Read what a host of MXGP riders had to say about their weekend at the MXGP of China.
MXGP
Jorge Prado: “The MXGP of China is done, and it was a great weekend for me. I went P1 in practice, then finished second in Moto 1 and first in Moto 2. It was very tough physically – very humid, with high temperatures. After the first moto, I gave it my all and focused on finishing the weekend as strong as possible. We did that, and now we have the red plate and a seven-point lead with one round left. This gives us a dream opportunity at the end of the season, and I’m so excited for the final round in Spain. I don’t think anyone expected us to come out of this GP with the red plate. We worked really hard on the bike this weekend, and I think my riding was great. We got the points we were aiming for, and I’m super, super happy – I still can’t believe it! Let’s get the title in Spain!”
Romain Febvre: “I took a decent start around fifth in the first moto and I was clearly faster than the others so I could pass everyone to take the lead and make a gap for the win. It’s really tough out there for everyone with the humidity – the same like Indonesia – and there was just a short break and less time to recover before race two. It was a good solution to complete the GP before the tornado arrived; we all had to manage as well as possible but I don’t think we would want to do it regularly. I know others were struggling in the heat and it’s a shock for the body but everybody has to deal with it; I never seem to have a bad time in hot conditions. I didn’t get a good jump in race two but I rode a good first few turns to come out top-five again. I used a lot of energy to pass Fernandez for third and I had already given a lot in race one because I wanted that moto win so much; I was faster but had to fight hard to pass him and the leaders were gone by the time I came third so I had to settle for that position and second overall.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “The silly crash in Turkey meant I broke two ribs and although I could ride today it was anything but nice! The championship was out of the picture so I just wanted to do what I could and go home safely. It was a short trip and tough for the body but I’m a big fan of the one-day format. It’s been good to come here. It’s a world championship so we should be here and it’s positive for the brands. It was a good event and the track was nice. My ultimate goal was to finish the season this year and go the whole way for the first time since 2017 without missing one race and we’re almost there.”
Ruben Fernandez: “It felt really good to lead some laps in the first moto and I am really happy with my progress since coming back into the series. To get fourth overall is ahead of where I expected to be, and it gives me a lot of confidence heading into the final round in Spain where I hope to be challenging for the podium. My starts were good and my riding was strong for most of the races in what were very difficult conditions, so very happy.”
Jan Pancar: “First top five in MXGP. Finally put everything together, really happy. Let’s build from this! Thanks for all the support.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “Physically, I didn’t feel great today. I woke up at 2:30 in the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. Then I had a crash in the morning and just couldn’t find that extra bit I needed. At least my start was good in the first moto. I kept my pace; I didn’t do anything special, but I managed to finish fifth. I wasn’t far off fourth in the end, so that was positive. My start wasn’t as good in race 2, and on the first lap, another rider crashed in front of me and I couldn’t avoid him. I remounted almost last but came back to eight. I gave everything, I tried to gain one more spot for fifth overall, but came up just short. A 5-8 result for 6th overall is not what we are aiming for but we move forward and look ahead. Hopefully we can finish inside the top 5 or even the top 3 at the final round in Spain.”
Tim Gajser: “After having such a consistent season, to have a day like today at such a crucial time is hard to take. To lose the championship red-plate with one round left is definitely not what I wanted to happen and now I know that with three races to go, I have to win them all. It isn’t an ideal situation but I will keep fighting and give my all until the very end.”
Mattia Guadagnini: “It was a challenging weekend with the changing weather and track conditions, but I’m pleased with my consistency. I managed to finish 9th in both motos, which earned me valuable points in the championship. The humidity and winds made it tough, but I felt strong on the bike. Now, it’s all about finishing the season on a high note in Spain and securing the best result possible in the final standings!”
Andrea Bonacorsi: “With the travel and the jet lag it was quite a tough morning, but by the races I felt pretty good. In Race One, I was just outside the top 10, and then Tim Gajser block passed me and we both went down. That was a real shame as it damaged my bike a little but I was able to bring it home in 12th. In the second race my start was good and I pushed hard to get into eighth. Then a couple of laps later I moved into seventh. I felt good and I was closing in on the leaders but then the humidity really got to me. I was able to keep my position though so that was good, and now it’s on to Spain and then the Nations to finish the season off.”
Maxime Renaux: “Today in the first race I didn’t get a great start but moved up to sixth pretty quickly. I did have a small crash but got up as fast as I could and held on to sixth to the end. Then in Race Two I crashed with a couple of other riders and got ridden over. Besides a few grazes I’m ok and I’m looking forward to Spain in two weeks’ time.”
Image: Kawasaki MXGP
