MXLarge Logo
China GP - Rider Comments

China GP - Rider Comments

Sep 14

  • Interview

A lot of riders out with injuries, a lot of riders showed up and gave us something to watch. Jeffrey Herlings dominated again and the Triumph boys, Camden McLellan and Guillem Farres also didn’t disappoint their team or fans. Here are the rider comments from China.

Bavo Swijgers image

Jeffrey Herlings: It’s great to keep this winning streak going, but it certainly hasn’t been easy these past few GPs. Every time someone has stepped up and made life difficult for me, but I still managed to get the job done. Obviously my starts have helped me out so a big thank you to the team for all their work with that, but yea, I’m also on a nice run winning every session as well, so I’m just hoping to keep that rolling until the end of the season.

Romain Febvre: "I always feel good when it's really warm, though at least it's not so hot as last year. I have always been physically fit so I don't miss any energy and can push even when it's hot. After the first moto I knew it would be the battle between Jeffrey and myself; I could not quite make the pass even though I tried everything but it was good to finally battle with him at the front again. With two laps to go I was there; we were close on the last lap but I cross-rutted on a jump, got sideways and I said OK."

Tom Vialle: I had a crash in warm-up today which wasn’t nice and I bit my tongue and hurt my neck and while it wasn’t big, it was just annoying to ride with. I felt my speed was good for the first half of the races but I couldn’t keep it going until the end so that was a little frustrating, but overall, I am happy to be on the podium. Of course I want to try and win in Australia, I didn’t race there last year, but it is the final round of the season and I will give it everything I have

Guillem Farres: “It’s been a good weekend for the championship, but it was a shame I crashed in the first moto. In the second race, I was just managing the race after moving into the lead. I was feeling good, so I kept pushing, but the guys behind were coming on strong towards the end. I just tried to stay focused, make no mistakes, and manage the lead to the finish. I’m really happy with the win, and a big thanks to the team as always.”

Camden McLellan: “Yeah, that was a tough one. It was a really fun Grand Prix and I really enjoyed it, although I’m definitely looking forward to getting some sleep tonight. Hopefully I can recover and feel better before Australia. All in all, it was a really good weekend and I’m really happy. I can’t thank the whole Triumph Factory Racing team enough, and I’m excited for the final round in Australia.”

Liam Everts: “It was a good weekend overall. I felt strong on Sunday and the pace was definitely there in both motos. Race one was really close at the front, and in the second moto I managed to move into second and felt like I was riding well. I made a small mistake towards the end which cost me the position, but 3-3 for third overall and a fourth podium in a row is still really positive. I’m happy with the consistency we’re showing at the moment and with the way I’m riding. Now we have one more round in Australia, so I want to carry this momentum into the final weekend.”

Janis Reisulis: Top five overall in the end, so I’m happy with that. My riding was strong here and I managed everything quite well. A top-five result is what I’m normally aiming for, so it’s good to achieve that. In the second moto, I was fighting with the top guys for around 20 minutes, but towards the end it became really difficult for me to maintain the pace. Overall, though, it was a good day and I learned a lot, which is the most important thing. In Race One, I crashed on the first lap, so I had to come through from the back. I tried to make passes quite aggressively, but I was also struggling with some arm pump. A big thanks to the whole team for their hard work and for giving me a great bike. Now we’ll look ahead to the final round.

Karlis Reisulis: Yeah, not the best day. I really struggled in the first moto, but the second moto was much better. I got a really good start and then pretty much held the same position for the whole race. I was trying to find a little more pace and stay with the group ahead, but I just couldn’t quite make it happen. It wasn’t really anything to do with the track, it was more about myself and how I was feeling. Anyway, we’ll keep moving forward and look ahead to the final round of the year.

Pauls Jonass: "No mistakes today but I just couldn't find my flow in the first moto. I had a good jump in the second moto but I was just a bit too far outside going into the first turn; then I made some good moves through the first lap. It was hot and humid again but at least it wasn't crazy like last year. Fifth doesn't look bad on paper but it would be nice to end the season next week with a podium in Australia."

Andrea Adamo: “A tough weekend. I never felt comfortable on the track. We didn’t get the best results but I was more worried about the feeling and the speed. It made things more difficult. We have another chance next weekend in Australia and we’ll try to get back stronger and fix a few things on the bike for me.”

Simon Längenfelder: “It was a difficult one. A difficult second moto; the rest was quite OK and the starts were always on-point this weekend. I almost led the whole first race but Cam was pushing. I was quite happy with P2 because I could change my lines and I had a good feeling on the track and on the bike. The second race I had some stomach problems and a lot of pain. Unfortunate that was from lap one onwards. Quite sad. It could have been a nice podium. The last round of the year now – it’s been flying by – and to Australia where I have some good memories. We’ll get this stomach problem sorted and go again.”

Sacha Coenen: “A difficult one, like last weekend. It started quite good and I made some really good passes in the Qualifying Heat to finish 2nd, close to first. Sunday was completely different. I didn’t feel too bad and ten minutes before the end of the first moto I wanted to make a big push but made a mistake and three riders passed me. I was feeing a bit ‘second-hand’ because I was sick last week and I’m still not really healthy. I tried the second moto and don’t really know what happened but went sideways on the take-off and lost control. I couldn’t do anything and crashed on my right side. I am fine and I’m healthy. We’ll try to have a good weekend in Australia. Not so much luck at the moment but it is part of our sport. Two more motos to go.”

Calvin Vlaanderen: “It was a good weekend overall, I'm happy with my riding and my speed already from the first practice on Saturday. I had a good feeling with the track and the bike and I felt like I was fourth best all weekend long, so it was nice to get a good start on that second race and to finish in fourth overall. Let's carry this momentum into Australia for the final round; thanks to all the team and the crew for the hard work and let's try and finish off with the good result.” 

Ferruccio Zanchi: “It was great to get back to racing after such a long absence, and I'm happy to be doing what I love again. Unfortunately, we were held back by a problem on Saturday, but I felt good on the track and with the bike all weekend, improving every time I went out. It was a solid weekend where I didn't make any mistakes and rode two good motos. Now we're preparing for Australia, aiming to do even better.”

More similar articles

Jeffrey Herlings Interview - China image

Jeffrey Herlings Interview - China

Sep 14

Australian Motocross History  image

Australian Motocross History

Sep 14

  • News