Interview with Jeffrey Herlings in Hawkstone Park!
For many international top athletes, the race in Hawkstone Park was the first of the year. It was storm Ciara that immediately turned it into something special because the circuit was very difficult despite the sandy surface. Our colleagues from Gatedrop.com got Jeffrey Herlings in front of the microphone for a number of pressing questions about a new motocross year. The Bullet starts 2020 with a different approach according to its answers.
Jeffrey Herlings won a soaking wet Hawkstone International with a third and first place in the heats. A crash in the first moto jeopardized his chances of winning both heats. But Herlings appears to be a different man with a new perspective this year, he didn't go all out and took no risks on the treacherous circuit and seemed content with Coldenhoff on his wheel in race two. He did what he had to do to win.
Gate drop: An up-and-down day with the crash in race one, but you rode back to third and looked like you controlled second heat for the win?
JH: It was a good day, we were fastest in timed practice and crashed at the start and then it is difficult to resume the race last. I managed to work my way up to third place and I was on Glenn's rear wheel, but I couldn't pass him so I ended up third in the first moto. Then I was able to win the second heat. It was good to start with the overall victory and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.
Gate drop: You looked like you weren't really pushing, is that what it felt like to you?
JH: Yes, it was hard to push, it was like an Enduro race. It was single line riding, muddy and difficult to pass, especially when you have a doubled rider in front of you and only one main line, some guys just wouldn't move out of the way when they were on a lap.
Gate drop: Was it fun to race again after all the winter preparations and training?
JH: Yes, it is good to have a race under the belt and let the competitions start again. I started practicing at the beginning of December so it took me about two and a half months. So it's good to finally get back to work.
Gate drop: How do you feel on the bike compared to 2018 when you dominated, are you close to that level?
JH: I don't know, we have to race more before we can judge that. I don't need to be as dominant as I was back then, I just want to try and fight for the championship and we'll see where we end up. It will be a long season and the most important thing for me is to try to be at all 20 games. I haven't been able to do that for a few years in a row, so that's my goal this year and work from there.
Gate drop: Is that a mental shift for you?
JH: I don't consciously think about it, but that first series when I picked up my bike after the crash I started slowly and stayed calm to avoid another crash. I'm just trying to drive with my mind a little more and be a little smarter. Like I said, it's important to be at all the games to win the championship.
Gate drop: Gajser has started the spring very strongly. Is that something you're focusing on how the other guys are doing at this stage?
JH: I haven't really seen much, I've certainly seen the results from Italy but I would have had to watch the matches in full to really know what the situation is. We just look at our own strengths, our own engine and our own equipment together with the Red Bull KTM racing team. We have done a good job all winter and we have a strong engine. I don't know whether we have the best engine, but we certainly have a competitive engine and with this machine we are 100% sure that we can win the championship.
Gate drop: I heard you didn't ride so intensely in the off-season, you've always ridden so much, is that something you've actually changed?
JH: You know I suffered an injury last year when I was really pushing hard and trying to be on the limit every time in training. So now I took a little step back and made my rounds and tried to make it through the season. We were able to make it to the first race here in Hawkstone and we couldn't do that last year and we are of course happy with that. We've had a good winter so far. I tried to work on my consistency and did a lot of endurance training to get a good base.
Gate drop: To get an insight into the mentality of a top rider – when you go to Matterley Basin (the first MXGP of the year) and the training lap times and qualifying race results roll in – watch what Cairoli and Gajser are doing or just try not to compare yourself too much?
JH: You certainly always look at the other riders a bit, but I try to work on my own strength and not worry too much about the others. That's the main goal I have to focus on, to be the best I can be. There are plenty of guys who can win the matches but there are only a few who can really fight for the championship, especially the guys you just mentioned - Tony and Gajser - are some of the guys who can fight for the title. Like I said, it's important to be at all 20 races, to be there every weekend and to be on the podium as much as possible, and I think this will be at least close to the championship. It's going to be a long season and a lot of things can happen, so I'm just trying to be smart.
Interview: Jonathan McCready
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