Read what a host of MXGP riders had to say about their weekend at the MXGP of Germany.
MXGP
Jeffrey Herlings: “There have been a lot of ups-and-downs, but to win today was amazing. Obviously the competition is strong and the track was really tricky. In the first moto, I was battling with Lucas, and I have so much respect for him, being only 18 and handling that type of pressure every weekend and not making any mistakes. In the second moto, we had the mud, so I saved my goggles and waited for the lapped riders. I managed to pass Romain and then Lucas with a good line that nobody else had seen. It’s great to come back and win again. Hats off to the competition. I feel like I am getting close to their level again and I’m just trying to be there every single weekend. I want to get as many podiums and wins as I can.”
Lucas Coenen: “I did two good motos, two good starts. You know when you are in the lead and you hit traffic, then you can make a mistake because those guys don’t know you are coming. I had some sketchy moments. Jeffrey had some good lines. I looked over at him across the jump and I thought ‘maybe I still have it…’, but he came through the inside. Second, and second overall with the same points. I’m just enjoying myself and I’m really happy to share a podium with these guys. When I was small I looked up to them and now I’m on the podium with them and fighting with them also.”
Romain Febvre: “Everyone has a bad weekend during the season, so I am happy that I was still able to make the podium; we are only halfway through the series and consistency will be the key. It was just so challenging to pass here; everyone saw that, particularly in the first moto when we went 1-2-3-4 in each other’s wheels the entire moto and could not pass. My speed was good and I tried everything, but the inside line was the fastest everywhere and I was inevitably making mistakes when I tried other lines to pass. My starts were not so good all weekend and I paid the price. The track opened up a little in race two after the rain, but it was really annoying with the lapper when Jeffrey passed me. I am just happy that we go to Kegums next weekend because in sand you can pass.”
Maxime Renaux: “A positive GP. Consistent results, and they were good for the championship. However, it’s not where I want to be, but the positives are no injuries and a good feeling on the bike. Hopefully, we don’t have any more mud races, and now it’s onto Latvia next weekend.”
Calvin Vlaanderen: “All weekend I’ve had a good feeling on the bike, and today was a bit up and down. My first race was really good, battling with the guys and finishing third. Race two was going good until I twisted my knee in a rut. After that I just focused on riding smoothly to the finish. I ended up 10th for fifth overall, so it’s not been too bad really.”
Brian Bogers: “It feels good to have such a positive and consistent weekend! P8 in race one was already solid. I was happy to be back in the top 10 after quite a while. For race two, we had a lot of rain, and, as we know, I like these conditions. Also, I took a good start, moved up to fourth and stayed there for most of the time. Only one rider passed me in the end; otherwise it could have been fourth overall, but still – I am happy with fifth in race 2 and sixth overall. I will take this result with both hands and want to bring the positive vibes to the next GP in Latvia.”
Jan Pancar: “Great weekend, but some bad luck unfortunately. P8 overall, first moto crashed from 8th to 16th and fought back to 11th. In the second moto, for half of the race I was riding without my front brake, P8. Speed was there – time practice P4, qualifying race P4 and warm-up P2. We keep on working hard.”
Jeremy Seewer: “The first moto was very positive with the fifth place. My riding was good, closer to the pace of the frontrunners. I got another good start, which was very positive too. I didn’t had the best start in moto two. I got caught up in the second corner, but I was still placed quite okay, actually. My riding was good, I had great speed, I passed some guys and I was going for P7. And then, unfortunately, I had two crashes and found myself struggling. It’s just those mud races at the moment are not our friends but that’s how it is. We need to improve the negative points, especially in the mud again, where we’ve made too many mistakes.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a tough one. I didn’t have the best week leading up to the GP – I wasn’t training, just trying to recover. At first, I didn’t feel comfortable, but we made some changes going into Sunday, and the feeling was better. If you just look at the results, they are obviously disappointing, but I took some confidence from my riding. It is very easy to start doubting after a few bad races in a row, but I feel like the confidence is coming back after today. I will do some good training this week – and we are heading to one of my favourite rounds in Latvia. I have a good feeling, and hopefully, we can be back on the podium there.”
Image: KTM
