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Interview: Calvin Vlaanderen

Honest chat.

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Although Calvin Vlaanderen couldn’t replicate his remarkable heroics from last year at Riola Sardo this time around, where he went 1-1, there were still plenty of positives to be extracted from his weekend.

MX Vice’s James Burfield caught up with the sand master to get his thoughts on his Riola in a round where his fifth overall didn’t truly reflect his incredible speed.

This interview was also released as an MX Vice post-race podcast, presented by Acerbis.

MXV: Calvin, not the type of weekend that you expected, but it was still a solid performance.

Calvin Vlaanderen: Obviously, everyone looks and says oh he’s disappointed because of the results, as obviously, from last year there was a lot of expectations and pressure afer going 1-1. But to be honest, I felt like I had the speed to do that. And physically, I felt like I had the fitness to do that as well. Just things just didn’t fall into place like it should have and like I wanted them to.

Yesterday, the crash in the qualifying race really put me back for today because the start position wasn’t the best. And had two just inside the top 10 starts so when you’re trying to pass on a track like this, where it wasn’t that easy to pass, it wasn’t ideal. Plus the guys up front, they just pull away so quickly. So unfortunately 3-5 was the best I could do today. Not really the result I wanted, I definitely wanted to be on the box. But I’ll take it, you know, I’m in a good place. With the bike that I have at the moment, the results that I’m doing are good. I’m doing the best that I can with what I have and I’ll continue doing that and try to get better each week.

MXV: Your riding today was really good. I was watching you from afar and a few other people were commenting as well that you were looking really good. You had the flow and you were looking fast. And first race obviously you’re around about with Herlings so there’s nothing wrong with your riding.

CV: No, my riding was was good in both races. I was getting held up all the time in both races. I had someone in front of me the whole race from start to finish. I never had a clear track once. So this was a bit disappointing because I wanted to really show what I can do. In the first race, I really tried hard to pass Jeffrey. I tried everything. And when you use that little bit of extra energy to pass him, and then you don’t succeed in doing that, it’s tough to take a breather and reset again.

The same thing happened in the second race behind Jeremy. I tried so hard to pass him, then I put it down. And when you put the bike down and try to get up again, you use so much energy. So got back to him. And I just tried everything to pass him, but I couldn’t pass him, he was just blocking me and blocking me. I mean, it’s racing. I just need to find a way to pass quicker and make it stick. But I’ll learn from it. And like you said, my riding was good. I’m not disappointed about my riding at all. I’m disappointed about the results.

MXV: Yeah, it’s one of these days where the results didn’t justify how good you were on the bike, which is strange, because you know, there’s other riders out there, who probably didn’t ride as well.

CV: Yeah, I don’t want to put names out there, but I see that as well. And it’s all about the start and the first five or 10 minutes, you know, because when you’re out front, can do your laps and have a clear track, you can really save your energy. And for me, I was just trying to pass someone the whole hour of racing we had today. So that’s what it’s like, that’s racing, you know.

I’m happy with my riding and things going forward. It’s only the second round, there’s still many rounds to go. So yeah, we keep trying to get better and keep building. You know, if you told me three or four years ago when I got into the MXGP class I was going to be battling with Jeffrey in the sand, I would have taken it any day. So to look at now, I was even disappointed because I couldn’t pass him.

MXV: That’s kind of how expectations are changing for the fans and also for yourself.

CV: Big time. I feel like I should be there every weekend – like where I was today fighting inside the top five. And I believe that I can do that so I will keep working and hopefully I can consistently be there every weekend.

MXV: Brilliant. Thanks for your time.

Lead Image: Ray Archer

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Australian Motocross

Luke Clout Interview. Aussie ace all set to race both WSX and AUSX this weekend

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Luke Clout speaks ahead of the WSX and AUSX finales in Australia, as he and other top WSX riders arrived in Melbourne, and came together for a media opportunity at iconic surf venue, URBNSURF.

Footage and Lead Image provided by WSX

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Interviews

Shane McElrath Interview – WSX Finale Australia

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Shane McElrath shares his thoughts ahead of the WSX finale in Australia, as he and other top WSX riders arrived in Melbourne, and came together for a media opportunity at iconic surf venue, URBNSURF.

Footage and Lead Image provided by WSX

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Australian Motocross

Max Anstie Interview – WSX Finale Australia

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Max Anstie speaks ahead of the WSX and AUSX finales in Australia, as he and other top WSX riders arrived in Melbourne, and came together for a media opportunity at iconic surf venue, URBNSURF.

Footage and Lead Image provided by WSX

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