An amazing day at Lommel today as Lucas Coenen and Romain Febvre fought out a very tough sand race. Compliments to both riders for really putting on a show for the large Belgian crowd. Kay De Wolf, who was born up the road from Lommel won the MX2 class in a perfect performance. Here is some rider comments and more to come later. Fullspectrum image

Lucas Coenen: “We had a good fight in moto one. Romain was riding really well and we managed the gap. I tried to overtake a few occasions but couldn’t manage it. Moto two I just put my heart out there and went full-send. I enjoyed that last lap so much. I could cruise, roll and enjoy every moment. It’s the best victory I’ve had.”

Kay de Wolf: “Lommel is a special place for me. It’s one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar, but I felt at home straight away. From the first lap on Saturday, everything just clicked - I found my rhythm early and focused on staying smooth and consistent. From the first lap on Saturday, I felt super comfortable. I found my rhythm and just focused on keeping consistent. The team gave me the perfect bike for this kind of track - I could use my height and style to really ride the sand well. This was exactly the weekend we needed in the championship fight. The season’s far from over, and we’re going to keep pushing all the way.”

Romain Febvre: "I knew Lucas would try everything here, but I also know I can win when I get a good start like in race one. He passed me once but I attacked back straight away. It was important to react immediately, pass him back and break his rhythm as soon as possible. He tried again on the last lap but I guess he made a mistake as suddenly he was no longer there. I knew Lucas was there again in the second moto but I didn't manage to change my lines; he was faster than me in two places but I couldn't figure out where he was going. I tried to follow him when he passed but he made a gap straight away and I had to let him go. I managed my weekend well and only dropped one point; I like the remaining tracks on the schedule and stay confident."

Calvin Vlaanderen: “Solid race. I got off to a good start, almost got Isak (Gifting) on the first lap. I know that I am fit and strong, so I just settled into my own pace knowing that I could carry it all the way through the moto to the end. I just rode my own laps, put in a solid moto and I feel like I still have more in the tank for tomorrow.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “The speed was there and could be seen in practice, first moto and the second…but I haven’t done anything for four weeks and I’m lacking some arm muscle and power. Fitness-wise I was quite OK, I think I could have gone 3-3 today thanks to that but my shoulder wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t hold on that well and started crashing. Overall, I’m quite happy about my riding but I was on the deck too much. Onto Sweden, and I’m hopeful with three-four weeks back on the bike I’ll be competitive again for the final three GPs.”

Sacha Coenen: “A difficult weekend. I made a lot of mistakes in the first moto but the second one was much better and I didn’t make any stupid crashes. We had good speed, good starts and we are looking forward to the next races already.”

Andrea Adamo: “I was pleased with how I was in the sand; when a sandy GP is coming up in the calendar I’m usually pretty nervous about it! In the end I made good starts, good riding and good motos. I was quite smooth and saved energy. P2 in Quali and P3 in the first moto and then it was a bummer in the second moto when I was pushed wide and another rider fell on me. I was not in a good spot, and it is bad to start a second moto in Lommel completely last! I think I did OK to come back. It could have been better…but it was not too bad. I’m happy with the speed and gave all I had on the track. Sweden next. We move on and we will fight hard.”

Camden McLellan: “It’s awesome to be back on the podium for myself and the team. It’s been a long time coming and overall, it’s been a great weekend. My qualifying race was good, and then today, it was all about fitness really because the track was so tough. I had a good start in race one and came home in second, so that was good, and then my start in the second moto wasn’t ideal. I had to work for it, but got up to third by the end, so I can be happy with that result. It’s been a great day and I can’t thank the team enough.”

Guillem Farres: “It’s been a tough weekend. I had a big crash in the qualifying race and that meant I had last gate pick for the Grand Prix races. In the first moto, I got caught up behind someone who crashed, and then I fell again later in the race. Race two was a lot better. With starting outside I had to fight for every position and worked my way up to 10th. So that was not too bad and I ended up ninth overall. We’ll keep working and be ready for Sweden in two weeks.”

Simon Laengenfelder: “Difficult weekend. I really needed to push hard in that second moto to secure the 4th place because there was quite a lot of pressure from riders behind me. I lost some points today but I would say on a bad weekend we learned the most. We’ll make the most of the free weekend to look ahead to Sweden, which is an awesome track.”

Ruben Fernandez: Definitely more positives to take from that second moto, when I was running as high as fifth for a few laps. I showed I have the speed here, but this is such a tough track and you need to get everything right for the whole moto. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make that happen and I dropped down the field by the end of the race, so overall I’m not happy with that, however I kept fighting and I feel like I did make improvements over the course of the weekend.

Valerio Lata: A really difficult weekend for me, and one that has really given me a notice that I need to improve my sand skills. The second race today went a lot better and it was good to run up near the front for the first part of the moto, however, it never feels good to drop down the field and I need to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I am proud of the effort from the whole team, to keep working and I think it shows with the second moto that it did get better, so for Arnhem I hope for even more.

Liam Everts: “I always look forward to Lommel - it’s close to home for me - but this time, I’ve had to watch from the sidelines. It’s tough not being out there, especially when the team is doing so well. I’m focused on recovery and doing everything I can to get back on the bike soon. Massive congratulations to Kay and the whole Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Team.”

Thibault Benistant: It was a tough day. I didn’t feel too comfortable and never got the feeling or flow that’s needed to be up front here. I feel like I couldn’t show what I’m capable of, but I did what I could. I had a technical issue in Race One, and then in Race Two, I finished sixth. It’s not where I want to be, but I will stay positive and keep working.

Karlis Reisulis: It wasn’t the best day, but not the worst either. My riding was okay, and I showed some good speed, but I made too many mistakes, which cost me a lot. It doesn’t look great on paper, but I know I need to eliminate these small mistakes to be closer to the results I want, so that’s what I’ll work on.

Mathis Valin: “I took a really bad start in the first moto but I came from almost last to P5 and was really fast with a good rhythm. There were so many lines in the corners here; you could make the difference so I could make many passes. The second moto was quite similar and I almost caught Simon at the end of the moto; that proves again that I am getting better and better every week. I have made big steps these last two GPs.”

Rick Elzinga: I was looking forward to this GP after my podium finish last year. I had a really good first race going until I had a problem with the bike, which was unfortunate. In Race Two I battled for fifth for a long time, but near the end I lost touch and finished seventh. It’s a shame about the first race, but the positive is that I felt strong and comfortable on the bike, especially on such a tough track.