MX1 reactions after Lierop
Tony Cairoli, Red Bull-KTM (2-1, winner)
“I absolutely enjoyed the sand race in Lierop. It is also a circuit that I have many good memories of. Here I won the championship last year and now I'm winning the GP. I already won the title in Brazil, but I didn't come to Lierop to celebrate. There were a lot of friends and family so I definitely wanted to show something! We can still party tonight. But I would also like to win next weekend in Italy. It's the last game of the season and there will be a lot of Italian fans.”
Max Nagl, Red Bull-KTM (1-4, second)
“I am happy with my second place. On Saturday I started the weekend well with my victory in the qualifying race. The first race was not as easy as it seemed but I was able to control the race and won. This is how I managed to come back within a few points of David (Philippaerts) in the championship. I made a few small mistakes in the second race and a number of riders passed me, but I still managed to finish fourth. I kept Philippaerts behind me again and that was important today. Now I'm going to Italy where I will do my best to take third place in the championship. It won't be easy because the Italian pilots at home are always very fast, but I will do my best."
Steve Ramon, Rockstar-Teka-Suzuki (3-3, third)
“It was a difficult weekend with a very tough track. The first heat in particular was a tough task, because I didn't feel comfortable on the bike. Luckily I had a better rhythm in the second moto until I crashed in the wave section at the back of the circuit. That kind of threw me off balance. I had to restart the engine and search for a while to get back into it. Anyway, I'm happy to be back on the podium. Especially because it has been difficult the last few weeks with my groin injury.”
Rui goncalves, Red Bull-KTM (7-2, fourth)
"I'm very happy. It was a great race, so I'm very happy with the progress I've made lately. I have always believed that I also have a chance to fight for the podium in MX1 and that was what happened here in Lierop. On Saturday I first had to get used to the circuit, which was already tough, but that was of course the same for all drivers. Despite a fall that hurt my back, I did a good qualifying and came third. In the first moto on Sunday I had a strong start, but after a few laps I noticed that something was wrong with the clutch. I had to slow down to make sure I arrived. Between the series it turned out that the disks were completely burned and almost broke! In the second race I was able to make a good start again and on the third lap I passed Ramon. I was able to gain a few seconds and I even tried to chase Cairoli, but this turned out to be impossible.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors-Honda (4-7, sixth)
“It was quite good today… Although I had the feeling that it could have been even better! After a weak start in the second heat I was able to catch up with Ramon and Nagl who were third and fourth. I knew I would be on the podium if I could pass Ramon. That's why I stepped it up a notch and then made a big splash. My handlebars got bent, which didn't exactly make things any easier. My start could also have been better in the first heat. In terms of driving, on the other hand, it was good. And that fourth place, just 18 seconds behind the winner, was certainly not bad.”
Marc De Reuver, Beursfoon-Suzuki (8-6, seventh)
“It went quite well. I would have liked a little more, but that wasn't possible anymore. If you looked at what it was like in Lommel four weeks ago, I can only be happy with my evolution. (grins) If I can keep up that trend, I will become world champion next year! Just kidding. No, in the second moto it looked like I could overtake Philippaerts for fifth place. Only that's a fitness bomb, it just keeps going! Brake, accelerate and don't get tired. In the first heat I forced myself for a moment and you immediately pay for it in cash. I also want to drive well next weekend, and all the other races I am still at this season. I can't say much about next season yet. Or yes, this: I will definitely ride GPs on a Japanese motorcycle with a Dutch team.”
David Guarneri (9-8, eighth)
“For a sand race, I achieved a pretty good end result here with eighth and ninth place. Especially because I knew in advance that Lierop would be one of the toughest races of the season. The top five guys weren't necessarily faster, but they were definitely stronger! Anyway, I kept fighting in both motos until the end. I haven't lost any time because of a major mistake or breakdown. So Lierop was certainly a positive weekend.
Clement Desalle, Rockstar-Teka-Suzuki (10-9, ninth)
“It was an amazing weekend. The first two sessions were good, but I had a big crash in the qualifying heat. There was a double at the back that I wanted to take in one go, but I pulled my footrest into the sand, causing my bike to dig into the sand at the front and slamming me hard into the ground. I don't remember how I hurt my mouth. I think I must have grinded my teeth! I was lucky that my dentist is a motocross fan and was present in Lierop. On Saturday evening I had a minor operation. Thank you very much for that. There aren't many people who would work as late as he did. I couldn't go to sleep until 1:30 am, but I felt pretty good in the morning. I knew I needed a good start because of my bad position at the gate. Unfortunately I had another big crash when someone hit my rear wheel in the first corner. I tried to come back and ended up 10th. In the second heat I was 15th on the first lap until the bike slipped and I could no longer control it. Finally, I started again. The sand courses are definitely not in my favor this year! I think I'm going to sleep for three days now.”
Kevin Wouts, Sturm-Kawasaki (17-13, fourteenth)
“Lierop is not disappointing. Especially against Lommel, which I had really looked forward to and had put in a lot of preparation, also mentally. With the help of Berkvens, I was more competitive at the start because he had tuned my engine. This gives you a better start and everything becomes easier. I didn't have a super time in the pre-qualyfying, but in the qualifying race I was ninth and then I rode my own pace and came in easily in fourteenth. Unfortunately, I fell in that massive crash at the start of the first moto. As a result, I was the last to leave again, I ended up 17th, although 15th place might still have been there. That was a shame because I made a few too many mistakes at the end. In the second heat I didn't really have a super start, mainly due to a late reaction at the gate. I was able to make up a lot in the first two laps and got to 11th. I held that position for almost the entire series, then Desalle passed by and in the last two laps Pourcel stormed past with a final offensive. Thirteenth place is my best result of the season, so I can't be dissatisfied with that. It's just a shame that it's only happening now.”
Rob Van Vijfeijken, Van Vijfeijken-Sigmans-Yamaha (16-20, eighteenth)
“My start in the first series was not that good. In the beginning I was around the top 20, then I got into my rhythm and was able to get to the front from the middle of the race. That's how I ended up in 16th place. In the second moto my start was just bad and I had to come back from very far away. However, I managed to get from 28th place to 18th until the engine started to behave strangely and I slowed down a bit. That cost me two places so that I ended up 20th.”
Yentel Martens, Negaan-JM Racing-KTM (31-17, twenty-second)
“This was certainly not what I had thought beforehand! In the first race I was fourteenth when my brake broke. I don't know how, but I just drove in. In the second moto I started in seventeenth place. I suffered from pumped up arms, which caused me to drop back to 26. In the end I recovered a bit and came back to 17. Too bad because there could have been more, better luck next time.”
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