MXGP of Spain - Rider Comments

Posted on October 17, 2021

Check out what many of the MXGP and MX2 riders thought of their weekend. More comments to come later tonight and tomorrow.

Jeffrey Herlings: “We started well in time practice, but I don’t what what happened after the gate dropped. I had a bad turn, was around seventh or eighth and then we back to thirteenth, then to tenth. It was hard to pass. It took me some time to get going. The first fifteen minutes were awful then the next fifteen were great, especially the last seven or eight laps. I couldn’t get the win, but I came from so far back. The second race was good, I was fourth after the start and then Tim made a mistake which allowed me to pass him. Then there was Jorge who was having a great race and riding the best lines, so it was hard to pass him. Anyways, it was a great day after all and I am looking forward to Trentino where I will hopefully have a better start with some adjustments”.

Jorge Prado: “I love it. I love the fans. I think it’s the first time that I have so many fans because we couldn’t have a crowd in my previous home GP. They were amazing today and brought so much positive energy. I have never lived something like this my whole life. It makes me a very happy person to have all these guys supporting me. It was incredible, especially after this past week. It was difficult to get back in shape after the surgery. Thankfully I was able to recover quite quickly. I gave my all coming into this weekend like I usually do for every race. I think it was obvious that I was betting on having two good starts to win this GP. The starts went well, and I think it was difficult to pass me, and I will make sure it will be even more difficult in the next races, so I am really looking forward to that one”.

Tim Gajser: “The speed was good today, and I was feeling great on the track, since the morning. It was not really easy to pass if the guy in front of you was using the main lines. I pushed a little bit too much in the first race and went off track and crashed. Then Jeffrey passed me. But for the second one, I managed to get a good start. Riding was good. I made a mistake and Jeffrey passed me. Then I tried to keep up and passed Jorge at the end. I tried to get closer to Jeffrey and we were kind of riding at the same pace, but I finished second. It’s good to finish on the podium and I am also very happy with my improvement at the start, which is what we were struggling with during the past couple of weeks. I am really looking forward to the next race. It’s nice to finally have the fans back. We can see over here for Jorge’s home GP that we had so many fans getting together for him and hopefully i

Maxime Renaux: “I went for it today and this GP has been a big confidence booster for me. I am really happy to be back on the top step of the podium. Everything is going really well, which has given me a good advantage in terms of the championship. We’ve gained some more points upfront, so from here, we just need to stay focused and keep it to the end and it should be good.”

Tom Vialle: “It was a special day. The first race was pretty good, I had a great feeling on the bike and everything was fine. Another great start in the second race, but I just did not feel so good. Jago passed me in the first lap, I tried to follow him then Maxime also passed me in the same place I believe. I felt better at the end and tried to pass Jago then I crashed, so It was not a good race for me but I am pretty happy with how it finished, especially with a crash. It’s not easy to win every race every weekend, you also need to accept coming second but I will try to be back at the top in the next race. I have closed the gap in the championship because Jago and Mattia didn’t have a great race today. So, the goal is to finish second if I can and always do my best.

Jed Beaton: “It was a pretty solid day. Quite happy I did not end up 4th. I have been finishing fourth a lot lately. But that’s on me. I need to be up there right from the start with these guys, because when I miss the start, I don’t put myself in a position to fight with them. They’re already 10 seconds ahead, which makes it impossible. Again, that’s on me and I need to work on that. The start is one of the most important things in Trentino and it won’t be easy to pass. But I will get going and hopefully put myself in a great position with a good start”.

Romain Febvre: “I felt amazing on this track; it very well-prepared so the conditions were perfect already in the morning and I was happy with a third gate-pick. I got a good start in the first race, second behind Jorge Prado; I tried several times to pass him without success and I also made a few mistakes in the process but finally I passed him and put in several fast laps to make a gap. I was happy to win this moto but unfortunately my second start wasn’t so good and in the third corner I collided with other riders and crashed; I was under my bike so I lost a lot of time; I came back in the race last but I had good speed and was able to come back to seventh. Everything was OK apart from this crash; I was actually happy to finish seventh as I couldn’t imagine that was possible when I got back on my bike. Now we move to Arco; it is one of my favourite tracks and I expect more great results there to continue our challenge for the title.“

Tony Cairoli: “A tough race today but I’m actually happy about my feeling, and my health is getting better. I didn’t have the same problem as the last few races where I had to ride with painkillers. The starts were important again and in the first moto I messed up. My pace was improving when I had a stone come into my boot; something very strange that has never happened to me before. I had to stop and open the boot because it was hurting a lot. So, I lost a couple of positions that I then fought to regain. I enjoyed riding this weekend and made the most of a good start in the second moto. I caught Jorge but never really had the chance to pass him. 4th was OK and we’ll take the positive thing about my chest and ribs feeling better, which means we’ll hopefully be even more competitive in Arco.”

Jago Geerts: “The first race was just really difficult. My pace was not too bad, but honestly, I didn’t feel too good on the bike. Then I had two really stupid crashes. I hit a hay bale in one and then crashed on my own. In the second heat I was close to the holeshot and then almost led the whole race, but then Maxime (Renaux) passed me. I tried to pass him back on the last lap but, in the end, couldn’t make it happen. Overall, I felt much better on the bike. My speed was good, so hopefully it stays like this for the next races."

Thibault Benistant: “My day was not easy, but better than the last one. My riding was good, I felt great on the bike. I struggled a little bit off the start, so I had to work hard and give my all to come back. I made some nice passes today. Physically I felt good, and I also felt good on the bike too. So, I know I just need a good start and then I can stay upfront."

Wilson Todd: “I was just a bit off the pace in Quali and two bad starts from an outside gate didn’t help. I just got stuck behind other riders at their pace but could pick it up after I got around them; I finally came alive the last five laps. I’m looking forward to the next three rounds at Arco; I rode there last year so I already know the track for once. “

Mikkel Haarup:  “Timed practice was good; I’ve been really consistent the last few rounds. I made some bad choices through the first few corners in race one and paid the penalty; I showed good speed after that and made some good passes even if the result didn’t show it. I learnt from those first moto mistakes for race two, made some changes on the first lap which got me into the top ten and even made some more passes to get to seventh at one stage but I was riding too defensive towards the end.“

Jeremy Seewer: “Things are definitely improving for me. I struggled here in Spain last year on this track, so I feel that we've made a big improvement in terms of my riding and feeling on the track. Still, I hoped for more because I felt good and I had good speed and a good time in Timed Practice. I have something to work on in the first two turns because I get good starts, but it just seems that I am at the wrong place at the wrong time, so when I enter the first corner second, somehow in the chaos before turn two, I end up around sixth. After that, I pick it up quickly, but if you’re like me and not in top shape, it’s really hard to move forward to the front again because the racing is so close. You need to be 100%. I got solid points today. I did my best. I need to keep working on myself, keep pushing to improve my condition, and also with the team and the bike, we have some work to do to get back on the podium, so we will keep pushing.”

Benoit Paturel: Even though I didn’t have such a good Timed Qualification this morning, my race results were good so it was still a good day for me. The start was very wide and I managed to take two good starts and follow the pack. Finally I’ve had a good result. I’m really happy and looking forward to the rest of the season. I really like the track at Trentino, so I’m hoping to have three good GP results in Italy, starting next weekend.                        

Ruben Fernandez: I had a good day today and a good weekend overall. It was crazy with all the fans and very nice to see them. My shoulder is still very sore, but with the adrenalin flowing during the races I don’t feel it so much - only afterwards. I had some bad starts today, so this made my races complicated - especially the first one. It took me quite a while to get on the race-pace, but by the end of the moto I started to catch the riders ahead of me and finished the race quite close to the top five. I got a better start in race two and made it up to fifth and it was nice to ride again on the top pace with this guys after my injury.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “This morning we tried a few things and played with the set-up, but it was quite difficult with the limited time to do this. So, we didn’t get quite to where I wanted to be, but I tried my hardest. Every time I go out, I try my hardest. It felt okay in the first moto. I had a really good start. I was third and then moved to second. I had a few guys pass me and then I came together with Jeffrey (Herlings) and went down, so I only managed to finish 10th. My start was not as good in the second race, but still alright, and my riding and feeling was the same as in the first race. I also had another small crash and then was 14th. Honestly, not where I want to be or where we want to be. I am quite disappointed, but we will keep working hard to get back to where we should be.”

Kay de Wolf: “I was putting together a pretty decent GP but in the second one I had a pretty big crash and broke my nose. It was a struggle for the last two laps, and I ended up 18th for three points which may prove to be really important at the end of the season. After finishing sixth in race one I was confident of doing the same in race two, but crashes happen and it’s frustrating. Overall, I’m ok and I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for next weekend.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It was a tough GP but overall, I’m quite happy with the end result just because of the feeling I had on the bike. In the first race I was able to move forward and felt great, making passes and I found some good lines as well which really helped. I did actually exert myself a little but too much in that one as for race two I felt strong, I just didn’t have that last little bit to push like I did in race one. I would say it was a solid weekend and now it’s onto Arco next weekend. I know that track really well so I’m looking forward to three GPs there.”

Arminas Jasikonis: “Today was disappointing. I crashed in both races and with everyone racing at such a similar speed, it makes things really difficult. In race two I had a bad start and then something damaged my rear brake and then I crashed so that was not good. Overall, not the weekend I expected but I’m healthy and looking forward to next weekend.”

Ben Watson: “I had a good start to the day. After twisting my ankle last weekend, I tried not to ride too much in qualifying. I had a good feeling and managed to get a better lap time this weekend. Unfortunately, during race 1, I put my foot down like usual and just re-tweaked my foot. I felt good, but of course, with only one week it just wasn’t quite strong enough. We decided to miss the second moto in order not to make things worse and hopefully be able to go to arco feeling myself again.”

Pauls Jonass: “Overall it has been a really good weekend in Spain. My riding was good, my bike was good, and I finally found that intensity that I needed in the early part of the races. I had the second fastest lap time in race two, so I know I have the speed and if it wasn’t for a little tip over early on in that second race then I know it could have been better. I feel like everything is really coming together now and I’m going to Italy aiming for the podium.”

Shaun Simpson: “Better than France but still not really what we’re looking for. I’m happy that I felt better on the bike but it still seems like we’re catching up when the season is in a busy final charge. We’re utterly focussed on doing the best we can for these last races and I’m enjoying the occasion: the fans here were pretty wild and it’s exciting to take-in some of that GP vibe again. It will be a short week but we’ll be back to Belgium, getting rest and then ready to finish the year the best we can in Italy.”

Brian Bogers: “All day I felt great on my bike, and I had a good feeling on the track from the moment I went out for qualifying. Unfortunately, my start in race one wasn’t the best and I was struggling for around 20 minutes, but in the last 10 I felt really comfortable which gave a me good feeling for race two. My start wasn’t the best in the second moto either, but I managed to pass a lot of riders in the first few corners and rode a solid race to finish sixth. I was really happy with that one and now I’m much closer to the top 10 in the series so overall, it’s been a really positive day for me and the team.”

Simon Langenfelder: “It’s been another good GP for me and I’m happy with my weekend and to be back inside the top 10 overall is where I should always be. I had a strange start in the first race, my jump from the gate was bad but I was able to get the power down and I came out of the first turn around fifth or sixth. I was a little surprised, but I’ll take it! I didn’t quite get the same start in race two and ended up 11th which was ok but overall, but it’s nice to put two motos together and go into the triple header in Arco with this positive result.”

Isak Gifting: “It was an up and down day today. I felt great in qualifying, my speed was good and I was excited for the races. I had a great start, running up front in fourth for half of the race but then I made a few small mistakes which added up and I ended up eighth which was ok, but it should have been better after such a good start. Unfortunately, in race two I had a small crash early on and was last. But I quickly made my way up into the points before a big crash bent up my bike too badly to continue. It was a disappointing end to the day, and I really hope this doesn’t happen again.”

Bavo Swijgers image