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Grand Prix of Latvia - Rider Comments

Clement Desalle in Latvia - Ray Archer image

News Monday 28th June 2010 By World Press

The Grand Prix of Latvia produced some magic racing as Clement Desalle and Jeffrey Herlings put Suzuki and KTM on top of the box in the MX1 and MX2 classes. The MX2 class was super competative, with the GP decided in the closing stages of the second moto.

Jeffrey Herlings

 

 I'm really satisfied with my weekend. I've had my ups and downs this season. I started really good in the first five rounds then I had three bad rounds so it felt awesome to be back on top again. This was my second GP win. In the first heat I was in the lead after two corners and then I got passed by Marvin and Ken (Roczen) and I finished third. Then I took the holeshot in the second and I had a long fight with Steven (Frossard) but I fought hard and I was able to win the moto and the GP." 
 
 
Clement Desalle:

"I was close to winning here last year so I am glad I could do it this time. To take the GP is really good but I wanted to win that second moto as well but Antonio was too fast. I concentrated on my lines and did not want to make any mistake. The first moto win was good and I saw Bobryshev getting tired towards the end so I pushed hard and knew that I was taking seconds on him each lap. No crashes, my shoulder feels very strong and a lot of points; it was a good weekend."

Marvin Musquin 

 

 "I crashed on the first corner. They had put a lot of water on the track so I crashed and stopped my bike. I was very angry but I made a good and strong comeback to finish seventh. This week I lost just three points in the championship so now I need to be very focused and try to be on the podium every weekend. I think Sweden is a good track but not so easy but like all races, I will do my best."

 

Steve Ramon:

"It gives me a great feeling to be on the podium because I have been struggling with some injuries since Portugal and have been hardly riding during the week since then. The first moto was OK. The start was really good and Clement and Bobryshev were too fast to follow. My start was not great in the second race but I passed many riders and was feeling quicker and more comfortable. I came closer to Clement but then started to get a bit of pain in my hand and had to back off because I didn't want to take any risks."

 

Ken Roczen:

"I don't think the track was as good as last year's because it was so difficult. In the first moto I came back strong on Marvin's rear wheel and tried as hard as I could to win. I made a mistake by not looking at the pit-board and wasn't really aware of how much time I had left. I was quite pleased with second however and was confident going into the second moto. We had a really good race together. There were some parts of the track where I did not have the right lines and I made a mistake before the waves so Steven came past me. I didn't win but I am keeping my head up for next weekend."

Tony Cairoli

 

I had problems in the first moto because I lost a lot of time trying to get past Philippaerts and I only managed fourth. So I wanted to win the second moto and to show my speed and be aggressive right from the beginning. That worked and I won and was second overall."

 

Evgeny Bobryshev

 

 “The track was hard bumpy and sharp and sometimes there were some sketchy moments that sapped the energy but it was fun. I am happy with the result but I am little disappointed on missing the podium but I am still looking forward and think that podiums are still to come.”  

 

Tanel Leok

 

“I felt happy with my physical condition and my pace throughout the race but I keep having trouble with my starts. I seem to keep getting unlucky with little things. If I can get the start then I know I have the pace to run at the front.” 

 

 

Max Nagl 

 

 "It was better for me in the second heat," he said. "I got the holeshot and I led the race for four laps but them I got tired because I haven't been able to train. I hope to be able to train once this week so my rhythm will be better next week. I like Sweden and I won ther last year so I have good memories of going there!" 
  
Rui Goncalves

 

It was my best race so far this season after my injury. I had two good motos and managed to finish in the top 10. This makes me happy and more motivated to keep improving. I had consistent lap times in the second moto and I'm getting better every week. Now I am looking forward to go to Sweden.

Gareth Swanepoel

 

“I am happy with the way things went but not happy with the result. My start in the first moto compromised me. It was a weekend of frustration as in the second moto I stalled the bike but I feel as though I am taking steps forward and am looking forward to Sweden.”

 

Jimmy Albertson

 

 “I had a problem in the second moto, it was a cam problem that began when I was in the gate and finally it let go. The bike was running well all weekend and then just a small problem caught us out. My pace was good in practice, qualifying and in the first moto but I think I set off too quick and kinda forgot to breath. My physical condition is coming back but I am going to step up the training in the coming weeks.”

 

Davide Guarneri

 

“It was a hard race for me, the track was really rough and I struggled a bit with the sand. Top 10 is good though, even though it could be better. I am happy with my consistent top 10 finishes in recent Grand Prix. But want to start turning them into top 5s. I am always looking for improvement.”

 

Arnaud Tonus:

"I had two consistent races. The start was bad in the first moto so I had to push hard in the beginning and then got a bit tired in the middle but fought with Paulin at the end until the bike stopped. It was quite weird to still take 12th and nine points! In the second race I think I had my best start of the year! I passed a few riders but mainly rode safe and wanted to not make any mistakes because the conditions were hard for everyone; there were some really sharp bumps out there and the track was a mix of hard-pack and sand so it was hard to judge a good rhythm and keep it."

 

Gautier Paulin

"My best lap-time of the second moto was 0.8 away from the leaders so I know I have the pace. I lost too much time behind Roelants and Nicholls in the second moto so the first three had gone by the time I got into fourth. The track was so difficult and technical and for my style of riding it was physically very tough because you had to be so precise. My concentration, speed and physical condition was good and normally I ride very well on this kind of track but I need to improve my starts and then I will live with the leaders for sure and be going for the podium. I have been training hard to come back to the feeling I know on the bike and I am confident. I will have some rest this week and have a play on the bike to come to Sweden determined to get good results."

Harri Kullas

"I am happy about this weekend because for the last few GPs I have not had much luck. In one month I had two small concussions! In the first race I had a good start and was third in the beginning. I pushed to see what I could do and had a good battle with Roelants for fourth but he was just a bit too fast. I finished sixth by the end and that was OK for me. In the second moto I was in the top ten again but I wasn't so sharp on the first lap and dropped a few places. I worked on getting my rhythm together and overtook a few people including Simpson on the last lap. Seventh overall is a good result but the second race could have been better."

Christophe Charlier


"I was pushed out on the first corner of the first moto and I almost crashed. I had already gone down a few times on Saturday so I wanted to be more careful but I pushed back anyway and had some pain in my back and my arm. The second race was pretty good and I felt like my speed was decent. I had to calm down a bit after Saturday and after some bad luck recently I think this was a step in the right direction."

Zach Osborne

"The crash was my fault. I shouldn't have been in that position and someone ran over the back of the bike and broke the pipe. I stopped in the pit thinking that I could get back out and run on the track with the leaders because when people see them coming they tend to move over and that would have helped win positions but it took a bit longer to change the pipe than we thought and it would have been impossible to get near the points. It seemed pointless to grind out a race on an already difficult track. The second moto was decent. It took me a few laps to get going because I hadn't had a chance to set my pace in the first race. After twenty minutes or so I felt quite comfortable and confident and made some passes. I was not podium material this weekend and I can accept that and go on to next weekend and try to do a bit better. Sweden is a new track but I am keen to do well there."

 

 David Philippaerts

"It was a difficult day and I did not like the track. There were many jumps with soft take-offs and landings. To finish fifth and sixth is pretty good because this was a bad GP for me last year so I am happy overall. My riding was good; I was slower than some other riders today but the position was OK. Now I will relax and do a bit of practice for Sweden. Uddevalla is a good circuit for me and I expect to be able to attack more there and go for more points."

Ken De Dycker

"Yesterday in qualifying I came up short on a jump and hurt my back. It wasn't too bad in the first moto but I really felt it in the second race. I had pain and couldn't hold on anymore. I made a mistake in the first moto and the front wheel just slid away after that it was a difficult race but it went OK. There were a lot of small bumps out there but there was grip on the track and it was good."

Jake Nicholls:

“I did alright in the qualifying race which set me up well for today. I went down in the first corner which was not really my fault but I came back from dead last to thirteenth. I put absolutely everything into that ride and it paid off but it bit me in the second race because I made a decent start but didn’t quite have that physical edge or drive to run up there with the leaders. I did have the pace to run top six and wasn’t really tired but didn’t have the ‘snap’ I needed. I slowed down just a little bit and rode a sensible race to finish tenth. It wasn’t a bad effort but that first moto obviously had a price. I was angry with Karro in the first moto. Normally I am not lapped but I appreciated that fact that I had to move over for the leaders as I expect some riders to do for us in the British Championship. Karro decided that was the moment to try and race me and nearly put me into the bank. We both expressed our feelings afterwards, perhaps I shouldn’t of, but I don’t like to take anything like that.”

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