Trentino MXGP - Rider Comments
A big day for Jeffrey Herlings and Sasha Coenen as the Trentino Grand Prix continues to give. A bunch of brilliant performances and as always, the same names on the podium, but how they got there is always an exciting prospect.
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Jeffrey Herlings: I need to work on my starts but otherwise my speed was really good all weekend. I came from 15th to first in the first moto and 10th to second in the second moto so it was good. I found a good flow and had some good lines in both races and even though it is a small track, I had to be creative. It was really good to pay back all the hard work from all of Honda HRC PETRONAS, they’ve all worked really hard to put me in the position to win and it was important to get these points for the championship standings, even though we have a lot of racing to go.
Tim Gajser: I’m almost speechless and I’m super happy with this result. Coming into the weekend I knew it was going to be a difficult one because I was still in a lot of pain after the crash last week in Riola, but I gave everything I had. The fans really helped push me on, especially in the second moto, so a huge thank you to everyone who travelled here and supported me. I also want to thank the whole team and everyone around me, from the physios to the staff, because we worked so hard during the week to get me ready to race. It makes this result even more special. Now we have a break, which gives me time to recover properly, and then we’ll be ready to go again in four weeks.
Tom Vialle: I had a bad crash right after the wave mid-moto and lost a lot of time and lost some positions and that made things tough. I had to really work hard for this podium in that second moto and I didn’t know that I had managed it when I crossed the line. Overall, I had a lot of fun overall this weekend, it was a slow track but technical and that’s something I enjoy. Now we have a bit of a break from the GPs and I hope to keep this season going well for when we return.
Sacha Coenen: “I’m really happy to win three motos this weekend and for the first time. I had the holeshot in the first moto, made a lead and was able to cruise until the end. Really good. In the second one I was feeling better and had an even better flow. I led every lap until three to go when I made a big mistake and crashed: I hate that corner! Anyway, I was able to pick up and manage the race to win again.”
Simon Laengenfelder: “I started to feel a bit better in the second race. We had been making changes, and I had been struggling to get a good feeling and to push; I had to push anyway to get 3rd at the end! Some weekends are better, some are worse and I was ‘off’ today.”
Mathis Valin: "We have been getting closer step-by-step and it was good to have my first podium of the season before the break. I found a good flow in the first moto to finish second but Everts crashed right in front of me on the first lap of the second race. I knew I had to push hard to get on the box after that but I managed it."
Romain Febvre: "We had an issue yesterday which cost me everything today. I had some luck in the first moto that I could find a gate on the inside so I could make the holeshot and lead for most of the race, but I made a mistake with five laps to to and that cost me the win. There was no gate free in the second moto so I was completely outside at the gate. I took another good start but I was too far outside to make it across before the first turn. I tried to push too hard on the first lap and made a mistake and then it was too far to catch the leaders."
Pauls Jonass: "My speed was good in both practices but I'm just lacking a bit of confidence in the longer motos. I don't get physically tired but you need to be on your top game to battle up front at this level; sometimes you just need to pin and not be scared in sketchy moments. The second moto was a step in the right direction and now we have one month to regroup and come back swinging for the rest of the season."
Kay de Wolf: “Overall, I think there are a lot of positives to take from Trentino. In the first race, the crash was frustrating because I felt good and I was right there in the fight, so to come back to seventh was important for the points. Then in the second one, getting the holeshot and leading those first laps in MXGP was a really nice feeling. It shows the speed is there and that we’re making progress every weekend. Of course, when you are that close to the front, you want more than fourth, but to be battling with those guys and stay in it until the end is something we can build on. I feel like I’m learning all the time in this class and this weekend gave me a lot of confidence.”
Liam Everts: “Yeah, I was feeling really good actually. Just crashing in moto two cost me quite a bit, and then I had another crash with a lapper, which was a bit unfortunate. But still, coming from last to ninth, the riding was outstanding in that second moto, so that was great. Moto one, I just struggled a little bit to find the groove, but overall I’m really happy with the mental state, the physical state, and even where the riding is at, especially without riding during the week. The pace was really good and I was feeling good. It’s just a shame we didn’t get the result, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m actually happy these races are over now so I can fully recover from the injury and come back swinging in France.”
Lucas Coenen: “Overall I’m happy that I’m healthy and fit. I didn’t have high expectations for this track because it’s not really [suited to] my style. Two crashes in the first moto and I had to pass a lot of people. In the second I tried to settle in and keep cool but paid for that little mistake. At least I had good pace, so I have to be happy and look forward.”
Maxime Renaux: Today was OK. I didn’t get the starts I needed, though. The first one was poor, and in the second race I got boxed in at the first corner, which made things difficult from the beginning. The track was tough, but I felt like my pace was good, just not quite enough for where we want to be. It’s a little disappointing to come so close to the podium again, but there are still positives to take from the weekend. Now we have a short break, so we’ll reset, then go back to work, and aim to come back stronger for the second half of the season.
Andrea Adamo: “Two completely different motos today. I had a good start in the first one and managed to stay in my position. I made a couple of little mistakes and had some arm-pump but I had the feeling I was riding good and my speed was good. There was not much difference to the front guys. I missed my start process for the second moto. I wasn’t quite ‘ready’ and I went a little too late. Bad start. I managed to recover well to P10 and did my best but had a crash and lost those few positions. My pace was good again and I caught back up to the edge of the top ten. This year MXGP is really tight, and the start is so important: we see that with other riders when they cannot make it. This is all experience that we’ll put in the pocket. We’ll learn and try to correct for the next races.”
Rubén Fernández: Tough race day today, and I felt like I was always involved with another rider in some sort of battle. My life would have been a lot easier if I could have got the starts, but instead I was around the top 10 and it just wasn’t easy to find a good rhythm in either moto. Now we have a few weeks off so I’ll keep working hard and just trying to work my way towards to front guys, which I really don’t think I am too far behind.
Valerio Lata: Definitely not the event that I hoped for coming into the weekend. Things really didn’t go well and just seemed to have a lot of bad luck. Now we have four weeks off to try and improve and get the season back on track and just ride to the potential that I know I have. We will all be working hard and I’m already focusing on the French GP and making sure I’m ready for that circuit.
Guillem Farres: “It’s been a good GP for me. I had a decent start in the first moto and moved from fifth to third pretty quickly. I felt like my speed was better than the two riders in front, but I couldn’t make any more passes. My start in race two was terrible and I was outside the top 10. I then had to work super hard for the whole moto and got into second. Again, my speed was good, so it’s frustrating about my start in that one.”
Camden McLellan: “A pretty tough weekend for me, especially on Sunday. I had to come from way back in both motos and it wasn’t easy at all. Not the best of days results-wise, but I felt good and strong on the bike. We now have four weeks off, so the goal is to recover fully, get the body feeling good, and then come back stronger in France.”
Karlis Reisulis: Overall, it was a positive weekend. On Saturday I wasn’t feeling completely comfortable on the track. The bike felt good, but I just couldn’t quite link everything together and find my flow through the corners. On Sunday things improved. In the first moto I got a decent start, made some passes, and stayed focused throughout the race. In the second moto I didn’t have the best start, but I worked my way forward again and was pushing hard to fight for the podium. In the end, we just came up a little short, but there are plenty of positives to take away from here and I was only a small step away from being on the podium.
Janis Reisulis: I have some mixed feelings about the day. The starts weren’t the best this weekend, although the second one was definitely an improvement. The track was more demanding than it looked from the outside, with sharp bumps that made it quite challenging throughout the races. Overall, though, I’m fairly happy with the day. There are still areas to improve, especially consistency, but we’ll keep working and take the positives into the next race.
Kay Karssemakers: "It started raining really hard just before our first moto and I had water between my tear-offs so I didn't have good vision the first few laps. I didn't get such a good start in the second moto but I could make a couple of good passes during the first two laps. I was eighth or ninth all race; my riding felt really good and I was closer to the leaders than I've ever been. We will work hard in the four weeks to build on that."
Jake Cannon: "This one feels good. I'm lost for words to finally do it; awesome! And it's Lily's birthday today; that makes it even sweeter for the team. I left everything I had out there on the track and I'm so proud of my efforts. I didn't get the best start but I always push to the end of every race and it paid off today; if I hadn't pushed to the very end I wouldn't be here on the top step of the podium. It's not easy to come over here from the other side of the world to race and I miss my family but I'm adjusting to the environment, all the hard work is paying off; I have more confidence in myself and have made a big step this year. My mom had planned to be here this weekend but she couldn't get over at the moment. That's a pity; she would have enjoyed this win."
Francisco Garcia: "It was a really crazy race after the engine stalled at the gate but it was a good experience to see what I am capable of, making so many passes to come from last to take another podium. I was still fresh at the end and could have taken even more if the moto had been five minutes longer. I'm happy for my teammate; he deserved to win today."
Calvin Vlaanderen: “Arco is down, results on paper don't really show our potential; obviously these results aren't what we wanted but I can't be too disappointed about my riding. I think I rode well the whole weekend which is a shame with how it went; I had a couple crashes yesterday and then today again, otherwise I think I could've had two races inside top ten. So all in all we keep working hard and come back in France 100% ready and then try to fight at the front.”
Andrea Bonacorsi: “We surely have made a step forward from Riola even if I couldn't find the right feeling with the track and I couldn't find my rhythm. I struggled a bit but we're staying positive; now we have a month of time to work and come back at our best in France.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Thought weekend we had some positives. First start was pretty good and then for the firsts laps it was okay until I couldn't manage anymore. Second moto I was feeling the best since a long time and I could actually push a bit, I was about to make some good passes and I had good rhythm. Unfortunately I had bad luck jumping together with Van doninck, which was a racing incident. One of the biggest crashes I had in a long time so I'm happy I'm not injured. It was another important weekend to understand what we have to fix.”
Ferruccio Zanchi: “Race one we had a good start but then I fell, I had to come back and I had good rhythm but once again the results did not show what we were doing right. In race two finally I had a good start, I was doing a nice race and I was seventh; I had good rhythm and the bike was good but then we had a probled with five laps to go. The second manche gave up some good feedback and we are working nicely, the results will come but now in the month of break we're gonna work even harder.”
Simone Mancini: “It was an unlucky weekend; it's a shame because it started well with second place in qualifying, then a bad crash in race one put me out of contention. Today I was given the all-clear from the doctors to race, and after starting in twenty-second place, I worked my way up to tenth, putting in a good performance. These aren't the positions we're aiming for, but we'll keep going, to show our true worth.”







