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Grand Prix of Czech Republic - Rider comments

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Tanel Leok wins the opening moto of MX1 - Christophe Desmet image

News Monday 09th August 2010 By World Press

The Grand Prix of Czech Republic proved the perfect day for the Red Bull KTM Factory team. Both MX1 and MX2 GP winners and a stranglehold on the World Championships. But, there were more than just orange bikes in the spotlight. Here are the riders comments from the leading riders.

Antonio Cairoli

"I had some problems with my goggles and I didn't see so well. I was having a problem with the tear-offs and Tanel (Leok) passed me. Then I got the problem fixed and I tried to attack in the last part of the race but this is a track that it's very difficult to overtake. The second heat was nice because I had a great start and I got the holeshot. I knew that Clement (Desalle) was behind me so I tried to pull away and make a gap and I managed to do this in the last 10 minutes." When asked if he would like to close up the championship title in the next race in Brazil, Tony said he was just trying to concentrate on winning each race. "It would also be okay to do it in Lierop,"

Marvin Musquin

I am very happy to be in first place on the podium. Today it was very close with Ken Roczen. He was very fast and this track is very difficult. I pushed very hard in the second moto to win the GP and it's very good for me and my team and the championship.

Tanel Leok

“It was difficult to beat Cairoli but I was strong and had genuine pace throughout. I was very pleased to get the win. In the second moto a stone got caught in the break and the break was jammed on and I ran up the hill. I fell off and lost many positions. A finish of 5th is ok but it could have been better. I am happy to be on the podium overall.”

Ken Roczen

"The first moto was awesome. I got the holeshot and didn't look back. In the second race my start was good but in the first corner I lost my way a little bit. Anyway, I came back to second quickly, passed Marvin and then crashed when I tried a different line to overtake a backmarker. I had to work again. There were a lot of square-bumps on the track and passing was not easy. I took a lot of risks trying to catch Marvin again; I guess sometimes you just need to pin-it! I am excited to go to Brazil now after making a race for the German Championship in Austria next week."

Clement Desalle

"Second position again and of course I want to be first but this sport is very hard and I can only do my best all the time. I am working to step-up and be faster and feel that it is coming. I had a bad start in the first moto and had to push all the way to reach third. It was too late in the race to expect better. I was more satisfied with the second moto because we were really fast to break away. The conditions were a bit different to normal and we had to adjust."

Steve Ramon

"The track was tough with many ruts and not many lines. I didn't feel comfortable in the first moto and was really fighting the track; I didn't feel happy. In the second moto I had a really good start but I drifted too far to the outside, hit some soft mud and Cairoli passed me. I was then awful in the first two corners and made mistakes that also cost me two positions. I searched for my rhythm in the opening laps but I felt faster on the bike. I could see Bobryshev was getting tired and passed him but Max was riding well and kept pushing. I'm happy with third place because I don't like the track at all. Overall I'm satisfied with the result."

Rui Goncalves

I didn't have such a good start in the first race but I tried to work my way through the pack. O was feeling good all weekend and I came with a good result from Lommel, which was good for me. In the second moto we made some adjustments on the bike for it was better for me at the start. I was in the top 10 but then half way through the race I stalled the bile and some guys passed me. I finished eighth but it could have been sixth. For the next races I will just try to keep improving and to do my best.

Arnaud Tonus

"An eighth and seventh is so not bad today. I rode well, consistently and with a good rhythm. I had a good start in the second moto but on the first lap I had a problem with my goggles because I went for a tear-off and somehow damaged the lens. The whole race was difficult because I could not see that well. Anyway I'm quite pleased with how the Grand Prix went overall."

David Philippaerts

"In the first moto I struggled to get a good rhythm and I was disappointed because I started in second place but finished in fourth. In the second race I had two crashes - one when I lost control under braking and another when I got on the gas out of a turn and the rear just slipped away - I had some good speed after that and came back from very far to get inside the top ten, so that felt better. We will try our best in Brazil and look ahead to defending third place in the championship; that has to be our main goal now in the final three rounds."

Jeffrey Herlings

"It was a rough weekend, also with the rain on Saturday. I got a good jump out of the gate in the first moto and I stayed in third place for a long time before I got passed by Marvin. In the second moto I was fifth or sixth at the start and then one of the riders crashed in front of me and I went down and dislocated my shoulder. Now I will have my arm checked by doctors in the Netherlands. I hope the injury heals quickly and I will ride again when I am 100% fit."

Ken De Dycker

"The first race was not good for me. I was able to get around the problems I've had with my arm in Lommel because I know the track very well, but here it was much harder and I had to hold on up the hills with my fingers sometimes. I'm still not 100% so I have to work on that. The clutch started to slip a little in the second moto and I had to keep the bike wide-open on the downhill but this meant I ran a bit wide and hit the mud. I tried to give the bike some gas to get out but it was stuck."

Gautier Paulin

"I have been working hard to get back to my level and my main problem at the moment seems to be getting over this habit of one bad start and one good start. I was far behind the leaders at the beginning of the first moto but I feel quite content with this result overall because the bike and the team are great and I am gaining more confidence all the time with my riding. My aim will be two good starts in Brazil now and then the final two races!"

Zach Osborne

"I struggled today. I seemed to have about fifteen good minutes in me and then I felt like I was going through the motions. I think the concussion still has a bit of an effect and I should have had myself evaluated after the crash but I guess I didn't want to know because I'm fighting for a top five slot in the world. I think the track got the better of me a little bit today. It was very 'single-line' out there and that's make it tough. I'm having a hard time at the moment and we will work through it."

Harri Kullas

"It was a hard track and I'm not so strong on this type of terrain yet but I know I can be in the top ten every moto. The first race went well until the last lap when I made a mistake not jumping the double and lost a position, which was frustrating. I made too many errors. I hit some soft mud out of the gate in the second race and this dragged me back a bit. I was fourteenth on the first lap and rode back to eleventh. I was lapped at the end so I know my speed was not the best! I will train more now and see what happens in Brazil."

Christophe Charlier

"I'm happy with the first moto, I started well and had a good rhythm. Gautier just passed me at the end but I thought it was a good ride. I was third at the beginning of the second moto but slid out on the jump and was lucky that no-one hit me. I hurt my hip a little bit and could not finish but I hope for more good starts in Brazil."

Evgeny Bobryshev

“I still have a small injury from the 2nd heat in Lommel and it has been tough to move around all week. My starts were good but I had lots of pain in the middle of the race, especially in the whoop section and over the bumps. I couldn’t get over it and unfortunately that why I faded in both motos. I will get myself fixed up for Brazil and hope to go good there.”

Max Nagl

"For sure I wanted to finish on the podium but the important thing was that my riding was good and my physical condition is back where it should be. I managed to finish fifth in the firs moto then I had a big battle with Rui (Goncalves) in the second and it took me a long time to get past him. This is a difficult track and there is only one line in most of the corners and straights. Normally I like these conditions but anyway today the speed was there and that's important. I can still finish third in the championship and I closed the gap to Philippaerts so it going well."

Jimmy Albertson

“I’m still kinda beat up and I really didn’t think I was going to be able to ride this weekend. To get 13th in the second moto felt as good as winning. It was great to be able to put two motos together and get some points on the board. I am going to go back home now and try and get myself healthy so I can come back strong in Brazil.”

Sébastien Pourcel

“It's the first time for quite a while that I have finished a race in the top ten, and that’s a positive sign. I took an outside gate and my start was mid pack in the opening race; I was fourteenth on the first lap and, even though I didn’t take any risk as I wanted to see the chequered flag, I passed several riders to finish seventh, my best result since the Italian GP in April ! My second start was not so good, but I found some good lines through the first few corners; unfortunately de Reuver crashed in a corner and we collided. My front wheel was damaged, so I had to retire. I think that another top ten result was possible, so now I will do a Belgian race next week and then prepare for Lierop as we’ve decided with the team to skip the GP in Brazil.”

Nicolas Aubin

“For the first time this season I could start in the top five of a Grand Prix, but then I was so stressed that I made too many mistakes to keep that position. I was racing with Nagl, De Dycker and Ramon, and a top five result was possible but I got cramps and finished eighth. But that is my best result so far in MX1, so I was expecting something similar from the second moto but I crashed with several riders soon after the start. I lost too much time before I could continue and retired, but now I have two French championship rounds to offer some good results to the team. Next Friday I will race the SX Tour in La Tremblade, and on Sunday we’ll be in Lacapelle Marival for the final round of the Elite championship.”

Jonathan Barragan

“It has been a tough weekend; the track was so slippery and difficult this year with the rain. My first start was horrible; I was last and with only one line around most of the track it was difficult to pass. Fourteenth was not what I was expecting, but the second race was even worse; De Reuver crashed during the opening lap, Seb was blocked and I had nowhere to go. I crashed on my left shoulder, and it was so painful that I came back to the pits; nothing is broken, but the pain was too great to continue.”

Xavier Boog

“I have had several examinations on my knee since the GP at Lommel last weekend, and my doctors told me that it will be OK if I give it a period of rest, so we decided not to race here. I will also sit out the final round of the French series next weekend but I will be back on a bike this week, and then I will prepare for Brazil.”

Steven Frossard

“I really enjoyed the track on Saturday; it was wet and slippery and I’m used to these conditions as I train on a similar track in winter. I posted the fastest lap and was confident for the races; I had a great jump out of the gate in the first race and was third leaving the first corner, but at the next one Simpson came across my front wheel and I crashed. One rider rode over me and I had no feeling in my back for the rest of the race; the throttle cable was also damaged but I fought back to finish fourteenth. I got another good start in the second race, but Charlier crashed on the first lap and I jumped onto his bike. I was riding stressed after that and couldn’t do better than fourth. I had higher goals this weekend but I suppose that’s motocross. Thankfully I didn’t lose any positions in the series standings, but that’s not enough to be satisfied.”

Jeremy Van Horebeek

“I’m happy with my results this weekend, even if it’s always frustrating to miss a GP podium by just a single point. On Saturday I posted a good lap time during the timed practice period when it was wet and I enjoyed the track more than on race day. I had a good start in the opening race and battled with Roelants for several laps before I passed him and Simpson to finish fourth. I was happy with my riding, but my second start wasn’t as good; I was twelfth at the second corner, and moved quickly to sixth after three laps, but the I lost too much time behind Simpson. I got into a bad rhythm and when I finally passed him halfway through the race the leaders were a long way ahead. But it was a good performance, much better than last week in Lommel.”

Michael Leib

“After the sand of Lommel this is the second weekend in a row that I have faced very different conditions to what we have in California, but we learned a lot of it. This morning during the warm-up I had a big crash so I didn’t feel 100% and I just did two laps in the opening race to see how things were going. The track was pretty dangerous and I didn’t felt well, so together with the team we decided to focus on the next rounds rather than take too much risks. I didn’t want to put myself in an even worse situation, and we’ll put all our effort into the last three GP’s to get the best results.”

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