HRC factory rider, Jeffrey Herlings continued to defy age as he worked hard to win his 116th GP in very tough conditions in Italy last weekend. The five time world champion led a long list of special performances and here is what everyone thought of their weekend. Bavo Swijgers image

Jeffrey Herlings: "I had the speed to win all weekend long. Yesterday we missed the start and had to fight through the pack with Romain [Febvre] and Lucas [Coenen]. Today I took a gamble, going to the gate twice next to the box, and it paid off, especially in the first race where I got the holeshot and could lead. It's not easy leading with pressure all race, first from Maxime [Renaux] and then from Maxime and Lucas. In the second race I had a better start, then was behind Maxime until about six or seven minutes to go and I knew if I kept Lucas behind me, I’d win the overall. That's another GP win, my fourth of the season. Credit to Honda, Gariboldi and the whole HRC Petronas team, they've worked so hard through the good and bad. We had two tough weekends in a row with DNFs, that cost us around 40 points in the championship, but we keep charging, and we're at the halfway point now. Racing against Lucas is good as he’s a fair, clean rider to pass, he's never done anything dirty to me, and racing him like that, he'll hopefully have a long career”

Lucas Coenen: "I'm happy to be standing here on the podium. Coming from the US, I wasn't expecting much here. When I went out for the first lap I looked at the team like, this isn't going to be good. In race one I had a bad jump and was almost last into the first corner, but I made some good passes and worked my way back to the front. In the second race I had a better start, and Jeffrey and I were battling back and forth. You don't want to make a big mistake, you have to be smart and play it cool, and that's what I did. At the end I had a small issue with my goggles, but I was happy to finish third with those two guys ahead of me."

Maxime Renaux: "Latvia was a disappointment, two technical issues, so it was a pretty dark weekend. We put that behind us and came here motivated to get some points back. I felt alright from the first day, even with the heat. I'm struggling a bit with my health at the moment, so it was hard physically. In the first race I pushed hard on Jeffrey trying to find a way past, then Lucas came flying at the end, so I had to give everything on the last lap, I think it was my best lap of the race. In the second race I had a good start but hit neutral in a corner and lost a couple of positions. From the fourth lap I was really struggling physically, but finishing on the podium is a good step forward for the season and the championship. The battle with Jeffrey was intense. The first fifteen minutes we had a really good pace, we pulled away from everyone, then I realised I wasn't sure I could make the pass, I was getting tired from the heat. I backed off a little and followed his pace. Then I saw Lucas closing on the board, so I woke up because he was coming. By the end we'd caught Jeffrey and were right on his wheel. It's hard to follow someone that closely, you're a bit blind, and then you've got Lucas trying to find a way past. It was a really entertaining race, hopefully we'll have more like that this season."

Sacha Coenen: "It was a difficult weekend, but it was the same for everyone. Even though a couple of riders were faster than me today, I managed to finish second and second and take the overall win, so I'm pretty happy with that. I also took some time to find my rhythm. In the first race I had a good start but messed up in a corner and dropped back, then made a mistake before the pit lane and lost more places. I had to fight back, and finished second behind Guillem, with my best lap coming as I passed Simon [Längenfelder], so I had good flow at the end. I was trying to be safe out there because there were a lot of riders to get past, so I just focused on racing smart this weekend."

Guillem Farres: "I felt okay yesterday, I had a good pace and felt comfortable. I had a small crash in qualifying and had to work hard to get back to second. Today, in the first race, I didn't get the best start and had to work my way up again, I had some good opening laps and made some good passes. In the second race my start was terrible, and unfortunately, I crashed on the first lap and was buried at the back. From there I tried to salvage some points but could only get back to fifth. It's not only about the race win for me. I felt like I had good pace this weekend, it's frustrating to crash on the first lap, that was all on me, my own mistake. Still, it was a solid weekend, around fifty points, so it's not too bad. We know we belong and we're in the fight every weekend, which makes me happy, but it's frustrating to lose my chances like that in the first lap. We'll learn from it and keep going."

Camden McLellan: "I was pretty annoyed after my first race, and honestly after the whole weekend. I was half asleep until the gate dropped yesterday, then I had a moment of reflection and started riding well. So I was already fired up yesterday, and today I felt good from warm up. I'd been riding at about eighty percent all weekend, I wasn't willing to risk it the way some other riders were, and it was working. The first race was tough, I got a bad start and crashed on the first lap, my own mistake. I was frustrated and knew I'd already ruined my chances of an overall. Speed wise I felt really strong, and I backed it up with a good second race, I was fired up and wouldn't have accepted anything less than a race win, so I'm happy I delivered on that. For sure, riding on Triumph gives extra confidence. Already on Friday's track walk we know what we've got and which conditions might suit us, and I think this was one of them. I quite liked the track, I thought it was easy to make passes on. I came from way back yesterday and again today in the first race, and we worked our way through. I think that's part of what makes it interesting, you have to be smarter about the risks you take, and that's what the world championship is about, different circuit, different terrain each week. I'm happy with it, I think they did a good job with the track today."

Tim Gajser: “It’s a shame about the first moto because I was riding at a really high level all weekend. Both on Saturday and Sunday, I felt like I was the fastest rider on track. But that’s motocross – there are things you can control and things you can’t. Overall, I’m very happy with the way I rode. In the second moto, I felt great. I quickly found a good rhythm, managed the pressure from behind and then opened up a gap to control the race. It was a really positive feeling. The bike worked perfectly, I felt strong physically and there are a lot of positives to take away from this weekend. We’ll keep building on this momentum and focus on the next round.”

Andrea Adamo: “Definitely a good weekend I’m pretty happy with my consistency. I went a bit too quick for the start of the first moto but the others were good. We might have been able to think about the podium if the first moto hadn’t been wrecked. P4 overall is still solid though and that’s what we aim for. My home GP was amazing, even if the track was not the best. A crazy atmosphere. Now to Portugal where I have good memories of the 1-1-1 last year.”

Rubén Fernández: Definitely not an easy GP for me, after that crash yesterday left me a bit banged up. I did the best I could to get off the gate well but having last gate-pick really put me at a massive disadvantage. Especially because this track wasn’t so easy to pass on, but I got myself just outside the top 10 in both races and I think I can be proud of my effort to do that. Next weekend is my favourite race on the calendar in Agueda, Portugal so I’m really excited to race there.

Romain Febvre: "We had to use the hard track tyre today and we just couldn't get the starts. I came back really well through the pack but I'm a little frustrated because this is my type of track and I am sure I could have won the GP if I had started with the other guys. It's always easier to pass at the end of the motos when the other guys drop the pace but I lost too much time at the beginning. We could change line in almost every turn in the first moto but with the rain during the interval the inside was muddy for race two so there were less lines to pass."

Pauls Jonass: "Overall my riding was better this weekend and it showed in the results. I had good speed and my feeling for the track was there but I just didn't get the starts and that cost me. I had to come from a long way back in both motos; I made some good passes and at the end I wasn't so far from the guys at the front. This was a real old-school track - hard and slick with limited traction - but it was nice to race something different."

Tom Vialle: I think it was a good comeback this weekend overall. There were a couple of moments that I’d like to take back but for the most part, there were a lot of positives to take into Portugal next weekend. I got a good start in race one, almost getting the holeshot next to Jeffrey and then I think it was just a little bit of race-rust that stopped me finishing higher up. Still, it was good to back on the line and I’m excited to progress in all these upcoming GPs.

Simon Laengenfelder: “A tricky weekend. I came to Italy feeling good but the start crash in the Quali race set me back. Still, I could come back to 11th and the pick was not too bad for the Sunday races. The holeshots were the only positive because I needed another level to go with those guys. I made the wrong decisions. Not the best riding or feeling so hard to come out of it. I won’t stop fighting.”

Kay de Wolf: "It was a big impact in timed practice and unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do to avoid it. We’ll go for further checks tomorrow morning and then understand more from there. Of course it’s disappointing, especially after the momentum we had coming into Italy, but it is what it is. The focus now is on making sure everything is okay and hopefully being back as soon as possible."

Liam Everts: "It was a strong weekend overall, even if we just missed the podium. In the first race I had to work my way forward, but once I got into fourth I felt like my pace was good and I could close on the guys ahead. Race two was tricky with the rain and the track changing so much, but I felt smooth and managed to make the pass for third near the end. Fourth overall is solid, but of course I wanted that podium. We’ll keep pushing."

Mathis Valin: "I was feeling better with every session and managed two good motos. I think I could have had three holeshots this weekend but I braked a little too early today. In the second moto I was pushing to try to pass in front but I always had someone pushing me from behind."

Kay Karssemakers: "Tenth in Qualifying was OK for me on a hardpack track like this and I got a really good jump in the first race today - I think I was P5 into the corner - but I made a mistake at the third corner and that cost me. I rode a really good first corner in the second moto and had a good flow for fifteen minutes but then I got stomach pains and had to slacken my pace; I don't want to use that as an excuse but it is what happened."

Francisco Garcia: "It was more difficult to make the difference today but I worked out where I could pass. I now have five motos in-a-row and I can win on all sorts of different track - sand in Latvia two weeks ago and this weekend on hardpack. I have a big lead in the championship but I don't look at the points; I just want to win every time I go to the start!"

Jake Cannon: "I did my best to make the most of the situations I put myself in, but it was more difficult to make passes this morning; the track is really tight and there was mostly only one line today after they watered the track. But on to Portugal next weekend."

Janis Reisulis: It was a tough day overall. On Saturday I was feeling really good, the speed was there, and I was able to make some good passes. Today was a little different. Physically I actually felt fresh, but I struggled to put everything together on the track. I could find a good flow in places, but it was difficult to combine that with the speed I needed while also avoiding mistakes. I think that was the main challenge for me this weekend. Even so, I’m not disappointed. Every weekend is a learning opportunity, and I know I’m continuing to make progress. We’ll keep working, keep improving, and I’m confident the results will come.

Karlis Reisulis: It was a slightly disappointing day overall. In the first moto, I crashed on the opening lap and then had to fight my way back from last, so the goal was simply to salvage as many points as possible. The second moto started much better. I got away more cleanly and was able to make several passes in the opening laps. As the race went on, though, I struggled a little to find a good feeling on the hardpack surface and lost a couple of positions towards the end. Even so, there were positives to take away from the day. I felt like I made improvements throughout the weekend and learned more about riding in these conditions. We’ll keep working on the hardpack tracks and focus on coming back stronger at the next round.

Calvin Vlaanderen: “It was a positive weekend, the best overall result that we have got this year so we can't be disappointed with that. I'm very very happy with my race, in the first moto I showed myself that I'm back and I can still still run in the top five and still do it comfortably; it was nice to feel like I was riding easy and comfortably and still can keep up with the front guys so that was a big confidence boost for me. In the second race I struggled to find the flow at the beginning, but the guys in front got away from me and then I couldn't couldn't catch them towards the end, but all in all I'm happy with the weekend and yeah big thanks to the team; we've been working hard the last months and we made a nice change last week and it's definitely making me feel more comfortable on the bike. I'm looking forward to the next GP.”

Ferruccio Zanchi: “It was a pretty positive home race weekend, even if the results don't show how good we did. We had good speed all weekend long, but a mistake in race one and a crash in race two compromised the result a bit. Despite this, we saw positive things, we'll continue working, and next week we'll have another opportunity to do better. Thanks to the entire team for their work and to all the fans who made me feel at home, pushing me to give all.”

Simone Mancini: “I'm not completely satisfied with my weekend, even though it's my second-best result of the season. On Saturday I felt good; I set a good third-fastest time in practice, and even though I wasn't able to start with the leaders, I worked my way up to fourth place. Today, however, partly due to a technical problem, I wasn't able to find a good pace and struggled on a track that was very different from yesterday. Next week we'll be in Portugal, and I can't wait to do better.”