Hear from the stars of the show.
Kevin Strijbos: (1st in MXGP) “This is good, so nice. I really don’t have the words for my feelings at the moment. In the first moto I ran with Max but then had to drop my speed a bit, which I wasn’t happy with, but found a rhythm again by the end. In the second moto I had to catch-up but I had some good lines and when I got to third I thought about the podium…and then tried not to think about it! All the crew were out of the pitbox on the last lap [saying] that I had won the GP. This is a special moment and it has been a long time since I was last on top; nine years and many of the young guys here were not even in GPs then! I’m so stoked for the team because we have worked so hard and not had any results until now; it was tough for them too.”
Max Nagl: (2nd in MXGP) “I’m really pleased and really disappointed at the same time, if I’m honest. Pleased because I had a really great opening moto and disappointed because I know this could have been another overall MXGP win for me and the team. I felt great in the first moto – I made a good start and was able to win by around 10 seconds. I struggled a little in my qualifying race so to be able to turn that around I was very confident going into the second moto. I got the holeshot, but then I was too cautious for the first three laps. Some riders passed me and then I found my speed. Falling in the sand always loses a lot of time, and I dropped to seventh. Second overall, just one-point from the win, is a great result and I am still 100 per cent focused on my goal of trying to end the year second in the championship.”
Antonio Cairoli: (3rd in MXGP) “Today I cannot say I’m satisfied with my race, not of my riding, especially in the first heat. Unfortunately I struggled all weekend to find the right feeling with the track, on which I’m not competing for the last two years, never being able to score good lap times. In race one I tried to remount after a not perfect start and I recovered several positions until the third, but then I began to make too many mistakes and I start suffering arm pumps and I went down to sixth place. It ‘was a shame because so I compromised the chances of winning the Grand Prix that were concrete; on this track I have always made good races and I know I can ride better than that. In race two, things have gone differently, I started well and I found the right rhythm, winning the podium that had been lacking for too long. Now we have to keep working hard to get all the best of the last part of the season. If I would have won I could have won the GP, but Tim (Gajser) was hanging on pretty good and so I held on for second place. The podium is okay but we are not happy. I should be a bit better on this kind of track. Now we work hard for the next GP.”
Tim Gajser: (5th in MXGP) “On one side I’m really happy with today and on the other side I’m really disappointed with the two races today. The first race and the second race were completely opposite for me, but on a track like this is can happen so fast. You make just a little mistake and you’re on the ground, and then you’re not focused and it’s very easy to make another mistake again. Race one was tough, but I’m glad that we made the second moto like we did, leading from the beginning to the end. Overall I think the win in the second race saved the GP for us, and again I learned something new, so overall I am happy enough with the weekend.”
Clement Desalle: (8th in MXGP) “On Saturday I qualified in fourth position, which was OK for the gate pick here. My start in the first race was not too bad, and I got a good rhythm and was able to take fourth position with a good feeling on this track. My second start was even better, and after a few corners I was fifth; I passed Nagl for fourth position and was close to Van Horebeek when I did a mistake and crashed. My front brake was damaged in the crash and then it was more difficult to keep a good rhythm. For sure I’m disappointed as a podium was possible this weekend, but that’s racing. The track was too bumpy this year, and I didn’t had so much fun riding here.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: (9th in MXGP) “To be honest I’m disappointed with my first race today, but the second was better. We knew it would be tough starting from the outside gate, and in the first race I made a pretty good start into just outside the top ten but then couldn’t make much more progress. In race two we made a small change and it was a lot better – we could climb as high as fifth from the back of the grid and finished sixth in the end. It’s not my level or where I want to be, but we knew things would be hard today starting both races from the back.”
Arminas Jasikonis: (11th in MXGP) “A really, really good day for me. The first moto was not great but the second race was a big surprise and I have never ridden so well in my life. I’m still a rookie but this is just the beginning and I’m going to work really hard to reach my goals. I didn’t ride here last year but the bumps were really small – like whoops! – and it was really tough and took a lot of energy…I could still find a good rhythm though.”
Tommy Searle: (15th in MXGP) “I got some good starts this weekend. We made a lot of improvements on the bike; little things make a big difference. Sand is always difficult for me, and due to injuries I didn’t race so much in the sand this season but I came here a few weeks ago and also last week to practice on sandy tracks. My goal was to get top ten results all weekend; unfortunately we had some issues in the first race, but in the second one I managed to finish ninth and overall it was a pretty good weekend except the DNF.”
Jordi Tixier: (16th in MXGP) “I had too many crashes to be happy with my weekend; I spent my time in both races passing other riders. I had the speed to get some good results, but in the MXGP class it’s always tough to come back when you start so far back or if you crash early in the race. My first race was not so bad to come from last to twelfth, but the second one was really difficult with two crashes.”
Gautier Paulin: (17th in MXGP) “Actually all weekend I’ve been feeling sick and only really today did I start to feel better. I missed speed yesterday, but we could start making progress in the second race to come back into the top ten from 24th, but then with two laps to go I crashed on the landing of the finish jump and went over the bars, and after that I just couldn’t continue.”
Max Anstie: (1st in MX2) “I’m so, so pleased I got the GP win here at Lommel. The track was as brutal as ever but the work that myself and the team have been putting in really showed. I knew that if I kept away from mistakes I could get the GP win – and that’s what we managed to do. I knew my speed was good, and I think I showed that in the qualifying race, but crashing as heavily as I did certainly wasn’t part of the plan. The pace was really fast at the start of the opening moto and then when it started raining it really made things tough. Lommel’s soft anyway, but the rain just seemed to make it even softer. I kept pushing and got the win. Moto two was altogether different – the track was still tough but I just kept pushing to get that second win. I feel really good right now. Heading into the remaining GPs I really want to focus on the overall podium.”
Jeremy Seewer: (2nd in MX2) “I tried not to push too fast at the beginning of the first moto because I knew it would be a tough day. My plan was to make the passes nearer the end because I was feeling really fit and was not using a lot of energy but then the rain started to come and I had to throw my goggles away and I couldn’t make my move or the plan happen. I could still finish fourth and planned to attack in the second moto. I knew Max was behind me in that race and I just tried as hard as I could while in the lead for as long as I could. He made the pass with a couple of laps to go and then I didn’t want to take any more risks, so I just tried to finish. It feels amazing to be on the podium again, especially here in the sand, and it has been a fantastic weekend for the team. A special day.”
Petar Petrov: (3rd in MX2) “We finally got this podium, but it was a tough day. I felt good all weekend. In the first race I had a good start, pushed really hard and got the lead for two laps; it was great to lead the race but that was also a new experience for me. In the second moto my start was not quite as good, and then I hurt my shoulder; the track was really brutal. In the last few laps I pushed again as Paturel was not far behind me; I knew that if he passed me the podium was gone so I had to push and we manage to get it ! Now I’m focused on the Swiss GP next weekend.”
Dylan Ferrandis: (9th in MX2) “I raced here in Lommel a couple of times, but it has never been so hard ! We struggled as with so many classes the track was already rough before our first practice session but I did my best on both days. During the qualifying race I crashed twice but got a sixth which was OK for the races; I got the holeshot in the first race and led the race but I never used too much energy as I knew that it would be a long day. I was leading the race but after fifteen minutes I started to have some troubles with the clutch and had to retire. My second start was not so good; I came back to third but Seewer and Anstie were gone.”
Conrad Mewse: (12th in MX2) “I really had to push hard during my qualifying race on Saturday, and I think ultimately that cost me in the second moto today. I didn’t get a great start in the first moto so I pushed hard to get to 12th. I got the holeshot in the second moto, which was great and I ran in second for about 10 minutes. But then I faded pretty badly. It’s a little disappointing because I was in a great position at the time. But I really gave the GP my all and learned a lot.”
Davy Pootjes: (15th in MX2) “I know I could do way better if I was fit but it was a tough weekend with a lot of pain. I had to start from gate pick 38 in the first moto because I couldn’t finish on Saturday. I took a bad start but came back from 25th to sixth. Then in the second moto I had no feeling at all in my hand and I had an even worse start. At one point I was ninth but I couldn’t feel my wrist and I had to pull off.”
Thomas Covington: (17th in MX2) “It was a tough weekend for me. I’ve been struggling with some lower back pain for a few weeks and Lommel isn’t a great place to race when you’re having troubles with your back. I taped it up and did the best I could but I had a big crash in the first moto. That put me outside the top 10 and then a second crash put me back even further. I didn’t get a good start in the second moto and just wasn’t able to ride the way I needed to. I’m looking forward to next weekend’s GP and more hard pack conditions.”
Jeffrey Herlings: (Out Injured – MX2) “But that’s Motocross and this can happen and hopefully I’ll be back to racing soon. We’re looking very good, I’m very busy with training and normally we should be back on the bike very soon. I’m still in very good shape and I hope to keep that up until the end of the season.”
