Take a look at a bunch of rider comments from the leading MXGP and MX2 riders from todays MXGP of The Netherlands. From winners Tim Gajser and Jago Geerts to all the podium men and many others. Many more comments coming tonight and tomorrow morning, so keep checking back.

Tim Gajser: Overall, I am happy with the day. Coming into the event I knew it would be difficult to take the victory as it was a new track for me and there are a lot of good sand riders, but I tried to ride smoothly, not taking too many risks and it paid off. Of course, I would have liked to have finished off with a win in the second moto but increasing my championship lead and getting on the top step of the podium was a good finish to the day. I know I still need to keep working hard though and I will make sure I’m ready for the hard-pack of Loket next weekend where hopefully there will be a lot of Slovenian fans who can cheer me on.

Jago Geerts: My first race was almost perfect. Good start, in the lead from the second lap, immediately making a gap and controlling until the end. It felt great. The second race was a lot more difficult with de Wolf behind me from start to finish. It was a tough fight, but I managed to stay cool and get the double moto win. A big relief after a difficult start of the season because of the knee injury. I'm already looking forward to the next races.

Tony Cairoli: “I’m happy with the overall result but not so much with the first moto. I know I have the skills and the physical shape to be better than 8th but I made a mistake and a bad start. The starts were not great today but the second moto was really good and I was pleased with how I could push to the front. A podium every week is the goal and I was a bit scared that the 8th from the first moto would make it…but we took 2nd in the end.”

Romain Febvre: “I feel that should have been my GP; I took two good starts – a holeshot and a second – and I had the speed but a few mistakes cost me. I got the holeshot in race one but went too wide into soft dirt at turn two. I was fast but Hoff blocked my every attack. I have learnt to take my time but the pass didn’t happen and in the end I slipped off two times. The second race was the same story when I crashed looking for a pass for the lead again; I made a mistake coming down the hill and almost jumped into the fence. I got up fast but the pace was hot and I again had to settle for fourth. Still, I was on the podium again and now I expect the win in the next GP at Loket where I won in 2019. “

Jed Beaton: “It was a big confidence boost today and just what I needed to get my season going. It’s been a tough start and deep down I knew I could do it. Sand isn’t really my strongest surface to race on but I’ve been putting in the work in practice and it showed today. The team has been awesome and it’s great to reward them with a podium today.”

Kay de Wolf: “It’s been an unbelievable day and to stand on the podium and lead a race at my first ever home GP is just amazing. I’m so happy and proud of myself and what I’ve achieved. For sure it was a shame to have a small crash in race two but it’s another learning experience to be up front and once I got back on my bike I could ride freely with no pressure. My team have been so supportive, and my bike is just amazing. Today has been a day that I’ll never forget. Incredible.”
 
Ivo Monticelli: Everyone always tries to push on the first lap. I arrived at the uphill jump and Jeffrey jumped short. I was already in the air and couldn’t miss him. I’m OK. I am so sorry for Jeffrey but this is our sport. The bike was damaged but I got back up after everyone else had gone past and found a good rhythm to finish eighteenth. My start was OK in the second race too but Hoff crashed in front of me at the second turn and I went out into the deep mud on the outside of the turn to avoid him. I was twentieth but I came back to tenth before Seewer passed me a few laps from the end. I rode two good motos with no mistakes and good speed today so I am confident for the future.
 
Jorge Prado: “A great day and everything is progressing. I haven’t led a race like that for a long time, certainly since MX2, so I can be happy. I was struggling a bit, especially with breathing this weekend so it was tough to keep going at that pace. The guys built a great bike because we found a few things during training and I definitely had a KTM ready to win today. I was feeling good all day long even if it was such a physical track, so bumpy and not like a normal sand circuit. I was completely ‘done’ at the end of the second moto and Tony came past so strong. I’d like to add a message to Jeffrey to keep his head up, it is such a tough sport, and it was not his fault. Motocross can be cruel like this. Much respect for still winning the first moto: I don’t think there are many riders that can do that!
 
Jeffrey Herlings: What can I say about today? I had high hopes and wanted 1-1. I had a great start in the first moto but the start device did not disengage immediately up the hill and I did not jump as far as I usually do out of the waves. The rest is history. I had a lot of pain but thought I’d keep going to try and get 4th or 5th. I saw I was still able to catch the guys so I started passing them even though I could barely hold on for the last three laps. I have a small crack in my shoulder blade and I still don’t know how bad it is. We had a scan and it doesn’t seem too bad. I don’t have any pain now but racing a dirt bike is a different story. We’ll have another check tomorrow.
 
Rene Hofer: I’d call it a ‘50/50’ day. The first moto was really good, second moto pretty bad! It was a tough day, really physical and the track was super-rough. But, still, it’s a top five result in the sand, so I am happy, even though I still feel there is a lot of space for improvement. Next weekend we’ll try again. I am really looking forward to Loket as it is not so far from my home and I hope to see a lot of Austrian flags at the track! Thanks to my team for the fantastic effort!”
 
Mattia Gaudagnini: Not the best day for me today. I enjoyed the track but the crash in the first race didn’t help. A rider fell in front of me on the first corner and I had to come from far back. I was riding well until I had another small crash! I had a good rhythm in the second moto and it was good to finish the day in a positive way, even if I did lose some points in race one. I’m still second in the championship as we are all close. I’m looking forward to Loket now.

Thibault Benistant: I was not lucky at all today. In the first race I was riding without a rear brake from the second lap. As if this were not enough, I got taken out by de Wolf which resulted in a very low front brake. In the second race I had a bad exit at the start, but had a good recovery in 6th place. 11th overall is not what I expected. It's disappointing because I wanted more and especially because I know I can do much better.

Maxime Renaux: It feels good to have this red plate for the first time. But to be honest, I have mixed feelings, because I'm not happy at all with my performance. It started with a crash in warm-up. My ribs were painful, though I don't want to use it as an excuse. I made too many mistakes in the first race. My second race was much better, I could take a lot of valuable championship points.

Ruben Fernandez: It was a bit harder for me this weekend. It was my first race on a sand track for quite a while. Plus the track was quite slippery under the surface but soft in some places which made it very difficult. In the first moto I had a bad start and then quite a big crash when I was charging to the front. Then I had to regroup and work hard to finish the race in 10th. In race two I had a much better jump off the gate and started lap one in fifth place. Then later in the race I started to feel quite tired. Again, it was the first race in sand this year and this track was very difficult, so overall we still saved the day and we’re still third place in the championship and only eight points off the lead.

Ben Watson: I feel like I am making great progress at the moment. Of course, this is the goal, it’s only my first year in MXGP and I understand that there is still a lot to learn. The first round of the MXGP series this year felt like a disaster to me, but I already learned a lot there, and all those challenging days build up to great days like these. I am really happy with how I am progressing, and I am happy about today’s result. We will keep going.

Arminas Jasikonis: “I’m really happy with today and there are many positives for me to take away from here. It’s nice for me to be back near the front and also for the team as well. They have supported and believed in me so to repay them with a strong result like this is great. With the team we have been working on starts but I would say today my reactions weren’t quite where they needed to be. In race one I was able to make a lot of passes in the first few corners, which is also another positive step. From here the goal is to continue to be consistent and keep pushing and working towards the front of the field.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Today wasn’t exactly what I wanted but there are plenty of positives to take away. The main one being my speed in race two. There was a crash in the first turn that I avoided, but I was caught up behind it so I started near the back. After that though my speed was really good and I made a lot of passes despite the track being a little difficult to pass on. Having the speed is important and I feel that I have that, I just need to start as close to the front like I did in Russia and then I’ll be back inside the top-10 again.”

Isak Gifting: Today was a good step in the right direction for me. I felt great on my bike all day, as soon as I got on the track I found my flow and that gave me a lot of confidence right away. I still need to work on my starts a little, I think I could have done better if I was a little closer to the front but overall, decent progress and I fought hard in both races for a good result.

Simon Langenfelder: “An up and down day for me. Holeshotting and leading race one, well, that was an amazing feeling! I was a little tight and dropped back a few places but then unfortunately I had a big crash on the last lap. It was really frustrating but I was able to finish the moto in ninth. I was a bit sore for race two and didn’t quite get the same start. I then crashed with another rider, which damaged my bike too much to continue. Overall, I’ll focus on the positives from today and I’m looking forward to more hardpack next weekend.”

Brian Bogers: “It was nice to show what I could do today and score some decent results. I felt good on the track and I like the sand, so it was good to put two races together and show what I can do. It was a shame to crash in race one, but even finishing 12th wasn’t so bad. Race two was much better. A great start and then I ran third for quite some time, right until the end. Tony and Romain came by but to finish fifth was a great result and I’m feeling much better in myself, so overall this was a really big step in the right direction.”

Pauls Jonass: “It was a bit of a tough one today. After Italy I’ve been a little under the weather so coming here I was hoping for two solid races, but I only got one! In race one I was up front but just didn’t have that extra little bit of energy I need to push but finishing seventh was a decent result all things considered. Then in race two, Glenn fell in turn one and I couldn’t avoid his bike, so I went over the bars and that was it. After a few laps I started to feel better and better and ended up 13th from last so that wasn’t too bad. I’m a little sore but I’m looking forward to Loket next weekend.

Mikkel Haarup: My speed was good in Qualifying with purple sectors but I just didn’t put them together on the same lap. I still got a decent start in the first moto and did my work to move up to sixth; I tried to make a pass for fifth and went down but I worked again for eighth. I pushed all through the second moto and passed for ninth at the end so I showed my fitness in the heat. I thought the track was good.  
 
Wilson Todd: The day wasn’t too bad with my first top six. I got two decent starts and just rode my own race in the first moto. The second race I got stuck behind a guy who was off the pace; I went down trying to pass him and lost six places but I got back to twelfth in the end. I’m not quite in shape to go the full distance yet but it was fun today and I look forward to moving further forward each week. 
 
Roan van de Moosdijk: A home GP is always a bit special and it’s great to have the crowd back, so I wanted to give them something. I’ve been consistent so far this year but I wanted to be on the box this weekend, I think I’m good on all surfaces but I was looking forward to the sand. 
 
Mathys Boisrame: I crashed with Maxime (Renaux) and Mattia (Guadagnini) in the second corner at the start of the first race; it was not easy after that. I had no energy already this morning and it was no fun to ride; it was a disappointing weekend for me. That’s how it is; some weekends simply don’t go as you expect, but we learn each time and this week we’ll work again to prepare for the next GP at Loket. 

Jeremy Seewer: I am pretty happy with this weekend because the last few GP’s we have struggled with some health issues, and this weekend I felt like I have overcome it, especially on a track like this that was so physically demanding. Coming from not the best shape, here, this was the perfect test and I was happy with how I managed. I felt almost back to normal and like I was back in my groove. I was easily fifth in the first race; riding was smooth and easy and the front guys weren’t getting away. I got hit by many guys after crashing in the second moto, so I am just happy I survived this GP; there are still many to go, so now I am just looking forward to Loket.

Glenn Coldenhoff: Looking at the positives, the first race today was really good. I was feeling really good on the track all day, and also, in front of the Dutch fans is also always really special. In the first race, I got a really good start and was able to lead almost the entire moto, but Jeffrey (Herlings) got me near the end, and I finished second. I was still pretty happy with that. And then in the second race, I don’t know what happened. I guess it was a really big crash, and I was a bit shaken up by that, so I struggled to come back. The result was not what I wanted or expected, but it’s racing, and there are still 15 rounds remaining.

Conrad Mewse: "Another difficult weekend. Went into the race a bit battered and bruised from a practice crash at Lommel, so was not starting off on the best foot. I was aiming to get some points on the board and do my best. Another crash in the first moto did not help things, but the riding was okay. The riding towards the second half of the race was good. I just did not put myself in the best position on the first couple of laps. That is a thing we need to work on moving forward. We will go back to the drawing board this week, put some more hard work in and come out ready for the Czech Republic."
 
Adam Sterry: "I felt like I deserved more today. There were a few crashes, some my fault and some I could not do anything about. I feel like we are still getting better with each race, just the result did not show it today. It was the hardest point I have ever worked for. Going to get back to work this week for one of my favourite GPs next week."
 
Ashton Dickinson: "Oss was a very tough day, for sure. I did not have the best qualifying session and ended in P30. I got a good start in moto one but got caught up in a pile up in the second turn and then rode tight. Unfortunately, I missed out on the points in P23. I had a decent start in moto two and was in the top 15, which is where I stayed for about half the race. I then got a little bit fatigued and dropped back to P19 where I finished. Plenty of work to be done off bike behind the scenes."

Shaun Simpson: A tough day. I couldn’t really get going in the first moto and by the time I started cutting my own lines and making progress I was too deep into the race. The result was not too good – 16th – but the second one was a lot better. I was up to 11th at one point but then needed to tag on the faster guys. I got tired a bit today. I feel a bit behind some of the others at the moment and we need to get back to the workshop and dig-in. I was happy with the bike and we just need to work to catch-up. The track conditions were pretty savage,” he added. “So hard. Normally I would enjoy it! But I was missing a bit in the tank. It’s frustrating…but it’s also motivating to get back and work harder. It’s been hot and hectic but I think it was a successful event.”

Ben Franklin: Saturday was good, I qualified in 27^th and then in the first race I made a good jump but was out dragged by the 450’s and got 19^th at the finish. In the second race I got another good start and worked my way up to 16^th and was about to pass for 15^th when I tucked the front and went down but I recovered for 18^th. Overall I’m happy with the weekend as I’ve not been on the bike too long’

Tom Grimshaw: It’s been a very difficult day for me in the EMX250 at Oss. I put in a lap at the start that I thought would be good enough, but it was not my best. I went back out for another lap and got a tow from one of the front runners but unfortunately, I got taken out by a fallen rider. This meant I finished 21^st in my group and was 1^st reserve. I missed the opening race but got a space for the final race. It was hard to adjust back into the track from one sighting lap. In the race I was then involved in a first corner crash and had to come back from last to finish in 29^th. Overall, I’m disappointed to have not made cut but I still got one race and now will work on my fast laps before the next round’

Ray Archer image