Read what a host of MX2 riders had to say about their weekend at the MXGP of Portugal.
MX2
Andrea Adamo: “I rode well, really well. No mistakes and good starts, especially yesterday, and that put me in a good position for today, which was really important with the weather. In the first moto the conditions were crazy, but the second moto was not too bad. 1-1-1: it’s the first time for me, so I’m super-happy.”
Kay de Wolf: “That was one of the toughest GPs we’ve had so far this season. The conditions were just brutal – deep mud, super physical, and really easy to make mistakes. I did my best to stay consistent and ride smart. In the first moto I had a crash and some goggle problems, but I kept pushing and managed to get back to third. The second moto was similar – I had to dig deep after a small crash, but I stayed focused and held onto another podium. I’m happy to come away with second overall and keep the red plate. Now it’s all eyes on Lugo.”
Simon Laengenfelder: “So much mud! It was really hard to pass in the first moto, there was a lot of water, and even though they worked on the track, there was only one line. It was difficult, but I could get Kay for 2nd. I folded the front on the first lap of the second moto and had to come from last. I had a good feeling on the bike, though, and unfortunately I ran out of tear-offs, which made overtaking a challenge. A decent second race but a bit unlucky. Today could have been much better.”
Mathis Valin: “I wasn’t expecting such good results, as this was my first race since the injury, so I’m very happy to finish fourth overall. In the first moto I was fourth, but I made a mistake with two laps to go and crashed; I lost time to restart, but sixth wasn’t so bad. The track was really rough for that first moto and physically it was a tough weekend as we had less time than usual between both motos so I was delighted with fifth in race two. The team has worked on the engine and I have worked on my technique so we got good starts all weekend even though I didn’t have the best gate-pick. It was a wise decision of the team for me to rest my wrist, as I now have no pain. I have also had time to reflect on the first part of the season; I already had the speed, but I also had too many crashes, and today I showed that I have learnt to take my time and stay on two wheels.”
Quentin Marc Prugnieres: “Rainy weekend in Portugal. Qualifying race started rough with a bad start, but I managed to fight back to P8. First race was all about staying on two wheels – finished P4. Second race, another tough start, but pushed through to P10. Fifth overall in the mud! Solid weekend, see you all in Lugo next week.”
Ferruccio Zanchi: “Sixth overall looks good, but I know I could have scored more points in both races and done even better. Conditions weren’t great, but I knew I had the opportunity to have a good GP, and I just couldn’t perform to the level that I want to. We will keep working though, and I will keep pushing to improve, so that I can work my way back to the podium, as that’s where I want to be.”
Sacha Coenen, 19th and 2nd for 7th overall: “Better than the last GP. We made quite a lot of changes to the set-up of the bike in the last two weeks and I was feeling good on Saturday. I had a comfortable lead in the first moto but just jumped a little off track and got stuck in a mud pile. Anyway, we had good speed. The second moto was OK, Andrea was a bit faster today, but P2 is more of what we need.”
Rick Elzinga: “In race one, I went a little wide in the first turn and then as I went to pull a tear off in the next corner, someone had crashed in front of me. Then someone crashed into me. So, I was dead last but I rode really good, all the way up to fifth. In the second race, I stalled the bike and had some goggle issues, which is pretty normal for a mud race, but it was frustrating after how well I rode in race one.”
Thibault Benistant: “A really tough weekend in these conditions. Bad starts made it even more difficult for me and I wasn’t able to ride freely in either race. Hopefully, the weather will be better next weekend and I can ride like I know I can.”
Image: KTM
