Dylan Ferrandis: “We worked on the settings of the bike with Bruno Losito when we came here, and Saturday was good with a strong qualifying race as I finished second. Today I got a good start in the first race and after one lap I was in third behind Herlings and Butron when we came on the final jump; Herlings saw a yellow flag as there was a crash, but behind him we didn’t see this flag. Herlings lifted a hand, we thought that he had some mechanical problem and passed him, but when I saw that he came back behind him I let him pass, as it seemed strange for me. Then I spend a lot of time and energy to pass Butron to eventually finish second but after the end of the race I was informed that the Race Director had penalised me ten places. We went to explain the situation but they didn’t want to change anything, so I lost this second place. In the second moto I was tenth at the start, but once again I recovered to second and showed that I was the fastest rider behind Herlings this weekend.”
Thomas Covington: “I had some bad luck this weekend; it seemed as though everything was going well but in the end everything went wrong. I felt really good on the bike, the suspension was working really well and I hope that I can have the same feeling on the other tracks. I was on the outside as I hit the gate on Saturday and qualified only in twenty-second position; from there it was impossible to get a good start and that was important this weekend. In the second race I braked and tried to cut inside, but later I had a crash and damaged the throttle. The track was fun and I enjoyed riding here; I will continue to work hard and the experience of all these races will help me to be stronger next year.”
Tommy Searle: “In both races today I had very bad starts, but the first race ended OK as I recovered from eighteenth to sixth; I had really fast lap times, but when I got through to sixth the leading group was far away. Then in the second race I had another bad start. My lap times again were good but I couldn’t avoid the bike of a rider who had crashed after a jump; I crashed too and again my riding was good but I was so far behind when I rejoined the race. Like every weekend I had the speed to get good results, but with bad starts it’s hard to come back to the front.”
Steven Frossard: “Saturday was not so good as I qualified only in eleventh position, but this morning I practised a lot of starts and finally we found a solution. My starts were much better today, and I gave everything to get this podium with two strong races. The second one was tough as I stalled the engine when I was in second; I thought that the engine was damaged but I could start it again when I tried; I lost time so I fell back to sixth place, but I came back strongly to finish second. I even surprised myself today, as in each race after twenty minutes I felt very strong physically while most of my rivals had some troubles; I could pass some guys in the last ten minutes of both motos even though for me the toughest track we had this season. It’s so nice to do two strong races, this year my main problem has been inconsistency but today I showed what I can do in the MXGP class. I have been waiting for this podium for more than two years so I’m so happy to finally get it.”
Max Nagl: “In the end I am disappointed to throw away the podium. I’m not happy about today. I had a good start in the first race, got into third and then could keep it for almost all race but right at the end I got passed by Frossard because I had no energy left. I didn’t want to be completely finished and I wanted to have something left for the second heat. In the second race I had again a good start but then I was stuck behind Shaun Simpson and I couldn’t find the way to pass him. The speed was not high enough and then I lost the rhythm and got passed by the other guys at the end because I was too tired. I made a mistake because I did not have anything left to fight back. Overall I’m not happy with myself today.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “I felt good all day. I had a good start in the first moto and was with Tony all the time. I kept my speed. Second moto: good start, second again and Tony pulled away so I was settling for second again. I don’t know what happened next. I was not riding over my limit and was riding smoothly. I don’t know how I crashed. I was up pretty quickly but I hit my head and the radiator was stopping me turning to the left. I lost a lot of positions to come into the pits. I needed a couple of laps to get myself together but I told myself I could do it even thought the handlebars were bent and the bike was damaged. Finishing tenth is OK. It has been a bad GP. Just two more positions in that second moto and I would have been on the podium again. I lost too much time getting to the pits. I’m not injured and that’s important.”
David Philippaerts: “I feel good. To finish eighth overall and keep top ten in the championship on this difficult track is positive. I thought the sand was better yesterday because today it was almost dangerous and I couldn’t find a solution for it. I stayed quiet in the first moto because I knew it would be a long day. I was ninth, which was OK. Somebody caught my front brake at the start of the second moto so I didn’t get away well but I stayed on the inside of the first corner and came out well. I battled with Karro again and it was a good race. When Strijbos caught us I made a big mistake on the downhill; I had to shut off for three laps because my heart went through the roof. I really did not want to crash because we still have some races left this year. Anyway it is good to stay around the position we were today.”
Rui Goncalves: “Yesterday was a good one and I had a good gate pick for today. I was hoping for the same start like Saturday and while they were not bad they were not the same! I had a small problem with the clutch setting in the first moto and I needed to keep adjusting in the first moto. I dropped back with some arm-pump and it was a bit frustrating because I knew I had the speed to be nearer the front. I talked with my mechanic about a strategy for the second moto and we went a bit more cautious in the beginning and I tried to focus more on my riding style and to get more speed through the corners so I would have more energy for the end and that’s what happened. I still feel the effects of the illness but I’m much happier with that second moto. I cannot thank the team enough for all the help and we’ll move onto the Czech Republic now hoping for more good results.”
Kevin Strijbos: “It was very hard work out there. I didn’t feel good all weekend. I lacked power and strength. After the first race I was completely dead; I felt like I had raced three motos. I missed the gate-drop and was totally last. I knew I needed to play it safe at the beginning and try to save some energy for the end. That’s what I did and by pushing hard in the last few laps I was still able to take a podium and I’m happy for that. The team told me going into the final lap that I had to pass Ferris for the podium so that’s what I did.”
Julien Lieber: “I don’t feel so good about today. Normally on these kinds of tracks I do well but today…I don’t know. My starts were not there and on the first laps I had to push a lot. It meant that in the last laps I felt very tired and couldn’t hold the bike any more. I’m not so happy about this. I had to push much harder than the other riders and it led to mistakes. Seventh and eighth is not so bad but I feel it could have been better.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Not so bad. Yesterday I struggled on the track. My speed was OK but I was making a lot of mistakes and I wasn’t so happy with the suspension set-up. It was a rough day and I was lacking practice time in the sand as we had no time to get to Belgium to ride and then travel to Finland. My start in the first race was pretty good. I was fifth but it was a strange and risky first corner because the riders on the outside were hitting the wall and coming back right into your path. I lost a couple of positions but stayed smooth with a really good rhythm and finished 10th. Two guys were then penalised and I gained two positions to eighth; pretty easy to move another two places while you are sitting in the truck!
“My start was better in the second moto and I was riding well but towards the end I could feel my muscles starting to ache because you always had to pick the bike up over the bumps. I slowed down because I did not want to crash here. I kept quiet and took 11th I think overall it is not a top-10 result but this track was tough for a Swiss guy and I know what I need to work on to be better.”
Christophe Charlier: “I’m quite happy because I haven’t ridden in the sand much and when I wanted to the weather was not good in Belgium. I didn’t get good starts today but I could pass quite a lot of riders in the first laps and I’m happy for that. My feeling was not great on this type of track but I was able to push hard and I’m glad. My physical condition was a bit weak for the final parts of the races. I know if I was 100% then I could have been top five all through the motos. I like Loket, which is up next, especially for the downhill start where my 83 kilos should not matter so much!”
Petar Petrov: “The weekend started well with the fourth place on Saturday. I was confident for the races but unfortunately I got involved in a crash at the first corner in the first moto. I had to start again at the back of the field and noticed my shifter was bent. I had to stop two times to fix it a little and only managed to come back to 15th. In the second race my start wasn’t good once again but this time I managed to pass some riders in the first laps. By the time I got to sixth the gap was too big to do any better but I was feeling really good on the bike. The speed is right there but it’s just up to me to get better results.”
Nick Kouwenberg: “It’s good to be on the box again but I’m not too happy with my performance. Saturday I wasn’t feeling too fit and I couldn’t follow the leaders but I knew I could do better on Sunday. In the second moto I had a bad start and tried to come forward as soon as possible. I couldn’t get in the rhythm though. I was struggling in the corners, hit the berms wrong and my timing was bad. That cost so much energy and I had nothing left. In the end I’m happy with the podium but it’s a bit bitter. Getting beaten straight up by two countrymen does hurt a little but Lommel is next and I will be ready to step it up there.”
Dean Ferris: “It’s been a great GP for me and the team. Sweden was disappointing – I was battling with the flu there. I wasn’t able to spend any time on a bike testing coming into the race in Finland, and it took me a while to find a good set-up on Saturday. But both of the races went really well. I was second off the start in the first moto and stayed with the leaders for a while. I stalled my bike once when a small rock got stuck in the front sprocket, but a seventh place result was pretty good. The second moto was great, but tough for me. I’m still coming back form my injuries and fighting off the tail end of the flu – I gave everything I had. My start wasn’t as good but I pushed hard and got into a good rhythm. The battle for third to sixth was really close, so to know that I was fighting for a podium despite feeling really tired was great. I know I’ll be in better shape for the next GP, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Nathan Watson: “Qualifying went great for me, I was pretty shocked that I’d got the fourth fastest time. That gave me a good gate pick for my qualifying race, which went ok. I made a mistake in the whoops, and finished ninth. I was hoping to get at least one top-10 result this weekend, but it didn’t quite happen. I still learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience of working with the team again. The track was really rough, especially as it dried out. I got an average start to the first moto, and finished 11th. I was with the guys in 10th and ninth, but I just couldn’t get ahead of them. I was feeling it in the second race, the track was so rough then. I ended up 12th, which was pretty, but just to have completed another GP and finished both motos is a real positive for me.”
Klemen Gercar: “It was not the best GP for me. But I knew before that it would be tough because personally I find that Hyvinkää is one of the most difficult tracks of the season. In the first moto, I struggled for the first three laps than I got into the rythm. In the second race I really felt that I haven’t been riding in the sand lately and my speed was just not good enough. The bike was good, we all worked hard this weekend, only sometimes it just doesnt’t work out the way you planned. I’m really looking forward to Loket though. It’s a track that suits me a lot more. The Czech Grand Prix is also the GP that’s closest to Slovenia so it’s my home race as well!”
Shaun Simpson: “Ups and downs like we’ve had before. I was looking forward to this race but if I’m totally honest I never really enjoyed the track all weekend. It was harder than last year. My speed wasn’t too bad yesterday. I got a good start in the heat race, stayed out of trouble and checked a few lines. Took third behind Van Horebeek for a good grid position for today. I wanted to get out of the gate and do my thing and I believed the podium might be in reach but in the first one I went down the straight and Cairoli came across on me and pushed me into Goncalves. My handguard got caught under my front brake so it was jammed on. I went from left to right, right to left and my legs came off and I crashed. My leg was caught in the rear wheel. By the time I got going from that and caught up to the back of the pack I crashed again. I battled the whole moto and came up with some reasonable speed. Overall I was quite happy to salvage something. In the second one I was happy to prove that Saturday wasn’t a fluke and I could ride at the front. I had spent a lot of energy in the first race. I wasn’t completely ‘hanging’ but I was tired. If I could have conserved something from Moto1 then the next race would have been a lot easier and I could have gone with Frossard. Overall, best moto finish of the year and a good haul of points. I kinda kept my gap ahead of Nagl although Frossard had a good day and now I need to catch up by eleven. British Championship next weekend and then onto Loket and Lommel, two tracks that I like.”
Ben Watson: “Saturday was good but we made a mistake with a new clutch which made the start difficult but I managed to push my way through to fourth. That wasn’t bad. Today was different. I had another bad start and struggled to pull through. Ninth wasn’t the end of the world but it could have been better. Lommel in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to it.”
Adam Sterry: “After a great weekend in Sweden I was looking for more of the same in Finland and claw some more points back in the Championship. With 50 riders on track I didn’t get a clear lap and finished 10th in qualifying which still gave me a decent gate pick. In the first race I didn’t flow and struggled with my lines which meant I only finished 9th which I wasn’t happy with. In race two I was determined to sort it out. I got a good start in 2nd and then dropped a position. I was in 3rd until two laps to go when I nearly went over the bars on the finish jump which upset my rhythm and I lost 3rd to Cervellin and finished 4th. I was happy with the second race so will try and ride like that again in Lommel.”
Matiss Karro: “Saturday riding was good but I didn’t get the suspension set up right for when the track got rougher later in the day. In the qualifying race I ran into Ferris when he crashed right in front of me and I just couldn’t come through so good because my suspension wasn’t working so great and I only managed 19th. Sunday I had two good starts and two decent races but in the second moto in the last couple laps I was tired and making mistakes and I really didn’t want to crash. Three riders got past me which I didn’t like but better not to crash. I was happy with 10th overall.”