Hear from the stars following the inaugural event.
Ryan Dungey: “It was kind of nice because the pressure to do it individually was not there but you also wanted to win for the manufacturer. It was great to be alongside Marvin and Herlings and Prado and good to see the KTM team from Europe here. I’m glad that we could get the Manufacturer’s Cup and go 1-2-3 in the individual. A lot of people looked at the track and said I would have an advantage because it was a supercross track, but it wasn’t. It got a lot rougher than you would want for supercross. We got the bike working well and the boys did a great job. They rode well and were consistent and if there was a mistake, they charged back. I thought we worked well as a team.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “KTM had a lot of options and I was surprised that they picked me but I think I showed what I am capable of. I’m very happy to have been second in the individual and its great to win as a team. It was a good experience to ride with Dungey and to pass him in the last moto, well that was pretty cool!”
Marvin Musquin: “When Roger (De Coster – Team Manager for this event) called me a month or two ago and asked me to be part of the KTM team I thought wow! I was a bit surprised because we have a lot of good riders at KTM. I was very excited because first I wanted to fight really hard for KTM and to give the best, and also do well myself. For us to be first, second and third on the podium and for me to be third with equal points with Jeffrey was great. It was a good experience and a difficult track because it was like racing outdoors. It’s always fun to do a team race like this.”
Jorge Prado: “I didn’t expect to be picked to be the joker rider because KTM has so many good riders, and also when I came here I only expected to make the practice. So today when they told me I could do the three races – that was really fun and really good experience for the future. I was able to compare myself to the best riders on the plant.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “We could clearly show again in the ranking where the manufacturer from Austria should be – on the top, thanks to this fantastic team. It is so nice to see the one strong force that we can make out of our riders from the US and Europe. Its an incredible pleasure to have you guys altogether.”
Tim Gajser: “I definitely showed I had pace to run out front today, and to take the first race win and on the new bike was great. To take the pole and the holeshot was amazing, and the new 2017 CRF feels so good to ride and is so fast. I did my best for the team and to finish second with Team Honda is a good result. But I had the pace to win overall today, so I’m disappointed with the crashes. The first one wasn’t so bad and I was able to get going again in fourth, but the second one when I went down was so painful. I landed on the same shoulder I injured in practice before the Nations, and I could barely lift the bike back up at first and to be honest I was struggling a lot with it. But I’m still pleased that we could finish second thanks also to Gautier and Bobby. It was really nice to race indoors in Europe and a really good experience because this is the first time we do this.”
Romain Febvre: “The event was good and the track was really good also. We worked on our starts a lot this week so the race starts were strong for us. I was able to always start at the front, which was the key for the races. The track is really small so if you start last it’s very difficult to come back. The first race I was following the leaders looking for a place to pass but made a mistake, and Herlings also. We touched each other and crashed. It could have been better but with a crash it wasn’t too bad. The second race was perfect, I had a good start and was second, then Tim Gasjer had a crash and I took the lead. Second place was elastic, he kept coming back but then I was moving forward so I kept the position. The last race, someone came too fast on the inside and crashed, pushing everyone out and I was stuck behind the bike. I went last but came back to finish seventh which was a bit disappointing. The stadium event is good for the pubic and it was great to be part of a full Yamaha team.”
Zach Osborne: “I enjoyed racing this event a lot. I did my best and got away with a third and a fifth in the first two motos. Unfortunately, someone hit me right off the start in moto three and I found myself on the floor without actually knowing what had happened. It’s a bit of a bummer as at that point we were fighting for second overall as a team. It is what it is. We had a strong team I believe and we showed that on the track. Christophe was super consistent and if it wasn’t for my crash we could have easily walked away with the runner-up spot. For me this was a pretty special event as I got to see lots of familiar faces again. I had a blast and I’m looking forward to racing again in Europe when the opportunity comes.”
Christophe Charlier: “It’s been a good night for us. Despite my bad starts I was consistently fast throughout the evening and managed to get inside the top 10 in each of the three motos. It’s not bad at all, especially considering I spent more than two months away from my bike after my injury. I got back on the bike and started straining almost a week ago. Tonight I struggled a bit with my fitness, but the speed was there and that’s very positive. I gave it pushing hard until the finish of each race and I’m satisfied with the final result.”
Thomas Covington: “My speed was great tonight and I knew I could be the fastest 250F rider. Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way in terms of our results. I battled with my starts and suffered one too many crashes. The hardest race for me was the second one. Our crash with Herlings damaged my gear lever so I had to ride the rest of the race in second gear. It definitely wasn’t the end to the season I was looking for but it gives me some extra motivation to work harder in the off-season. Our focus now is the 2017 world championship and I’ll do my best to be 100% ready when it starts.”
Gautier Paulin: “In the first race I took a huge stone to my shoulder and I lost a lot of power in my arm which made it difficult. The track was good though and it was good to ride because everyone was at the same rhythm, and it was just about giving the right push and the right moment. I had a great team and it’s great to put Team Honda in second place this evening.”
Jordi Tixier: “I had a lot of fun today; it was a good day and it’s great to be back on the podium. It was teamwork; maybe nobody expected to see us on the podium but here we are as everyone did a good job. In the first moto I had a little crash and finish eighth. The second was really good even if my rhythm was not good enough during the first few laps and the last one was even better. I got a very good start, it’s been a long time since I raced at the front. I started training on Supercross tracks two weeks ago and it helped me tonight; I gave everything I could and it’s great to put Kawasaki on the box.”
Tommy Searle: “I didn’t know what to expect, and overall it was an enjoying day. I’m really happy to finish the season on the podium with my teammates; it’s nice to end the season on a high. Jordi was really good in the third race and that helped us to reach the podium. I came here a little bit sick, and I struggled to breathe in the stadium but I did my best. It was a nice event, congratulations to the team staff and special thanks to Steve Guttridge for his words of wisdom.”
Vsevolod Brylyakov: “It wasn’t easy to race on this track with a 250 against the 450s, but it was a good experience to race an indoor and I learnt a lot today. It didn’t go so well with a big crash at the start of the first race, but the second moto was much better and helped the team to be on the podium. For sure I’m happy, even if this weekend didn’t go as expected. The guys did a great job; it’s amazing and I’m really happy to finish the season like this on the podium.”
Filip Neugebauer: “The first two races were tough for me, as I had troubles with my clutch in the first race and then in the second one I bent my shift level after three laps and had to ride in second gear all race. Finally, I was able to show what I can do in the last race, and finished fourteenth which is good for me. I’m happy for this opportunity to represent Kawasaki in such a major event.”
Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Motors Europe Racing Manager: “It was an awesome day; the team really worked well together. As I said this morning during the first press conference, maybe we were really the underdogs but finally we finished the season on the podium. It was fantastic to finish the season on a high note; all the riders rode well and it’s a good motivation for everyone to prepare for next season.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: “In the first race I had a little crash and damaged my wrist so I couldn’t continue with the pain so I had to pull off which was disappointing. The track was getting rough today, especially in the last race, so it was tough but it’s great to take Team Honda into second.”
Roger Harvey Honda team manager: “We’re happy with second today in the Manufacturers’ Cup. The day was a little bruising for all the guys with little injuries, but they all did a good job. It was great to see Tim take a race win on the new 2017 CRF as we continue the programme of working forward to next season, and although Bobby, Gautier and Tim all picked up little things that slowed them down a bit, generally we come away from this first SMX event reasonably happy.”
Jeremy Seewer: “It was something new for all of us, a special track, riding in an arena and it was the first time for me. But it was alright. We had to change some things on my bike for the set-up because we’ve never done this type of race before. I had a bad start in the first moto and a crash, which was not my fault. Second moto, I had a really good start, fighting up front but with 250 it was really tough. In the third moto I had to start from the outside but managed it pretty well, had one sketchy moment and finished pretty well. We won the overall in MX2 and I’m happy about this. It was a fun event, something else.”
Jake Weimer: “An interesting day for sure. I started off the day with a rock in the face in practice and a pretty big gash on my forehead. But overall through the day working with the team and making some adjustments, it seemed to improve every time I got out on the track. Results-wise nothing crazy but it was a tough race. I was hoping it was going to be a little more ‘Supercrossy’ but the track was really rough and sandy so I had some obstacles to overcome but it seems like every time I went out I was better. I had a good time, hoped to have some better results, but gave it my all and it was nice to hang out here with the guys from Team Suzuki in Europe.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “It’s been a first time for me racing in an arena and with such big riders but I had some fun riding. Starts were as always bad, we must admit, and we must really change it in my head. But it has been good, in the third moto I crashed but had some good rhythm and I think it could have been better. I’m happy to walk away in one piece, because of the track, one mistake and it could end not so good.”
Stefan Everts – Team Manager: “I’m happy my riders are all healthy. It was a very interesting race, tough to get a good result and the competition was high. But overall a good thing to learn from. We struggled with our starts and this is something we will really work on for the future.”
Brent Van doninck: “Race one was my best start of all three for me. I was first MX2 rider and I think I was 13th or 14th overall with the MX1 riders. It was a good race and I was happy with it. The second race I had a bad start, I was already in the back from the beginning. The third race again I had a bad start, I was the fourth MX2 rider but then many riders crashed, which was good for me and easy passing! It was a good day, I had fun and it was a nice event. I felt honoured that Yamaha picked me for the event, I like things like this and to be together with the team and Romain was great.”
Yannis Irsuti: “Race one was a hard race because I had an SX set up on the bike but it wasn’t an SX set up track, there was too much sand so I crashed on the first race and the same thing in the second race. For the last race I tried to have fun, I didn’t crash so it was good for me. It was really great to ride with Romain, a world champion, and Brent who is also a great rider. It was like a dream for me.”
