The teams financial problems has left Strijbos with no other solution than to leave the team and look for something else.

We thought maybe I was a good idea to call Kevin and ask him what the full story was.

MXlarge: Kevin, sorry to hear about your position. Can you tell me what happened?

Strijbos: The thing is we signed a contract with the team on October 1 and the contract said we get money when we signed, so after two months I still didn’t have money. Then the original team finished and I said okay, what will we do, I asked that to Georges. He said we have a good sponsor in Dubai and I said take the time and we see what happens with the sponsor. I trust Georges because I felt good with him, so we stayed and went to Dubai and he said everything was good with the meeting and he then said next week we know if it is good or not good. It didn’t turn out and Georges kept on telling me next week, next week, next week.

MXlarge: And then you decided to go elsewhere?

Strijbos: At the end I needed to decide something. I am not mad at Georges and he isn’t mad at me, I had a good relationship with him and had a good time in Dubai, everything was okay. My manager spoke to some other teams last week, which caused some problems with Georges, but I think that is my managers job, if I am not getting paid then I need to get something else. We were told we had a truck from KTM, we had parts from KTM, but we never had a truck, we used the old truck from one of my sponsors.

MXlarge: You obviously need to get paid to live?

Strijbos: Nobody was paid and many times Georges said money is not the big thing, he told me that in 1991 or something that he rode for nothing, but I told him he choose to race for free and I signed a contract for money and I didn’t get the money, that is the difference. Georges said it is all about money, but I told him he needs money for the team and I need money to pay for my house and my camper. I said if it is too difficult you better day and he said he was sorry and things were harder than he thought it would be. And I don’t say Georges didn’t try, he was working day and night to get it ready, but it’s now too close to the season. I didn’t ride for five months.

Georges said I impressed him in Dubai, but in Mantova I didn’t have speed, only on Saturday, but in Valence I was battling at the back of the pack, I thought what am I doing here.

MXlarge: So now you are talking to another team, can you mention anything about that team, or how the negotiations are going?

Strijbos: We have a meeting today with a team and then we see what is possible. They are interested, they called us, so they are interested, we have to see what will happen. I can’t mention the team, but it’s a good team, they have everything. They have one MX1 rider and an MX2 bike; maybe it’s still on a KTM, maybe another brand. At the moment we have two teams, but one was difficult and now we just have one team, but we need to handle it quickly, we need to start racing. Maybe another team is interested, but I need to ride soon.

MXlarge: You obviously need to get riding and preparing for Bulgaria; it’s only a month away.

Strijbos: I just hope I have a bike to ride on the weekend; I need to be getting ready. It’s hard, because I wanted to come back to the top, but after those months I felt good, but there were also problems with Georges. He always wanted me to do 45 minute motos, but I also wanted to do speed, because I don’t have speed. In practice everything looked okay, but in the races I was going from top ten to last on the first lap, my speed wasn’t there.

MXlarge: Time is running out to get that speed isn’t it?

Strijbos: I knew in Mantova that I didn’t have speed, but I felt it would come good. In Valence I really didn’t have anything; I really didn’t want to be there. Then Georges told me I need to change something, I need to get rid of my manager and some of the people around me. I don’t think that is the problem.

MXlarge; What about if you don’t sign for this other team?

Strijbos: Maybe I go to work, I think I can have a ride in the team; it’s just a matter of what brand we ride. Normally it is sure I have a team, but which brand is the question. We only have Mill and Halle, the two Dutch championship races. Then it’s Bulgaria.