Check out what the winners, podium men and others thought of their day in Germany today. Some wild action and decisions by the FIM made for an interesting MXGP and MX2 round.

Tim Gajser: I am so happy with how things went today. To come here just three weeks after surgery and get the moto win, the overall and the red plate is more than I could have hoped for coming into this weekend. A big thank you to the whole team who worked hard to get me feeling as close to 100% as possible and have supported me throughout. I couldn’t do it without them. In both races I got good starts and that put me in a position to challenge for victory. I had good lines and although I felt I was fast enough to finish further forward in race one, third was still a good result. In race two I had another good battle, but this time I could make the pass for the lead and win the race and it was just amazing to cross the line in first. I knew I was feeling better after two weeks of recovery since Sardinia so now I will try to keep this momentum as we go to a new track in France next weekend. Also, a big thank you to all the fans at the track today and who have messaged me online. It really helps a lot to get that kind of support and it was great to hear so many fans whilst racing today.

Jeffrey Herlings:“What can I say? As good as it starts as bad as it ends. I’m lucky to still be racing today. I made some mistakes in the first 15 mins of the first moto but was then able to catch Jorge. We know he is not the easiest rider to pass; he defends his line and there is nothing wrong with that but jumping? My knee had a big impact and it’s 100% OK, but the trauma of the bang meant it was really sore in that second moto. This is not my favorite track so when I got up to 3rd place I did not even try to close the gap and accepted second overall. We’ll work on the knee now and I’ll look forward to France and hope to fight with the boys again”

Maxime Renaux: “Today was a good day. Two solid races and two solid results. The goal now is to stay steady and not take any big risks, although I did try to push for the win in the second race. Now, I can take the red plate to my home round in France. I really look forward to that to have the French public there and cheering. I have never experienced that before so I am looking forward to it.”

Romain Febvre: “My speed was good today and I got good starts both motos. In the first I was behind Prado and I was faster but it was really tough to pass; then I was behind Jeffrey (Herlings) and at the same time I saw Tim (Gajser) was coming back because I was stuck.  Then I made a mistake in a turn; I tried to pass him again at the end but it was not quite enough. I knew with a good start I had a chance to win the GP, and I took the holeshot in race two, but Tim was better today; I did everything I could to hold him but he had some better lines in sectors three and four and I couldn’t figure out exactly where he would be able to pass. They were good points for the championship today but still I want more and next weekend we go to France for my home GP. “

Jed Beaton: “It wasn’t a bad weekend overall. My starts have been really good recently, which has really helped. Starting up front makes things a lot easier as you can stay out of trouble for the most part and ride your own race. It was a difficult track today. Some parts were really fast and a little sketchy and then in other parts the ruts were really deep. Everyone seemed to be on a similar pace so my good starts really made a difference today and I was able to put two solid races together.” 

Kay de Wolf: “I’m really happy with today. I qualified second, which was a little bit of a surprise but certainly good to know I that have the speed on hardpack. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the best of starts in race one, but I put it together in race two and I felt really good in that one. The track was challenging and you had to go slow to go fast as it was pretty technical with the deep ruts and lines everywhere. Overall, some more great learnings for me today and we’ll take them to France next weekend.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “After last weekend I was feeling really good and despite the results not showing it, there are a lot of positives from today. In the second moto I felt strong and I was attacking the track. I was in ninth and setting up a pass for eighth before I crashed. Crashing obviously isn’t positive but I felt like I was going to move further forwards in the race and it’s a shame that I went down. I feel like everything is going in the right direction and with so many races coming up, I think we can enjoy a good end to the season.”

Arminas Jasikonis: “Today was difficult and it’s been a difficult season so far. There have been a few positives but I’m just searching now for a breakout result. In race two the gate bounced a little so I dropped the clutch but I hit the gate as it didn’t drop completely. It was frustrating, but I was able to get back into the points and make passes on a track that a lot of riders struggled with. So that’s a small positive. Onto next weekend in France.”

Jago Geerts: “I am pretty happy with the result. I was riding well but I made some small mistakes and finished fifth. I was happy with my speed but I lost my rhythm a little bit at the end. In the second heat, I was a little bit better. I know I need to keep working to find more speed so that I can battle with Tom (Vialle) and Maxime (Renaux).”

Thibault Benistant: “Today was not a really good day for me. I took two really good starts but I had some big crashes because I was attacking too much. This is something I am working on, I want to be more aggressive in the first laps, but I was pushing too much and then I crashed and had to start from last. So it was quite a difficult weekend for me.”

Tony Cairoli: “I knew it would be tough here because I couldn’t ride in the week due to my painful ribs. I took some medication and rode at the Nations – although the first moto crash and someone hitting my ribs again didn’t help – and I survived the weekend and we won. It was something I was missing in my career and I wanted to do it but I didn’t think too much about the reaction and the consequences and I was feeling really bad here. I was struggling with my health and I knew it would be a tough day from Timed Practice. After fifteen minutes I couldn’t really hold onto the bike that much anymore. A 5th in the first moto was OK and I was very happy with that result but the second moto was so tough and I knew it would be before I went to the gate. I just tried to make my way to the end. 10th is not what we want but I couldn’t do any more. Let’s try to recover this week and try to do what we can in France.”

Tom Vialle: “What should have been a great weekend and started with Pole Position. It was really important to get good starts today. I enjoyed the track but it was hard for passing. I had to work to overtake Rene in the first moto and then had half the job done through the first lap in the second. I don’t know what to say about the yellow flag decision except that I didn’t see them and watching the video back you needed to be lucky to see them. Despite this decision it has been a good run of results so far and we’re looking good for my home Grand Prix next weekend. It’s nice to go back to France and LaCapelle is really technical. I’m excited already.”

Rene Hofer: “I finally put two solid motos together and I’m really happy that I was able to make my first visit to the MX2 podium. I led almost the whole moto and kept quite close to Tom. Fourth in the second meant decent points and I was really excited. It’s an important moment and I’m pleased it happened at this race and this track that is not that far from my home. Together with the team we have been working hard for this, so it’s really nice it finally happened. I’m in really good shape and better than the start of the season when I was coming back from injury, so I want to keep this kind of momentum.”

Jeremy Seewer: “It’s definitely going forward, which is positive. It’s going well physically. I feel good and I was able to make some improvements today. I know I am not in the top five where I know I should be in Timed Practice, but it’s going forward. I hope in a few GP’s I will be more upfront and battling for the podium.”

Conrad Mewse: "The round started off well with P3 in qualifying. I felt really good on the track. It was technical and rutty, which is what I like. I did not get a very good start in the first moto and went off the track – I think I was twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth. I got my head down though and I felt like I rode really well. I was using different lines, made passes and almost felt the same as I did on the Saturday at the Motocross of Nations. The second race was a bit difficult; I caught my foot on a rut with two laps to go in moto one and twisted my knee and ankle. It was pretty sore for the second race. I did not get the best start and just tried to salvage what I could. Eighth overall was a good result and another step in the right direction."

Glenn Coldenhoff: “In the end, it was a positive day. We did some testing last week and we have made some improvements which I am very happy about. In practice, I still struggled a little bit, but I think we still found a good setup. I had two good starts, which is a really positive point. In the second race, I showed good intensity and felt really good with the bike. It’s a shame about the last 10 minutes of the race, somebody crashed in front of me and Pauls Jonass passed me and then Jeremy (Seewer) on the last lap, which was not the best, but I am okay with it. We made good progress and it’s our first solid result which I am happy about and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Ben Watson: “A pretty positive day. I didn’t feel like I was ‘wow,’ but I was solid and consistent and definitely making progress. I know I need to change ASAP when it comes to qualifying because where I need to start, I am too far out on the gate, making it difficult to get a good start. I kind of finished where I gated, it was a little bit ‘follow the leader’ in both races, but still a solid result and I am pleased with that.”

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m not happy about today. We were all very close in qualifying and I felt OK. I didn’t start well in the first race and couldn’t find a good flow. I made a small mistake and lost some positions. Race two, the start was a bit better, my riding also, but I again had made some mistakes around mid-race distance. I couldn’t get a good feeling. I was losing too much time. A bad day. We’ll focus on the next one.”

Stephen Rubini: Today was my best result this year which is good, but I’m a little unhappy with my riding because I know that I can do so much better. In race two I had two small crashes in the same corner and I was very frustrated with myself for this.  We made some changes to my bike setup before this race - changes to the suspension settings and power delivery and I felt so much more comfortable and I could play more with the bike and be creative with my riding. So this is good progress and I look forward to racing in France with my new bike setup next weekend.

Pauls Jonass: “Overall, it was a good day with decent starts and decent results. The only thing I’m lacking is a little intensity on the opening laps. My speed is good so if I can just stay a little closer to the leaders early in the races then I think I can improve my results a little. Together with the Standing Construct GASGAS team we’ve found a really good setting with the bike and with a lot of hardpack races coming up on the calendar, I’m feeling really confident for the weeks ahead.”

Brian Bogers: “Not a bad day for me on the hardpack! In Time Practice I was third, which was a great start to the day and then in the first moto I was riding stiff and got arm pump, which was frustrating. I still managed to finish ninth so that wasn’t so bad. In the second moto my riding was much better. My first lap was really good and I went from 11th to seventh and stayed there the whole moto for eighth overall. So yeah, I’m really happy with today and thanks to the team and sponsors. It’s been a great day for the whole team here in Germany and now we head to France looking for more of the same.”

Simon Langenfelder: “It was such an amazing atmosphere at my home GP. The crowd were amazing all day and I could hear them all around the track so it was really special and I’m really pleased that we could have a big crowd. My starts were good in both races and in race one I finished sixth so I was really happy with that. In race two I had a good race going but I went into a really deep rut and it broke my gear lever off. I was then stuck in third gear for about half of the race, which made it difficult, but I managed to finish 11th which wasn’t so bad. Overall, I was seventh so it’s nice to be back in the top 10 and now it’s onto France.”

Isak Gifting: “Today was frustrating and it should have been so much better. I felt great on the track but crashes in both races really cost me, especially in race two as I crashed on the first lap and started way behind everyone. I came back to 15th but I feel like I should have been in the top 10 today.”

Mikkel Haarup: “My day started good with P4, just 0.1 off pole; that was my best Qualifying of the year. The track was already pretty rough from yesterday and the ruts soon developed; I had a good flow on the track and was already very confident going into the first moto. My first start was not good but I was riding well and made some good passes to come through to twelfth; it would be nice to have a better result but from that start that was not too bad. We made some adjustments for the second race; I moved quickly into the top ten and was eighth at the finish. The track was very technical but that suits me; you had to be patient at times because of the ruts. I was very happy with my riding today; we want to get into the top five soon!  

Wilson Todd: “I had a tough first moto. My start was OK but there were a lot of deep ruts and the gearshift got pushed up; I was stuck in second gear so I had to pit to fix it. The second race was not too bad; I sat back for a while but then I worked forward for seventh with good speed. “
 
Roan van de Moosdijk: “I still have a little pain in my hand; it’s a difficult injury to recover from. There are many lines out there but it’s still difficult to pass; you need to be up there from the beginning and I didn’t have as good a gate-pick as usual after I had a little tip-over in practice. 

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