Take a look at what the riders thought of their Sunday in Italy. More comments soon.

Jeffrey Herlings: “It wasn’t an easy one. In the first race Jeremy was leading, riding smooth and at a good pace so it was tough to pass him. But at one point I knew I had to go because the boys behind me started pushing, so I had to pass him. The second race, I was caught up a bit in the start. Tim and I were somewhere around 10th or 12th and we both fought our way back to the front. He was one place ahead of me. At one point we caught up to the leader and I managed to pass him. Then I had to defend and pass Romain. It was a tough run, but I am happy to have won. I feel like I am in a very good shape right now, but I should never underestimate the competition from Tim, Romain or Glen today. It can be anyone’s race. So, I will keep charging till the end. We are only 17 days away and a lot of things may happen during the last four races”.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “I have been struggling all year long except in Maggiora, so it’s good to be back on the podium. It’s been a very long and hard road. It’s good to be back here and I also feel like I belong here. I had a good feeling straight away this morning. I finished fifth in the first race. The second one was quite intense to say the least. In the beginning I was behind Febvre. I got so much pressure from behind, so I really had to do something. I managed to pass Romain and lead a few laps. I can tell you it was a great feeling. Definitely looking forward to having more battles like that. Jeffrey as we know is really strong lately. He passed me and I don’t think it’s a shame. It’s good that we have two more rounds here. I started this stretch on a positive note and I am looking forward to the rest of the season”.

Tim Gajser: “I did not have the best start in both races, so I had to fight my way back. Then I came to the top four and we were all riding at a similar pace so it wasn’t easy to make a pass. Overall, the speed was there. I think we have to work on the starts, to get better starts and to be in front and to battle for the win. Really looking forward to Wednesday. The gap in the championship is already quite big. But we know that anything can happen until the end. So definitely we will push hard until the end and try to win some races and GPs if I can and finish the season strong”.

Tom Vialle: “It was a tough one. In the second race, Jago started third I think, and I had actually Rene behind me. I know he crashed because I saw him crash. Then Jago was second after 4 or 5 laps and I knew it was going to be a tough one. I tried to stay focused. I think I did a good race overall, not so many mistakes. It was a great weekend and started off really good right from the morning. I felt good on the track and also had two great starts, so everything was fine today. We all know it’s a nice area here. The track is also pretty cool. We still have two more races here, so I will try to have good starts, fight for the top position in the championship and try to close the gap as much as possible. That’s what I did today, and I will try to continue this way”.

Jago Geerts: “I am really happy with the day. I felt really good in time practice. I had two solid races with two second places. The riding was really good, but we still need to improve the start a little bit. I think I started off fourth both times, but a really good start is needed on the track to seal the win”.

“I just had a difficult period. Everything went well again since the second race in Spain, where I finished second. That gave me a real confidence boost. Then now two more second places so I am really happy with that”.

Ruben Fernandez: “I did not feel really good at the beginning in practice. The track was slippery, and I did not find a good rhythm. But I had better start in both races where I was in the top 10. The first race was a bit worse. I then made my way into fourth during both heats. I am happy with the riding; it’s been calm and solid I would say. 4-4 for third overall, I’ll take it. I am happy to be back on the podium after the second round of the season. I had an injury in between, with no riding for three weeks. I came back in France and from there I have been improving and getting back on my feet, which I am really happy with”.

Maxime Renaux: “It was a tough day for me as you said. Actually, I felt really great in the morning. I had a really good lap time and finished second. Everything was on point and under control but then I really struggled in those two races. First start I was out of the top 20. I think I was 24th and fought as hard as I could. In the second race, I crashed in the first turn. I tried a different technique on the start, cutting a little bit more inside but I just lost the front in the first corner and touched the guys from the outside. Anyways, I just tried to fight my way back to the top and get as many points as I could because that’s all I could do. I finished eighth that race. Eighth overall as well, with 6-8. For sure, it was not the result we were waiting for, but I couldn’t make anything better today with my conditions and the way I started my races. It’s a strange feeling, but we’ll try to move on to better things and come back stronger on Wednesday with two good starts hopefully”.

Romain Febvre: “Of course I am disappointed to miss the podium as we are four riders with the same number of points for second! The first race was pretty good; my start was not that good but I made some passes during the first lap and my rhythm was good but it was difficult to pass during the rest of the race. Second race I got a great start and took the lead on the first lap; I had good lap times until mid-race, then I started to make little mistakes and I didn’t really know which better lines I could take; Glenn, Jeffrey and Tim passed me and of course I’m disappointed, but that’s how it is and we’ll try to do better on Wednesday. “

Jed Beaton: “Overall, it’s been a good day and it ended with a strong result, but it definitely should have been better. If it wasn’t for a small crash in race one, I’m pretty sure I would have gotten on the overall podium, but I made a small mistake and it cost me big time. In race two I got another great start and I was putting together a strong race for the first half. I then made a few mistakes and lost the tow from the leaders, so I settled down, rode better lines, and secured third for fourth overall. I’m looking forward to Wednesday and my aim is to put together two solid races and get back on the box.”

Kay de Wolf: “After my big crash and breaking my nose last weekend I’m really happy with my results today. I really didn’t expect to bounce back like this and I made the best of it to finish sixth overall. I had great starts in both races and stayed out of trouble all day. My riding was solid today and I enjoyed myself out there, so I’m excited for Wednesday.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Fortunately, I’m ok after a big crash on the start in race two – it’s a shame that happened after a such a great first moto. I had a great start in race one and was on for my best ever race result in the MXGP class as I was in fifth for nearly all of the moto. Unfortunately, a little mistake cost me two positions, but overall I was really happy with that one as I made passes and was able to push to the end. I took a pretty hard hit in that second moto crash and I started way behind everyone. I got back to 16th which wasn’t great, but I felt really strong on the bike and confident in my riding so I’m excited to be racing here again in a few days.”

Jorge Prado: “I gave everything I had. 100%. Even with a broken bone I was fighting for top five in the first moto. It was a pity about the crash with five minutes to go but I still managed to finish. I suffered a lot. I missed the start completely in the second moto and wasn’t happy about 17th but I cannot really fight in my situation at the moment. Hopefully it will be less painful on Wednesday. Starts count for so much here and I also want to make less mistakes like I did in the second moto.”
 
Tony Cairoli: “Not much to say. I was off in both races on the first lap through no fault of my own. The day was disappointing after starting well in Timed Practice. The race starts mean so much here and all we can do is hope for better and try to be on the podium for the next two. We want to enjoy the last few races.”

Mathys Boisrame: “It was a good day for my first experience in the MXGP class! I posted the tenth fastest time in the morning but the first start was not easy and in the fourth corner I crashed with Cairoli! I was twenty-fifth and came back through to ninth which was not bad. The second start was similar but once more I came back to ninth. I am tired but satisfied with my riding and over the moon with a sixth overall at my first MXGP race. “

Rene Hofer: “The day began really well with 3rd place in qualifying but I had a top twelve start in the first moto and around this track you lose quite some time when you’re not at the front. I rode a solid race in P8. I was 2nd after Tom in the second race and could follow his pace for four laps and unfortunately, I made a small crash. I fell back to P5 and finished there. Riding-wise the day was pretty good and I had the speed for the podium. I’m looking forward to another two races here. I like the track, it’s not perfect but I like being here and will search for the podium again.”
 
Mattia Guadagnini: “Probably the worst race of the year! It started with a big crash in Timed Practice and then I wasn’t feeling so great. I had a terrible start in the first moto and was trying to make some passes when I went down again. I lost the rhythm and just tried to get some points. Of course, 18th is not what I want. The second moto start was better and the whole race generally, even if I lost a few too many positions on the second corner for my liking. 7th was just OK and we’ll get better for the next GP.” 

Simon Langenfelder: “Not a great weekend for me. It’s unfortunate as I felt great in qualifying and I was sixth-fastest, but it just didn’t carry over into the races. A bad start in race one cost me and then in race two I crashed twice while trying to make passes. A frustrating day and I’m looking forward to turning things around on Wednesday.”

Pauls Jonass: “After making some good progress in recent weeks I was a little disappointed with my riding today. Having said that, race one was ok and I moved into sixth with two laps to go so that was a good result despite not feeling my best. Then in race two I had a pretty big crash all on my own on the first lap so I was way down the field. It’s not an easy track to make passes on but I managed to salvage 12th so that wasn’t too bad. I need to work on a few things before Wednesday and my aim is to be back up front again.”

Brian Bogers: “That was a tough day today. I had a pretty good race going in the first one. I didn’t get the best of starts but I felt good and worked my way up to 14th, but then I had an issue with my rear wheel and had to slow down in order to finish. I was hoping to make up for that result in race two but then I was involved in a big first turn crash, which left me with a lot of work to do. I felt really good on the bike and my riding was good so despite finishing 13th, I can take my speed as a positive into Wednesday and hopefully stay out of trouble.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “I’ve been struggling all year long, except at round three in Maggiora (Italy), so it’s good to be back here on the podium. It’s been a very long road and hard road too. It’s good to be back where I belong. I felt good this morning, and the first race was average with a fifth. The second race was quite intense, to say the least, I had a lot of pressure from behind and I managed to take the lead and lead a few laps and I can honestly tell you, that was a great feeling. I am definitely looking forward to more races like that, and it’s nice to start the Trentino tripleheader on a positive note. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Jeremy Seewer: “Today was one of my best days so far this season. The bike seems to work well on this track, which is really positive. I feel good, I feel sharp and I am enjoying riding my bike. I am having a lot of fun; I am quick. I managed to get pole position, which is usually not my strong point. It was cool to get the holeshot and lead in the first moto for a while, and I was close to winning. Going into the second race I felt good, but was I got squeezed off the start and was very lucky not to go down. I clipped Jorge (Prado)’s back wheel and had to go straight. To recover to P.5 was great because I started last. It’s a shame I am not on the podium. We are with four riders on the same points, so let’s look at the positives, good points, and I’m looking forward to going racing here again in a couple of days.”

Ben Watson: “I had good starts today and that is a positive point. It always helps. Around here, it’s really difficult to pass. I am still not feeling 100%. My ankle is not perfect, and in general, I’ve not had a lot of time on the bike since I’ve injured it, so I am a bit behind. I felt pretty good out on the track, I just had a couple of crashes in the first race, but in the second one, I was consistent with consistent laps. Overall, not a bad day.”

Thibault Benistant: “My day started as you would expect. My lap time was okay, but I made a strange mistake on a jump and landed with my leg straight and hurt my knee. I struggled with that a bit today, but I still managed to get a good start in third position in the first moto, but I had a little issue with the bike and could not finish. In the second race, I didn’t have the best start and was starting to fight back before I made a small mistake and hurt my knee again, so I just did my best to push through the pain and fight until the end.” 

Benoit Paturel: Unfortunately, I had a crash in the first moto and had to make my way back from 24th to 14th at the finish. In the second moto I had a really good start and and I could fight at the front. It was a really good race and I’ve waited a long time for this. I hope I can make two solid races on Wednesday. I really like the track here in Italy. It’s quite like the French tracks that I know so well and I’m also very happy with my CRF450R. The team did a great job, so I’m really happy. For a private team I think we’re getting some great results now.