Brazilian GP MX2: the reactions
Jeffrey Herlings, Red Bull Teka KTM, GP winner (2-1)
“It was unfortunate that Ken crashed in the second moto. I would have preferred to beat him in a fair fight. I felt good on the bike, the riding went well today and the crowd was fantastic. This is my second GP win of the season and the fourth of my career. I'm already really looking forward to the French GP.”
Ken Roczen, Red Bull Teka KTM, second overall (1-2)
“Maybe I braked a little too hard on the descent during that crash. The two wheels slid away from under me, but I was quickly back on the bike. I was able to close it but then I made another mistake. Suddenly the gearbox was in neutral and I flew over the handlebars. I hurt my finger and the steering wheel was also bent. After that I lost my rhythm.”
Gautier Paulin, Monster Energy Yamaha, third overall (3-3)
“I'm quite happy to be back on the podium. Third place is of course not a GP victory, but it is still a good start. Ken and Jeffrey are very fast, but I know what I have to do. I can still improve a lot. The entire Monster Energy Yamaha team is behind me. From now on I have to be there from the start, then I can start thinking about victory. I will work on that in the run-up to my home GP.”
Tommy Searle, Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki, fourth overall (4-4)
“I just missed my fourth consecutive podium. It's quite frustrating because I think everyone could see that I should have been in the race for the win this weekend. A small mistake and third party intervention beyond my control ruined my weekend. I was fast in every practice and was comfortably second behind Roczen in the qualifying race until I made a mistake in a corner. I was short of breath for a moment and my finger was also hit. I was able to get back on the road at like 9e to be flagged off. But because spectators had jumped over the barrier and righted my bike, I was dropped to last place in the results. At the start of the first moto I was immediately pushed out. I never got around to running my own race again. In the second moto I had trouble finding my rhythm. I always followed the speed of the riders I followed. With two laps to go I was right behind Paulin, but then I made a mistake and had to let him go.”
Zach Osborne, Bike It Cosworth Yamaha, fifth overall (5-5)
“Considering the circumstances, it was OK today. But I still have the feeling that I should have been on a podium a long time ago. Every weekend the speed is there, I work for it and my endurance is good, but my wrist hinders me. Today I had trouble holding the bike because the painkillers made my arm almost "sleepy". It's good that I get 32 points here, but I expected more. The track was great. Even though there were a lot of jumps, everything still felt natural. It was a very good event because the infrastructure here is second to none. In my opinion, there is nothing better in the world championship. I think this is a model for the other GPs. It has everything a rider expects from a circuit in the GPs. In addition, there were also a lot of spectators. It's always cool to ride in front of a crowd like that. When we did whips during the reconnaissance round, they already went through the roof.”
Max Anstie, Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki, sixth overall (6-7)
“I had a hard time last week. I was hanging out with Tommy and I think he gave me the flu. I felt tired for a whole weekend. But at least I didn't fall and was still able to get some points, so that was good. I didn't finish where I actually wanted to, but I was tired and riding too tense. Now I have two weeks to rest and get ready for the French GP. The circuit in Indaiatuba was really fun to drive but difficult to overtake someone on. I enjoyed it but I didn't want to make too many mistakes and I made the best of it given the circumstances. I know the French GP circuit, it is a fast circuit and I will be ready.”
Christophe Charlier, Monster Energy Yamaha, seventh overall (9-6)
“I'm quite happy with this weekend, especially about the second moto because I had a
good start and was able to find a good rhythm. I feel like I'm not quite physically ready yet today. But I am now working with Willy Linden and if I am fit, I can certainly achieve better results. The circuit was good and I enjoyed it. However, the soft surface made the circuit difficult in the long run.”
Arnaud Tonus, Bike It Cosworth Yamaha, eighth overall (7-8)
“I had a good race in Brazil last year and I really love this country, but today things didn't go well. I had a bad start in the first moto and didn't get going. I just couldn't accelerate, the rhythm wasn't there. I finished seventh disappointed. In the second moto Kullas crashed right in front of me and so I lost time. I fought back, but then crashed myself. Afterwards I pulled out all the stops to finish eighth. I did get points but it was a difficult weekend.”
Harri Kullas, Monster Energy Yamaha, tenth overall (11-9)
“I couldn't go all out today and I don't know why. I had a good start in the second moto but the sun was already down. As a result, I did not see a track with water in it and momentarily lost control of the front wheel. Someone hit me from behind and by the time I could continue I was in the twentieth position or so. I passed a lot of people and was able to climb to ninth place, but I was unable to close the gap with Tonus. I'm disappointed after this GP, besides I crash too much this season. Last year I was a lot more consistent, so that should be better now.”
Photo Credits: Yamaha Racing, KTM Images/Ray Archer, Kawasaki Racing/Sarah Guttierez
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