kawasaki Team CLS (10-8, eighth)
“I had a bad start in the first heat, but this was just a very strange track this weekend. In some places the sand was hard, in others soft, but in the end it became heavier than ever before. All I could do was save as many points as possible. In the second heat I had a better start, but I had problems with my glasses and therefore couldn't see the circuit very well. That would cost me time and it would also stress me out. I really didn't ride like I could on a dirt track. I only came eighth and was just exhausted. I am disappointed but we have to continue to develop the engine with a view to Lierop. I have to achieve good results in the Czech Republic and Brazil because Herlings is now rapidly approaching me in the World Cup standings. And today he proved once again how fast he is in the sand.”
Jeremy van Horebeek, Kawasaki Team CLS (9-9, ninth)
“It was a difficult GP and I want to forget this weekend as quickly as possible. I missed my start in both heats. In the second heat it got even worse when a group of riders crashed right in front of me in the third corner and I had nowhere to go. I was able to get back into the top ten twice, but these are just not the results I can be happy with. At a GP on a sand circuit I should just be on the podium. I thank the team and Michelin who together gave me a very good motorcycle. But unfortunately I couldn't translate it into results. I am now looking for revenge in Loket because I want to thank the team as quickly as possible with a podium.”
Arnaud Tonus, Teka Suzuki (8-11, tenth)
“I am quite satisfied. I didn't feel good on Saturday so I started it this morning with a different attitude, I just wanted to enjoy myself as much as possible. The warm-up went well and in the first heat I kept a good pace throughout and finished eighth. Unfortunately I had a heavy crash during the first lap of the second moto which caused me to lose a lot of time. However, I kept going and did my utmost to come back. I ended up finishing 11th, which I was happy with. Lommel is always a bit of hell, but if you can find the right rhythm you can still have fun there.”
Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha (17-10, twelfth)
“This was a tough weekend for me. After I suffered a concussion last week, but still managed to win a series in the Maxxis British MX, I had the feeling that the crash did not affect me. That meant that I came here with high expectations and returned very disappointed. I struggled with the track all weekend. For the second series I just took a gamble and went for it completely. A strategy that still yielded something because I came tenth. The damage was therefore limited.”
Michael Leib, Bud Racing Kawasaki (twenty-seventh)
“Even before I came here for the first time, I had already heard all kinds of things about Lommel. So I knew it was going to be a tough weekend. I learned a lot, but I am still disappointed that I couldn't do better because I expected a lot more. Next year I want to come and train here to improve my sand riding. If I want to have a really good season, I will also have to be able to perform well in the sand. This place is actually incredible; I never saw such a tough track in the States before, it was even tougher than I could imagine. Yesterday I was involved in a collision and afterwards I injured my back in another crash. Today I had a really bad start in both motos, but the goal was just to finish both motos in my first sand GP. Now I look ahead towards Loket, Brazil and Italy. Hard circuits where I can do quite well. In Lierop I just want to do my best.”
Photos credit: CDS, Massimo Zanzani
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