Prado, Cairoli, Gajser & Co. über den MXGP of Portugal / Agueda

Nach einem spannenden MXGP Wochenende möchten wir euch die Stimmen der Fahrer nicht vorenthalten. Lest hier was Prado, Cairoli, Gajser und Co. nach dem Rennen in Agueda zu sagen hatten.

KTM Fahrer/innen

Jorge Prado: “This is the closest to a home GP and so many fans came out and were cheering for me, so I really enjoyed it. I went top of the table today and I think everybody wants a race like this. It was a great weekend. I had two great starts and could make it happen again. We needed to get that red plate.”

Tom Vialle: “The weekend started well with 4th in Timed Practice but the crash in the Qualification Heat made things complicated today. I was happy with the first moto and 6th, but the second race was difficult after the start so 13th was OK. 7th overall means I’m pretty happy with the weekend. I cannot wait to be in France now. It’s a good track and I’m excited to ride in front of the French fans. I’ll be giving my maximum as always.”

Tony Cairoli: “On one side I’m happy because the goal is to always be on the podium but in another way I’m disappointed. In the first moto I made a silly mistake and I stalled the bike but I could get back to Tim. In the second I was swapping lines. Where I crashed was a lottery, there was a lot of mud and I chose another line at the last moment and there was a rock that twisted my front end. I’m happy I didn’t hurt myself.”

Bas Vaessen: „Saturday started off slow, with the Team making some changes to my suspension to feel more comfortable as I was having quite a hard time to adapt to the soil. Sunday was a lot better and found the right set-up in the free practice. In the first moto I had a good start but missed the first turn and re-entered the track around 20th position. I put my head down and had good speed and made quite some passes to finish in 10th place. In the second moto I had a good start and was riding around 10th until I got taken out by another rider and a lap later a stone got jammed in between my chain and sprocket with resulted in a DNF. The team and, especially, WP Suspension did a very good job this weekend and I’m looking forward to the next GP.“

Avrie Berry: “I can’t really say anything positive about this weekend. I don’t like excuses but I picked up a small injury last weekend that was bothering me while I rode. But it’s my fault that I wasn’t strong enough mentally to push through the pain. First moto I got a mid-pack start and lost a few positions and finished 16th. Second moto I got a worse start and ended up finishing in 20th place. Very disappointing results. This is definitely a wake-up call for me to make some changes.”

TJ O’ Hare: “Honestly it was very disappointing. First race I got a horrible start then a few laps in had a small crash but finished in 17th. Today for race 2 I got a little better start but still not good and was riding slow so finished in 18th. Not happy at all with this weekend!“

Honda Fahrer

Tim Gajser: „It was really great to come away with two wins and the overall here in Portugal. I put last weekend behind me and I knew that if I focused and rode like I know how to ride, I could do well at this Agueda track. Still, to get both moto victories is a great confidence booster and backs up my win in Trentino very nicely. I now have the fastest laps in the last four motos so my speed is good and I know I am feeling strong too. These back to back races are tough but I head to France really happy with my riding and confident that the bike and I are working well together. A big thanks to the team for working so hard to help make this happen, and let’s keep up the effort!„

Brian Bogers: „The riding wasn’t so bad, with my laptimes not too far away from those inside the top 10. However my starts were a problem and that was a result of my qualification race yesterday. I didn’t have a good race then and that I meant I started from the outside today and that was really difficult at a track like this. I’m now really motivated for next weekend when I will try and do a lot better on both days and that should help me get back inside the top 10.„

Mitchell Evans:„I am stoked. I got good start and made my way into the lead a few corners in,unfortunately fitness isn’t there yet. This one, I really appreciated it and I am so stoked. The podium in Argentina did not quite sink in and I probably did not appreciate it as much as I appreciate this one, just from having a few tough weekends. We are finally getting back on top of the injuries and picking up my fitness again. I am feeling good. Starts are getting a lot better too, which is helping a lot. All smiles in this camp. We know what we need to work on and we are looking to just keep progressing throughout the year.“

Zachary Pichon: „It has been a rough weekend. Three starts and three crashes, which was not the best way to start every race. I still had a lot a fun on the bike and it was good to be back racing. My heel is feeling better, so I cannot wait to bounce back in France next weekend.“

Kawasaki Fahrer/innen

Roan van de Moosdijk: „It was an unbelievable day! In the first moto I crashed with other riders at the second turn but I came back from nearly last to fourteenth which was pretty good for me! The second moto I got the holeshot; Prado passed me after a few corners and then I stayed fourth for most of the race before Olsen passed me near the end. Anyway overall I’m really happy; it was the best possible training before the next round of the EMX250 next week in France.“

Adam Sterry: „I felt good all weekend and was expecting two good races today but in both races someone crashed in front of me during the first lap! In the first race I almost got the holeshot and was third when Darian crashed in front of me, and in the second moto Jed crashed on the triple and there was no place where I could go! I had to come from a long way back in both races; hopefully the next race will be different and I can have solid results.“

Henry Jacobi: „Normally with a fourth overall I would be happy, but it’s a little bit disappointing because I was third or second during the first race until I had a big crash in the waves on the last lap. I tried to pass back Olsen but he changed his line and took mine so I had to use a different one too but there was a stone and I saw it too late. It was a big crash; I was even wondering if I would be able to race the second moto as my hand was painful but I decided to have a go, made a good start and didn’t feel any pain! I eventually passed Evans for second and it remains very good for the championship so we can’t be unhappy tonight.“

Courtney Duncan: „I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that. I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.“

Clément Desalle: “It was a decent day if we consider that I couldn’t ride so much during the past weeks and there some positive points. It was great to lead the second moto with a very good rhythm for so many laps and that’s encouraging for the next rounds. I continue to recover from my knee injury and I feel that it’s coming better each week. The other positive point are my starts, and then to score a sixth and a fourth give me good points for the championship. Physically it’s still tough to maintain such a high intensity for the entire race but I know that I will be able to continue to improve my condition in the coming weeks.”

Tommy Searle: „I’ve had better Sunday’s but far worse too. A lot of positive’s to take away from this weekend. The BOS Suspension Team did a good job getting me more comfortable and get the bike feeling good! A 16th race one and 14th race 2 until a small problem last lap making it unable to finish isn’t what I want but now feeling confident I can be up there next weekend in France.“

Husqvarna Fahrer

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Generally, I’m very pleased with how I’ve ridden here in Portugal. Losing the red plate isn’t great, I never wanted that, but again my speed has been good and to get second overall after a tough second moto is great. I felt good all weekend, and I’d been looking forward to the GP. Things are heading in a good direction so plenty of positives from the both races in Portugal. I got a good start in the opening race and worked my way from fifth to third. The pace was really strong and we were all pushing really hard and using a lot of energy. Second in that first race was really good. I was pretty lucky in the second race that I didn’t go down entering the first corner – I ended up going right when the corner went left. I had a lot of work to do after that and just rode as hard as I could. Working my way back to fourth was good. Carrying the red plate into more GPs would have been nice, but nothing changes now that I don’t have it. I want it back and want to be winning races. I just need to keep focused and work on consistent starts.”

Pauls Jonass: “I’ve really enjoyed the GP of Portugal. It’s a track I’ve always liked and the conditions were pretty much perfect here. I guess I was feeling good after my podium result in Italy last weekend, but it also feels good to get a strong result in more normal conditions. My physical fitness is improving all the time and as it does I’m able to enjoy racing a 450 more and more. I didn’t get the best of starts here, but I made some important passes in the first laps of both races, which really helped me. The track was fast and a lot of riders were really pushing hard, so it wasn’t easy to make passes. I rode consistently during both motos, which was also important. I feel like I’m making some good progress, which gives me extra motivation to keep working hard with the team.” 

Arminas Jasikonis: “This hasn’t been the GP myself or the team hoped for. But I’m leaving Portugal physically ok, just with two frustrating results. After my crash in the qualification race I knew today would be tough. Not getting the best of starts on a fast and generally one-lined track didn’t make things any easier for me, but that’s racing. I gave my all, made some good passes, but just wasn’t where I hoped I’d be. But like I said, I’m in one-piece and we’ll get back to work in France next weekend.” 

Yamaha Fahrer/innen

 Arnaud Tonus: „It feels amazing to be back on the podium. It’s hard to put the feeling into words actually. I just feel thankful. Really thankful. Thankful to my team, and to Yamaha, and all of the people who support me for sticking behind me through what was the toughest time in my career. To be back up here after all of that is so cool. I am so happy and especially because I had to fight really hard for this result. I was passed and I had to pass people back and fight really hard, and that just makes a result like this so much sweeter, to know that I fought for it.“

Larissa Papenmeier: „Overall we had a great weekend with lots of fun.
Finished 2nd in the first moto and 3rd in the second moto for 3rd overall.
I was happy with my riding but I also know where I can still improve. 
I want to thank my mechanic Bogo, his wife Oda Hänsch my family and my boyfriend for the support every day, on and off the track! Big thanks also to Yamaha Racing / Yamaha Motor aswell as my other sponsors for the great support!„

Jeremy Seewer: „I had a positive weekend. I had two good starts from a bad gate pick, especially on this kind of start. I had good speed this weekend. I finished fourth in the first race which was really good because I struggled yesterday, but I felt good today. Second race was really good again, I settled in fifth, but the entry into the wave section here is really tricky. There are rocks, ruts, kickers, no kickers, lots to consider and every lap you get there, the bike handles differently. I got kicked sideways on the last lap and slid it out. I lost five spots. I still reached my goal, so this is positive for the next races.“

Romain Febvre: „I had an up and down day today. I got arm pump every time I went on the track so that made it difficult. First race I struggled a lot with my arms and I had a small issue with the bike at the end of the race. I finished ninth, which is not bad, but not good either. I had a better start in the second race, and I had a good rhythm but I struggled with my arms again. Sixth in the final race is not so bad for a come-back I think. It’s a starting point and from here we can build.“

Gautier Paulin: “The result on paper was not what I wanted and it definitely does not reflect my speed. It reflects a mistake a made I made in Timed Practice where I was the only rider doing a cool transfer, but I went to wide and missed the line and had a big crash, so I struggled since that moment. I was feeling stiff this morning and then I crashed chasing the top-five on the first lap and was stuck under my bike. On a track like this it is really hard to come back so I fought hard for 15thplace and then in the second race I finished fifth. It’s not what I wanted, but I leave here safe. I will recover this week and will come back stronger next weekend.”

Jago Geerts: „A frustrating day. I was a bit ill, but still had a good feeling on the bike. My first race was pretty good. I kept calm and managed to go from 7th to 3rd place. But the start of the second race ruined everything. Olsen suddenly came from the inside to the outside and gave me a big knock. Even my goggles were broken. I was almost dead last and had to change goggles. I started my catch-up race and had a good rhythm, until Vaessen crashed in front of me. I couldn’t avoid him. Game over. Frustrating, because it wasn’t my fault.“ 

Ben Watson: „A terrible weekend. Almost the same as last week. It started with a bad result in the qualifying race. I knew I was facing a difficult job. Yet, I got a good start in the first race, but I went down on a wet spot in the first lap. It was very difficult to gain positions on this track. Same story in the second race. Beaton crashed in front of me, I couldn’t avoid him and was almost last. 18 and 14 in the races. That’s really bad. I don’t know what’s going on. This year I’m working harder than ever, but the results are going the opposite way. Bizarre.“