MXLarge Logo
Spanish GP - Rider Comments

Spanish GP - Rider Comments

May 13

  • Interview

It was Jorge Prado weekend at the Jorge Prado circuit in Lugo, Spain last weekend as the three time World champion dominated the opposition, won the GP and regained the red plate. In front of a magnificent and very large Spanish crowd, the defending champions made sure everyone forgot what happened in Portugal last weekend. 1-1-1, his fifth GP of the season.

Also a big day for young Belgian, Lucas Coenen in the MX2 class. All their comments below. Also strong showings from Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts.

Jorge Prado: “I grew up around 15 minutes from here, and pretty much learnt to ride all around here, so of course winning an MXGP here makes things super special. Because it is my home event, I had a lot of commitments outside of racing this weekend, which made it challenging - but I have enjoyed every minute of it all the same. It’s a very tough track - especially in the second moto, which was very rough. My goal for the weekend was to win - and I did it! I feel like nothing could stop me this weekend! We also have recaptured the red plate - and to have it is important, but to keep it until the end of the season is going to take more work. I’m ready!”

Romain Febvre: "I took a good start in the first moto to stay three seconds behind Jorge for many laps and see what he was doing. I thought I had something for him but then I made a couple of mistakes and settled for second. I had a pretty good first few laps in race two but then I lost my rhythm a little to finish fourth. The track was really tricky and it was easy to make mistakes so we had decided together with the team that the goal for the weekend was to stay safe because there were already some big crashes yesterday; this is only the sixth round and there is a long way to go so I'm really pleased to finish on the podium again. I feel I am close to the victory. It's always a big fight every moto between Jeremy, me and the others in the top-six so I just need to put everything together; a combination of starts, strategy, aggression when it is necessary and not making mistakes. Next weekend is my home GP so let's go for it!"

Jeffrey Herlings: “Last weekend in Portugal was pretty unfortunate because that could have been a win…but it also wasn’t that bad. I missed my starts a bit today but got to back to 4th and 2nd; I had a bit of luck with Tim crashing. I know I need to work on my weak points but the speed is coming back and I felt it again here. Pretty pumped with my second podium. Step-by-step we are on the way and I’m very happy to be up here again.”

Lucas Coenen: "The last few races have been really tough on me—I kept getting injury after injury. I'm not 100% yet with my shoulder, and I'm still battling with it, but today I managed to win. This was a brutal weekend. In the first moto, I was frustrated because I couldn't pass somebody. Then in the second moto, I just tried to focus on getting my rhythm going. I got into third and then into the lead, and I tried to control the gap as best as I could. I hope that now we have finally got the win, we can keep this pace up for the rest of the year and see where we end up! Huge thank you to all the team and support—this wouldn't be possible without all of you!"

Kay de Wolf: "It was a good weekend - I extended my points lead - and I’m really happy overall. It’s a shame that the 3rd and second place finishes were not enough to make the podium. I thought my riding overall was great. The starts were not so good and the consistency was good too. I just want to focus on my riding in general - I feel very comfortable on the bike at the moment, and I’m looking forward to the next round in France."

Liam Everts: “I’m happy to be sitting here because I felt pretty bad all day. A lot of stomach pain and whatever I ate come up straightaway! Two solid starts and I surprised myself a little bit but I gave my all and took what I could. I kept a cool head and did what I could.”

Andrea Adamo: “I felt really good all weekend here. It was a bummer that we had a clash in the Qualification Heat and P16 meant I was out of the [Saturday] points and it was not easy for today! I made a good start though and led the whole moto. I was consistent and managing the gap and then had to step-it-up a bit at the end. I was really happy to win. In the second moto I messed up the start but, overall, it was a solid weekend and I’m pleased to be on the podium. A win would have been better but there are a lot of races to go.”

Sacha Coenen: “The qualifying race was really good. I led the whole moto and just crashed on the last lap! I then ran top three in the first moto and dropped back to 6th: I wasn’t happy about that. I felt fast again in the second moto and wanted to follow my brother but the mistakes came in again and I even ran into a lapped rider. 6th overall, not bad, but I wanted the podium today. I will give it all to try and win in France.”

Jeremy Seewer: "This weekend was positive in many ways but also a little frustrating. It seems like there are five or six of us up there at the moment and the gap to the front is not far; the big gap is behind us. I had the speed today, particularly in the second moto, and I have the fitness but I am just missing the intensity in the first few laps. It was a shame for me that they had to red-flag the second moto at the first attempt as I had the holeshot; I got everything right and I feel I would have holeshot even if every gate had fallen clean. I stayed calm and my start on the re-run was also good but it's hard to repeat such a perfect start every time. Of course that was frustrating but that's how it is. We stay positive and we go next weekend to St Jean. It's one of my favourite tracks ands I have good memories from there; I finished second there two years ago so I go with good vibes."

Tim Gajser: Obviously, I’m pretty frustrated with how that second race ended and overall, how the weekend went. I felt I was riding much better than my results show but that is motocross and sometimes it doesn’t work out for you. My speed in that second race was really pleasing, to move all the way from around ninth, right the way up into second, setting the fastest lap and catching up to the leader. Unfortunately, I just lost the front at the crucial moment and couldn’t hold it. Still, there is a long way to go in the championship and I’m in a good position and we start going to some good tracks for me.

Calvin Vlaanderen: “Today has been really good. The goal coming in was two top fives and I was quite close to that. Race One was great and I rode really well, fought hard, and maintained my pace. I just focused on myself and it all paid off so I was happy with that one. With a result like that though, the aim is to then get on the overall podium. I took the holeshot so that helped massively and then I just gave it everything I had. But about 20 mins in, fatigue set in, which I think was from pushing too hard in Race One and also from being sick during the week, and the mistakes crept in. I tipped over as well and ended up seventh. So that was a little frustrating but I’ve been really happy with my riding and my speed this weekend.”

Andrea Bonacorsi: “Today was a learning day for me. My riding didn’t flow so well but I learned a lot about the bike. I was fighting for the top 10 in Race One but then I had a bike issue so I had to stop. During Race Two I felt a little bit unwell and struggled with my breathing, but I was able to regroup and finish ok. I’ll keep on learning and now it’s onto France next weekend.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “On Saturday I struggled quite a bit. It was a bit tricky as it was our first time on this track and we tried to change the set up several times but I am happy with the work we did. The start of the first moto wasn’t that good, I struggled to get through the pack and move to seventh place. The second moto was tough, and I made a huge mistake which cost me one spot. In the end, the race pace was good and I left nothing on the table. Fifth place in the second moto is a solid result. I have to say that a seventh place overall is not what I am looking for but I think I have the speed. I will work hard before France and hopefully I will go way further there.”

Brian Bogers: “It was quite a difficult track, and I needed some time before getting a good feeling. I started to feel better in the qualifying where the speed was good and I was 12th. The start of the first moto was great and I was fifth for a while but then I missed some bike time and I couldn’t keep it. I had a bad start in the second moto but I came back and, despite the track being difficult, the bike made it a bit easier. I think we made good progress this weekend.”

Mikkel Haarup: “We’re now wrapped up here in Spain. I really enjoyed this new track and my bike was awesome all weekend. I’ve been dealing with a flu of some sort so with the team we managed that the best we could and we did a good job. I didn’t have the best starts but fought hard and picked up some decent points. I’m now focused on recovering some more and looking forward to France next weekend.”

Mattia Guadagnini: "I'm happy about the weekend; I felt good from Saturday morning and really enjoyed the track. I had a good qualifying race on Saturday and just tried to keep that flow going today. I didn’t have the best start in Moto 1, going off the track in the second corner, and a goggle problem didn’t help, but I gave my best to recover as much as possible. I had a really good start in the second moto, but the race was red-flagged. The second start wasn't as good as the first one, but I still managed to secure a good position to compete with the top riders. I managed to find my rhythm and secured a solid 8th place. Given my condition at the moment, being out for so long, I can be happy with the weekend—not just because of the decent result but more so because of my riding and the feeling. It's a good point to start from and improve."

Thibault Benistant: “Of course, I’m a little disappointed with today after winning the Qualifying Race yesterday. I had a really good start in Race One and ran in second for a while, but I was riding a little tight. I was passed and then I had a big crash. I got up in fifth and then stayed there to the finish. I had a bad start in Race Two but after a few laps I felt really good on the bike, the best I’ve felt all year, so we have something positive to build on for the next races.”

Simon Längenfelder: “My weekend was - let’s say - I’m super happy to have been on the start line at all! It was very early to come back to a race, with just so many days after the surgery, but everything was going good - so I think we made the right choice. We had a very good qualifying race - where we finished fifth - so I’m very happy with that one. Then both of the races on Sunday we had good starts - noth the best - but good. The intensity wasnt there in the first few laps, I was being careful to not hurt my shoulder. 7th and 9th, for 9th overall. Just to be able to ride six days after the surgery was so good - and to take away points from it - I’m very happy!”

Marc-Antoine Rossi: "Today's race was super tough from start to finish. We had a decent start in the first moto, managing to carve through the pack to get a solid position. The track here in Galicia is brutal, with its tight corners and heavy soil, but we adapted our strategy. Unfortunately, in the second moto I made a mistake. I was pushing hard, running in sixth, when I went off the track and got tangled in the fence. It’s about learning from every lap, every corner, and every setback. We’ll take these lessons forward, and aim for a stronger comeback in the next round.”

Ferruccio Zanchi: It was nice to be back in the thick of the action, having the gate drops and just being back at the races as a whole. Going 11-10 for 10th is a pretty fair reflection of where I was on the track speed-wise and it gives me a good starting point to build-upon. We did a lot of good things and I’m thankful to all the team for the work they’ve done and I’m looking forward to racing in France and trying to work my way up the table.

Rick Elzinga: “It’s been a difficult weekend for me as all weekend I just felt a little ‘off’. I was struggling with my riding and made too many mistakes in Race One and ended up eighth, but that could have been a fifth or a sixth. Race Two was similar and I was eighth again for eighth overall. All weekend I was just missing a little bit of speed, but I guess I was consistent. I’m already looking forward to progressing next weekend.”

Ben Watson: In Spain I experienced one of the worst GPs of my career. Despite the swollen knee from the crash in Portugal, the weekend had started very well. In time trials I was 12th and I felt really good on the bike. I tried to push to improve my time but I crashed badly and when I got back up I was pretty banged up. Sunday morning in the Warm-Up I was not at my best and I struggled to find the feeling with the track. In the first heat I didn't get a good start but slowly managed to recover. Unfortunately I crashed at the end and once I was back on the bike I realised that my bike was too damaged to continue. In the second round I tried to get to the finish line without exaggerating, trying to collect as many points as possible. Over the next few days I will have to recover in terms of physical fitness in order to get to the French competition in the best condition.

Ivo Monticelli: Also in this race I struggled to find the feeling with the track. In the first heat I didn't get off to a bad start; I tried to keep a good pace and finished 15th. Unfortunately, the speed I had did not allow me to finish further ahead. Lack of speed has been my main problem lately but I think my result was still positive. In the second heat I got off to a good start but on the re-start, which came after the red flag which was shown at the end of the first lap, I found myself far behind. I finished 21st, just outside the points zone. Another difficult weekend for me. The fact that I haven't competed regularly in the world championship is making itself felt because I can't be fast enough when the track starts to dig in. We will work hard during the week to improve in this aspect and try to finish ahead in France.

More similar articles

MXoN - Team Press Conference Live image

MXoN - Team Press Conference Live

Oct 11

  • Video
Australian GP - Final Round 2024 image

Australian GP - Final Round 2024

Oct 4

  • News