Stefan Everts: the birthday interview!
KTM scored no fewer than 2010 motocross world titles in 9 (what were they?) and the newly launched SX-F 350 became a commercial success in no time. The Everts family can welcome a second child this winter. Just as during his active career, Stefan Everts remains a productive man as Racing Director. And what do you give someone who already has everything as a birthday present? That's right, an interview on mxmag! In two parts...
Congratulations Stefan, there is a lot to congratulate you on by the way! For those who still had doubts: KTM's MX program is now firmly on track in all categories in the World Championship. With two proven riders in the MX1 Cairoli and Nagl, everyone expects fireworks in the MX2. With two young, hungry male putters Jeffrey Herlings and Ken Roczen who are eager to prove themselves, Jeremy Van Horebeek who is also joining us. You'll have your hands full.
Stefan Everts: “I think it won't be too bad with Ken and Jeffrey. If Jeffrey thinks a little, he can still learn a lot from Ken. The difference is not big and on many rounds they are evenly matched. Ken's advantage is that he has slightly more GP experience. Jeffrey also has a slightly more acerbic temperament than Ken. He remains much calmer and cooler. In any case, it's going to be an interesting season. If those two guys are going to compete against each other, there will be moments where there will be some stress involved. We had that with Tommy (Searle) and Tyla (Rattray). We have to manage this properly. They have to battle it out in a sporting manner on the circuit. We are a team and secondarily we also ride for the team and not just individually. There will also be strong opposition in the MX2 World Championship with Searle and Max Anstie. I think it will be a very interesting season.”
You don't think it will be a KTM battle in MX2?
Stefan Everts: "Certainly not. Agreed Roczen has the strongest cards on paper, especially if you look at his strong season ending. In the end, Ken was just the better compared to Marvin (Musquin). Tommy needs to build up his confidence and fitness again, he has been out for a long time. Max Anstie also clearly has his ups and downs, he can drive very fast, but he still has to prove it for a whole season. As a real title contender, Roczen remains the man to beat.”
Isn't Jeremy Van Horebeek in danger of disappearing into the background between Roczen and Herlings?
Stefan Everts:That's not the intention. I want three riders who are on the same level and get the same opportunities. Jeremy is open to working together very intensively. Personally, I am also very motivated to take him to the next level. He has many good qualities, but there are still some details that are missing. His last games of the season were good and he was strong. Only take Fermo, he should have been there on the podium, but he made a rookie mistake in the initial phase. He fell where there had been spraying... That has to come out. Jeremy has promised me that I have his full trust to work together. I am sure he can make a big step forward if he follows my advice. Then we have three riders who are capable of finishing in the top four.”
For many people, the transfer of Van Horebeek was important illogical because he did not live up to the high expectations this season and left KTM with a lot of commotion. What was the deciding factor in bringing back 'The Jerre'?
Stefan Everts: “I understand that reaction. However, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and I told him so. If he succeeds, he will take a big step forward. If it doesn't work, that will also be very disappointing. Van Horebeek has been given that opportunity because we believe he has great potential. Hopefully I can offer Jeremy what he always lacked. I am confident, but that applies to our three riders in MX2. I think all the ingredients are there to make it a fantastic season. The engines also look great. They have not been idle in Austria, we have made some good discoveries again. Also for the 350 by the way. It is important that we also continue to evolve technically because the competition does not stand still either! It makes me happy that despite all the success, that spirit and drive is still intact.”
It must be disappointing for you personally that there are many KTM factory riders who hardly or far too little benefit from your expertise. Marvin Musquin works with Yannig Kervella, Rui Gonçalves had his own coach, Tony Cairoli and Shaun Simpson did their own thing. You probably had the most impact with Max Nagl?
Stefan Everts: “Everyone is free to take whatever advice or guidance they want or not. Unfortunately, that didn't work at all with Shaun. As you say, Tony and Marvin already had a good way of working before. We were able to work well with Max, although there is still room for improvement there. I hope that Jeremy (Van Horebeek) will be the first to really pick it up 100% and make progress. I always tell Max that he can drive very fast, but some elements of the puzzle are still missing. And it's up to him to do it and change it. It is not obvious for everyone to deal with this. We will see how quickly Jerre will react and how intelligently he can take that. I'm really looking forward to taking on that challenge with him. I want nothing more than to go through that evolution with a boy, with the ultimate goal of course being the world title. The satisfaction of my development work with the 350 is great, but being able to guide someone to the title is my next goal!”
Where can the Jerre end up if the learning process goes as planned?
Stefan Everts: “I estimate him as a driver who can compete for third or fourth place. Immediately saying that he will play for the win would put unnecessary pressure on him. He must first complete a consistent season without any major blunders. If he can do that, he will also end up around third or fourth place. He showed that at the end of the season. With that speed and the necessary regularity, he should always finish close to or on the podium. And he also has good teammates that he can learn from. I think he can lift himself up from that. Ken and Jeffrey will also take him to the next level during the week.”
Did Van Horebeek play a role with a view to the future? has already shown itself on the 450?
Stefan Everts: “No, that has nothing to do with it. Jeremy wants to ride the Belgian Championship again, but that will more than likely be on a 350. Although that has not yet been definitively decided.”
In a few days we will bring you the second part of our exclusive interview with The Legend. Stay tuned!
Tekst: Tom Jacobs – Photos: CDS & Ray Archer
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