Honestly, I thought that Jeremy van Horebeek was going to be the weak link in the Belgian Motocross des Nations team heading into the event. Why? Well, it cannot have been easy to switch down to a 250f, so to expect him to perform at his usual level would have been unreasonable, right? Surprisingly, Jeremy exceeded all expectations and actually looked better than he did when riding a factory KTM 250f in 2012. If you were present at the event, it was evident how much it meant to Jeremy to win the MXdN – MX Vice caught up with the Belgian following the event.
MX Vice: Jeremy, congratulations on winning the 2013 Motocross des Nations – talk about your weekend a little bit.
Van Horebeek: “Yeah, it was a good weekend for me. You know, it was strange, because I had to drop from MX1 to MX2. I felt good, but I was still struggling to ride aggressive, as I still had the 450f style. But as the weekend went on, I felt better and better. In the second moto, when I went down I was like, ‘lets regroup and do this.’ I showed some awesome speed and I am pretty sure that if I didn’t crash, I could have been top four. The times were awesome, I worked my ass off, and so did the team; it was so fun to win having ridden the MX2 bike. So, it’s good.”
MX Vice: I thought that you looked faster on your 250f this weekend, than you did last year. How different was the Kawasaki 250f to your factory KTM from 2012?
Van Horebeek: “I was faster on the 250 now. I cannot say the difference, as it is a completely different bike, and it’s difficult. Bud Racing Kawasaki did a good job, they hooked me up with an awesome engine. Yeah, thanks to them, because I could push hard, and work my way up from the back in the second moto.”
MX Vice: Your second moto ride really helped Belgium win.
Van Horebeek: “Well a few points, but Ken really did the job, but for sure if I had been ninth or something it wouldn’t have been as good. But, I am so happy.”
MX Vice: What was it like watching the third moto? Was it more nerve-wracking than riding?
Van Horebeek: “Yeah, I was so nervous – I couldn’t breathe anymore! But, it was just awesome.”
MX Vice: What does it mean to you, to win the Motocross des Nations?
Van Horebeek: “To me, this is like a dream, and now it is finally coming true! It’s unbelievable.”
MX Vice: Finally, talk about your switch to the Monster Energy Yamaha for next year.
Van Horebeek: “Yeah, you know I am looking forward to it – I’m excited. I cannot say so much about it, but I’m looking forward, and I think that it is going to be good.”
Interview by Lewis Phillips and Jonathan McCready
