Highlights MXGP of FRANCE 2018

Covington wins MX2 moto one

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Thomas Covington has taken victory in the opening MX2 moto today at the St Jean d’Angly circuit in France. The American who yesterday confirmed he will move back home in 2019 has little to no pressure now and his results are really looking great.

"Yes," Covington said. "The track is really difficult and i knew the start was key and I went with the sand tyre, but I needed it for the start. Kept it smooth and on two wheels and once I saw my team-mate Olsen behind me I knew we had them covered."

Taking the lead on the first corner, he just showed what a talent he is and let’s hope he keeps it up for the remainder of the season.

Covington took the holeshot, but was passed by Jacobi, but the American quickly back past the German rider. Olsen also in the top three, then Prado and Jonass in fifth. Watson another horrible start after a start straight crash, and back in 26^th place.

Prado crashed mid first lap, and Covington and Olsen command up the front, with Jonass now third.

After a lap it was Covington, Olsen, Jonass, Jacobi, Cervellin, Furlotti, Prado, Geerts, Fernandez and Bernardini. Prado quickly into fifth.

Covington flying up front and extended his lead over Olsen, and Jonass was getting a lot of pressure from Jacobi. Prado closing up fast on those two.

Lawrence into the top ten, and Prado all over Jacobi and Jonass. Lawrence moves to 8^th place, and finally showing some good results. Watson flying and into 15^th place.

Olsen started to make ground on Covington and was onto his American team-mate. A long way back in third was Jonass, with Prado on his tail. Lawrence into seventh place and looking good.

Prado smashed his way past Jonass in a corner and pushed his older team-mate wide. Top ten was Covington, Olsen, Prado, Jonass, Jacobi, Geerts, Lawrence, Cervellin, Fernandez and Mewse into 10^th.

Belgian youngster Geerts clocked the quickest lap of the race and showing his talent and was closing a little on the front guys. Geerts passed Jacobi for fifth and on fire.

Jacobi crashed and was stuck trying to get going again. Lawrence moved into sixth place and Jacobi back outside the top ten.

Covington’s lead was more than four seconds with three laps to go, and Watson up to 13^th place, a great ride, but obviously disappointing for the Brit. With two laps to go Watson moved into 10^th place, really showing some fight the Yamaha rider.

Prado was quickly onto Olsen in the final stages of the moto and looking very fast. Jacobi down again and stuck in the mud and Prado all over Olsen for second place.

Covington wins the moto, then Olsen and Prado.

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Classification

1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 35:58.425; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.573; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.910; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:11.808; 5. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:15.171; 6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:31.713; 7. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:57.033; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:00.917; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:03.209; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:09.790; 11. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:11.832; 12. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +1:12.837; 13. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +1:14.123; 14. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:37.504; 15. Simone Furlotti (ITA, Yamaha), +1:51.195; 16. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), +2:06.121; 17. Bas Vaessen (NED, Honda), +2:21.852; 18. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 19. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), -1 lap(s); 20. Marshal Weltin (USA, Honda), -1 lap(s); 21. Anthony Bourdon (FRA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 22. Zachary Pichon (FRA, KTM), -1 lap(s); 23. Enzo Toriani (FRA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 24. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), -2 lap(s); 25. Bastien Inghilleri (FRA, Yamaha), -3 lap(s); 26. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, Husqvarna), -4 lap(s); 27. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Ho

Herlings wins with 1-1

French GP

Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull KTM Factory team has again shown his class, going 1-1 and winning his 75^th GP victory (and 14th in MXGP) at the Grand Prix of France. The Dutchman once again just played with Antonio Cairoli, and on a track that should have suited the Italian. 

Tim Gasjer was third overall and continued his great return to form.

In the second MXGP moto, it was Cairoli took the holeshot and Herlings around 8^th. Desalle down and also Searle, and Herlings into fifth place and all over Paulin.

Herlings went past Paulin going into the second lap, and onto Seewer. After a lap it was Cairoli, Gajser, Seewer, Herlings, Paulin, Febvre, Paturel, Bobryshev, Monticelli, and Coldenhoff. Simpson 14^th, Anstie 18^th, and the Brits struggling again.

Cairoli held three seconds over Gajser, with Herlings seven seconds back in third now. Then came Seewer, Paulin, Febvre, Paturel, Bobryshev, Monticelli and Coldenhoff.

Cairoli extended to eight seconds over Herlings and Seewer and Paulin in great battle for fourth place.

Febvre moved past Seewer and into fifth and going after his countryman Paulin. Cairoli now four seconds ahead of Gajser and nine ahead of Herlings.

On lap seven the lead went to five seconds and Herlings clocks a quick lap and closing on Gajser. Top ten after seven laps was Cairoli, Gajser, Herlings, Paulin, Febvre, Monticelli, Seewer, Desalle, Paturel and Bobryshev.

Herlings cuts the lead on Cairoli to seven seconds and was onto Gajser for second place. The kids coming again for the leader. Fastest lap of the race to Herlings.

Herlings all over Gajser and all over the place looking for a way to pass and into second place and going after Cairoli. Once past Gajser the Dutchman just pulled well away.

After 11 laps the lead was five seconds to Herlings, then Gajser a further  12 seconds back, Herlings making his move again on the Italian. Febvre and Paulin in a great battle as the former world champion moved into fourth place.

Suddenly Herlings was all over Cairoli for the lead and pushing the defending world champion. Desalle all over Seewer for sixth place.

Herlings just rides past Cairoli like he was standing still and walked away from him. No competition for the Dutchman, none at all. Desalle tried again to pass Seewer, but the Swiss rider doing well, although the Belgian finally went past.

After 15 laps the lead was suddenly three seconds by Herlings and Gajser in third 25 seconds back. Then came Febvre, Paulin, Desalle, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Bobryshev and Monticelli.

Herlings nine seconds ahead on lap 17 that was a six second gap from two laps prior, so three seconds a lap quicker than Cairoli as the race closed down.

Herlings wins the moto and the GP overall. Cairoli second and

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:38.032; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:08.838; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:40.401; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.798; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:52.800; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:55.315; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:56.529; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:56.531; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:16.573; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, Yamaha), +1:17.441; 11. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:18.040; 12. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), +1:24.213;

French MXGP Qualifing

Herlings unstoppable in France

Red Bull KTM factory rider Jeffrey Herlings easily won the MXGP qualification race today in France, taking the lead on the first corner and running away with it.

"It was really good," Herlings said. "I pulled the holeshot and it is needed here, with the big rocks and it is just a qualification race, but its all about tomorrow, and we need to start tomorrow, so we will work on that."

Herlings a nice holeshot ahead of Paulin and Febvre, with Cairoli fourth. Desalle down hard and into Cairoli (who continued on), and Coldenhoff also down. Gajser and Guillod also up there.

Herlings disappeared from Paulin and Gajser, while Febvre in fourth was getting away from Cairoli. Paulin got away from Gajser and Febvre all over the HRC rider. Cairoli in fifth, then Bobryshev, Van Horebeek, Seewer and Anstie.

Herlings lead was 10 seconds and Simpson also in the top ten. Febvre and Cairoli both went past Gajser, and Searle into 10^th place as Simpson exited the top 10.

Herlings cruising out front and 16 seconds ahead of Paulin, and Febvre and Cairoli closing on Paulin a little.

Cairoli into third as he passed Febvre late in the race. Herlings from Paulin and Cairoli.

MXGP - Qualifying Race - Classification

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:35.251; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:17.990; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:19.988; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.922; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.999; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +0:45.959; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.320; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:50.508; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:51.783; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:51.920; 11. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:01.190; 12. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki),

JAPAN ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND2 TOYAMA

CRF450RX versus YZ125 for Japanese Enduro Championship honours

Hot Topics: MXGP of France

A look ahead to the tenth round

There is a lot to dissect on the eve of the Grand Prix of France, the tenth round of the current term, which is not exactly shocking. The previous round in Great Britain provided plenty of talking points and ensured that the hype surrounding the FIM Motocross World Championship is at an all-time high as the halfway point is approached.

All eyes are going to be on the Red Bull KTM stablemates, Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli, on Sunday, which has been the case since the first gate drop back in March. There are some additional layers to this intriguing title fight now though, following an intense duel on British soil that ended with the latter on the ground. Is there going to be retaliation? No, not at all, although the pair may not be as reserved as they have been when it comes to aggressive moves. It is unlikely that there will be anything that crosses the line though, unless there is another racing incident that leads to contact. The common conception is that the previous collision should get filed under that category.

All eyes are going to be on whether Antonio Cairoli can respond (KTM Images/Ray Archer)

Eyebrows were raised when Antonio Cairoli opted to not shake hands with Jeffrey Herlings following the second moto, which was the one where no contact was made, so it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops moving forward. Herlings even stated in our exclusive interview that a little bit of respect has been lost. This is probably not going to lead to any fireworks, because the pair are too wise to fall into that trap, but those with a keen eye may spot some differences. Cairoli has been very positive thus far and it must be getting tough to maintain that. There is no denying the fact that he needs to win a Grand Prix as soon as possible.

Standing atop the box for the second time this season could prove to be difficult for Antonio Cairoli though. Cairoli tweaked his knee at some point at the Grand Prix of Great Britain and, although an official update has not been released, it is known that he went to get it evaluated the day after the event. It supposedly feels better now and he even tested a Formula 1 car on Wednesday, so he is obviously not too concerned. It is unlikely that it is going to be anything that holds him back in the coming weeks, unless he catches it in a rut and then aggravates it further. St. Jean d’Angely is typically rock hard and not too treacherous anyway.

Antonio Cairoli has been mentioned much more than Jeffrey Herlings in this, a piece that focusses on some hot topics of discussion, but why is that? The ball is well and truly in his court. Herlings has made it quite clear what he can and will continue to do in the coming weeks, so fans across the globe are now waiting to see whether Cairoli can respond to those advances. It is an odd one to evaluate actually, because he may be further away from defeating the current series leader than the results indicate. The gap between the pair was just one measly second in the final encounter last weekend, but what would have happened if they started together?

Pauls Jonass has all of the momentum in the MX2 class, once again (KTM Images/Ray Archer)

A similar title fight is raging on in the MX2 category, thanks to those incredible races that Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado are piecing together. This is going to be a big weekend for the latter, who needs to capitalise and steal points in the championship. Prado has clearly had the speed to defeat his rival at the previous three rounds, with the exception of the second moto in Great Britain, but has actually given up four points through that period. Although that may not seem like a massive number, three opportunities to cut the deficit down to around ten points have been missed. How many times is he going to get a chance like that?

St. Jean d’Angely should favour Jorge Prado, although Pauls Jonass was the winner at the French event last year, so he could reverse the damage that was done at Matterley Basin. Even if that does happen though, Jonass can reflect on the previous two events in a positive manner. Nothing would have been gained or lost through that period and that is all he really cares about at the moment. If there are no significant swings over the next ten days, Jonass is just going to ooze confidence and that is going to make it trickier for Prado to have an impact. Anything can happen, of course, but it is hardly ideal to rely on a freak incident.

Although the various title fights will hog headlines yet again, there is so much more going on. Can Gautier Paulin rebound in front of his home crowd? Can Ben Watson edge closer to his maiden moto win? Will any premier-class riders inch closer to the top two? Is Conrad Mewse ever going to return to the top five? Can Romain Febvre reel off consecutive podium finishes for the first time in two years? Is Hunter Lawrence going to be a factor for race wins moving forward? The list could go on and on, as there is no shortage of action in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: KTM Images/Ray Archer

2018 SCORE Baja 500

"I felt good for the last stage as I had some tacos" – Morgan's BAJA 500 winning secret

AddThis Sharing Buttons

Share to Facebook 

Justin Morgan and his three-rider SLR Honda team raced to overall victory at the 2018 SCORE Baja 500 – Morgan’s third win in four years. 

Repeating their SCORE San Felipe 250 win earlier this year, the team of Justin Morgan, Mark Samuels and Justin Jones crossed the finish line in 11h:54m:58s at an average speed of 45.49mph.

321 riders began the 50^thedition of the Baja 500 at 3:30am in Ensenada, heading out into the famous Baja desert for 542 miles of racing. 

187 riders finished the race within the 22 hour time limit and of those the SLR Honda team clocked in just shy of 12hrs. That despite reportedly riding the last 80 or so miles with no oil in their forks after they failed. 

Morgan rode to mile 240, Samuels rode to the 370 mark and Jones rode to mile 505before swapping back to Morgan who rode to the finish.

“After doing the first 240 miles I felt good for the last stage as I had some tacos at Valley T and a couple of Monsters and I was good to go.” Said Morgan after the race. “The first 240 miles were rough and it was hard to prepare for the end as I could only sleep for a couple hours. 

“My first Baja 500 was in 2011 and I was 21 years old and didn’t have clue and I was hooked even after I was forced to miss 2014 because I was hurt. I have a couple more years on a bike for sure, but hope to run a truck after that.”  

Team mate Samuels said: “The track was rough and my section was really rocky and technical. I was supposed to ride another 50 miles, but Justin Jones stepped up and rode it for me down the beach section and killed it. The team really pulled together and it was awesome.”

Pro Moto Ironman 

Francisco Septien won the Pro Moto Ironman class. Finishing first in class, 43rd overall and 14th overall bike, Septien said: “This was one of the hardest Score Baja 500s.  The worst idea I had, was trying to pass the Sportsman guys.  Being an Ironman, we are already tired and trying to deal with more and more dust; it was not a good idea.”

Knee Update: Tony Cairoli

Antonio Cairoli shares an update

Tuesday, 5th June 2018

There was intrigue following the Grand Prix of Great Britain, as rumours spread that Antonio Cairoli had tweaked his knee. Some even noticed that he was in pain as he jumped off of the overall podium. Those rumours were confirmed when a photo surfaced of him awaiting a check up yesterday morning, then he released a small update earlier today.

"Hey everyone, I am on my way to the Formula 1 test," he said on social media. "I am super excited. My knee is actually going a little bit better. This morning I spin some laps with my motocross bike, not too much, but it will be okay." Details on when the issue was sustained and whether there is actually damage to the knee have not been confirmed at this point. Although, based on the positivity in that statement, it seems as though he will be fine moving forward.

Following a brace of seconds at the Grand Prix of Great Britain, Antonio Cairoli now trails Jeffrey Herlings by fifty-four points with eleven rounds left to run. A mudder is expected in France this weekend, which is round ten, and that may even level the playing field somewhat.

Ken Roczen Gaining Momentum

Ken Roczen Gaining Momentum With Second At Thunder Valley National

A 2-2 results for the round was enough to see Roczen back up on the podium with second overall.

In only his third race back from injury, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen continued his amazing progression, battling hard for the lead in both motos at the Thunder Valley National to score his first overall podium of the season, landing second with 2-2 results at round three of the AMA Pro Motocross series.

When the gate dropped for the first moto, the German got off to a seventh-place start, but he moved up to fifth by the green flag. He had advanced to third before the race was red-flagged and everyone was forced to return to the starting line. On the restart, Roczen rocketed his CRF450R to the holeshot and, after briefly surrendering the front spot, regained it later in the opening lap and maintained it for over half the race. Coming under severe pressure from Eli Tomac, Roczen was able to evade the subsequent advances for several laps before relinquishing the lead on lap 10. He fought hard to make a counterattack but was eventually forced to settle for second.

In moto two, Roczen got off to a fourth-place start but blitzed the downhill to quickly move into second. He closed in on the leader, and a three-way battle for the top position ensued, with Roczen falling to third in the battle. The top two riders tangled on the next lap, which gave Roczen the opportunity to take the lead. He stayed smooth and consistent up front before once again coming under fire, and after fighting tooth and nail for several laps, he slipped to second with 10 minutes remaining.

Roczen’s Colorado performance moved him up two positions in the championship standings, to fifth, with 97 points.

"Being in the battle up front and being in the mix today is awesome," Roczen said. "Hangtown was honestly kind of miserable just because I didn’t know what to expect, didn’t have a lot of time on the bike, and everything just felt so foreign. Here, I basically rode the same bike that I rode at Glen Helen, and though it wasn’t totally ideal, I knew what the bike was going to do and how it would react to things.

"We got good starts and rode up front," He continued, "It’s great to have the racing butterflies again and to be doing good. It’s just amazing and the greatest feeling ever and so much better than sitting on the couch. I could have one day or six months of preparation and I’m still going to want to go out there and do what I did today. I want to be up front, I want to battle, and if I don’t win, that’s fine. I can’t expect myself to go out there right away and go 1-1, but to be up front, go 2-2, and be on the podium is beyond amazing. I’m having a blast right now.”

Good starts in both motos contributed Roczen's success on the day.

Team Manager, Erik Kehoe, is happy with how the plan for Roczen's return is panning out.

“Today definitely feels great. This is right according to plan, if not ahead of schedule," Kehoe reflected. "Ken’s plan has been to build and get stronger each week, get good starts, and continue to learn, which is exactly what he did today. I don’t know if anyone, including Ken, expected him to be back on the podium at this point in the season, but he’s incredibly tough mentally and knows in his mind that he’s capable of doing what he did. He really showed how strong he already is, and this just continues to build his confidence so I think soon he’s going to be ready to battle even more.”

Roczen’s Colorado performance moved him up two positions in the championship standings, to fifth, with 97 points.

A happy Ken Roczen with mechanic Oscar Wirdeman and team manager Erik Kehoe

Discussion: Jeffrey Herlings

A candid chat with Jeffrey Herlings

Jeffrey Herlings was not available for a post-race podcast at the Grand Prix of Great Britain, but did make time for us earlier today and that gave us an opportunity to tackle every single hot topic. The pass is discussed, of course, as well as qualifying, the rhythm section, starts, sector one and much more. Settle down and tackle this in-depth discussion with the fastest man on the planet.

MX Vice: We will work through the weekend in order, so talk about that qualifying race. Tony [Cairoli] dominated that one, but it almost looked like you were not willing to push your limits. Were you still learning with your bike set-up and the track at that point?

Jeffrey Herlings: Obviously, you know, I missed the start a bit. I was around fifth, then Tony holeshot and after two laps I was still in fourth I think. I saw he was really pulling a gap and it was just a twenty-minute moto, so I felt like if I finished second or first it would not really make a difference for the gate pick for the Sunday race. I did not want to push too much or waste too much energy, so at one point in the race I was like, "Alright. If I finish second then I have the second gate from the inside, which is good, and if Tony goes more to the outside then I have still got the complete inside gate."

I was fine with the second place, so halfway through the race I started pushing and closed up to [Tim] Gajser and passed Glenn [Coldenhoff] to get second. I was not really stressing. I knew that if it was a race where there were points on the table then I would have pushed harder to pass Gajser and Coldenhoff quicker to get to Tony, but there were no points on the line and it was only a qualifying moto.

Jeffrey Herlings is on top of the world. There is no doubt about it (ConwayMX)

One of the big things I noticed in that one was Wayne, your mechanic, was putting on your pit board to do two, three, two in the rhythm section. When I was spoke to Dirk he said that Ruben even laid into you a little bit to try and get you to try it. Obviously it was not actually that much faster, so did you just feel like it was not worth the risk?

Last year, at the ‘Nations, I almost had a huge crash over that jump on the Saturday and this Saturday, in one of the practices, I cased it again and almost went over the bars. I was like, I do not want to waste my season by doubling, tripling, casing it and then almost doing a nose wheelie over the bars for the next one. I was just like, "Screw that. I am not going to pull the trigger when I do not really have to."

Then on the Sunday I knew that if I wanted to stay with Tony I had to pull the trigger sometimes. Obviously he did not win that much, but you did gain maybe a few tenths of second. It is not like it made a world of difference whether you pulled the trigger or not.

So, we need to talk about the pass in the first moto. From the angle that everyone got on television, which was from the front, you could not actually see the contact, so it just looked really bad. When I saw other footage though, it was not really a hit. It was more like you had just tagged him a little. Did you feel like you hit him quite hard? 

No, literally, I did not even feel like… I felt that we touched, but it was not like it was a big hit or whatever. I just wanted to go to the inside and turn really sharp to set myself up for the next turn, but then he also braked hard and turned really sharp. We basically gave each other a small elbow, but I think he lost his balance a bit and so did I. We touched and that was the point where he fell over. It was definitely not my intention to touch him and definitely not to put him on the deck. Whatever happened was not my intent and it is a shame it happened, but it was just a racing incident.

It looked like it came down to the fact that you got so much drive coming out of the corner, whereas he did not, so it was a racing incident. Had he gotten the same drive as you he would have been clear and that may not have happened.

Like you said, it was a racing incident and things like that happen. I was in the inside and, because we had the contact already from the drop off, he was out of balance and went a little wide, so wanted to come back inside. I was a little out of balance too and we just touched. I think I touched his front wheel or something with my bike, so I do not feel like I had body contact with him, so that might have happened when he fell over. It is a shame, because he is my biggest rival and it is a pity this happened with him. It really was not my intent to get in touch with him, especially because he is my teammate. When you have to fight the same guy week in week out you do not want to make him pissed, let's say.

Jeffrey Herlings now leads Antonio Cairoli by fifty-six points (ConwayMX)

What did the race director say to you straight after the race? I saw he pulled you to one side and had a quick chat. 

Yeah. He just said, "Jeffrey, watch out next time" and that he knew it was a racing incident, but kind of to use my brain in the future and hopefully it does not get to a point where one of us two takes each other out and one of us gets injured. Obviously he did not say the full story but that is basically what he wanted to say.

Dirk said that there was a bit of tension back in the truck, did you notice or are you removed from it? Do you just do your own thing between motos?

Obviously I did not see him between motos. We do not really see each other that much off track. Obviously both of our team trucks are together, but we just do not really see each other that much. We just see each other sometimes when we pass by each other at the track, then we say hello, and sometimes in the energy station. I think we both respect each other and I respect him a lot for what he has done in the past, plus what he is doing right now with how fit he is and how well he is riding.

I still have a ton of respect for the guy and, yeah, I like the way that we are battling. We are both on the same brand and trying to fight for the same goal, which is making it difficult. We are still one team and, even though we are one team, we are actually two teams. I want to win and he wants to win, so that is just the difficult part.

Is that how you view the second moto then, because everyone is talking about how he did not stop to shake your hand. Are you disappointed by that? I know that in every interview we have done you always make a point of saying how great he is and that he is not making it easy on you. 

Yeah, I mean, he lost a little bit of respect by doing that. I would have hated it too if I had led every single and then got passed on the last lap. My pass was really clean and we did not get in touch, so it was a fair pass. I won that moto and when I wanted to shake his hand, I think it was even on television, he just did not really want to shake my hand at that point. I get it, you know, I have made mistakes in the past, like the [Mel] Pocock incident.

When you just get beat and something like that happens, you are a racer. You are in the heat of the moment and you are really pissed at yourself and the situation that you did not win. I completely understand. There is a part of me saying he should have stopped, but then a part of me saying that I understand. If I would have been in his position, then I might have done the same. Everything has two sides.

  Herlings set the quickest time of moto two on the final lap (ConwayMX)

Speaking of that pass in the second moto, which was really clean, did you have that spot picked out going into the last lap? Was it just a case of taking advantage of him drifting wide? 

There were two or three spots on the track where I was going to try and make the pass. I definitely wanted to try it again where I did it in the first moto, because he was just running the inside there. I had that place and some other parts of the track where I was thinking that if I was close enough I would be able to pull the trigger to pass him. Yeah, like I said, it was also a bit lucky, because had he defended that line on the inside I would not have been able to make the pass. I was going to try and do everything to try and make the pass anywhere on the track.

The pass in that long turn at the top was just incredible. Everyone is talking about it. This may even be the most hype that you have ever had! Did it feel special or just like something that was quite easy for you?

No, this was a really tough race and we both had to fight hard to get where we were. I think, as a spectator, this is one of the best seasons in history to watch. We have had many great races; Argentina, Valkenswaard, Kegums, here and then maybe a few others that I am forgetting to mention. We have had some close battles and some nice ones, so I think that for the motocross it is good. It is just good for the sport.

The first sector was a strong point for Tony all weekend and I know that your team told you that a lot. Towards the end of the second moto though, I do not know what you did, somehow you found another gear and gained a second. Did you do something different?

Not really, because I had basically been riding the same lines. I did not know where I found it. I just pretty much went faster anywhere in the sections. He was really strong and we should not underestimate the speed we were going. I feel like we were going really fast and Tony was having a great race. Like I said, I do not know a specific place where I found it. I had to push hard to make this speed happen.

I know he really pushed you hard around that track too, as it was tough to make up time and tough to make passes. I noticed in the first moto you were really aggressive and desperately trying to pass guys like Glenn immediately. Was it in the back of your mind that you had to get up there as quickly as possible?

Yeah. With how beautiful the track is and how great it is to ride, it is really tough to pass. It is wide, like I said, but there is still only one really good line and it is tough to overtake, especially when your main competition is exactly the same speed. If you have three or four seconds quicker than a guy then it is really easy to pass, but when you are running similar lap times it is tough to make a run.

I saw on Saturday that I had to be there from the beginning. I had to make sure that I was up there in the beginning and in both motos I put myself in that position. In the first moto I was into second within a few turns and in the second moto it took me one or two laps. I knew I had to be there and not give him the gap that he had on Saturday, because it would have been game over. I think that is going to happen on many occasions in the future as well.

Herlings has won fourteen of the nineteen motos this season (ConwayMX)

Are you disappointed at all with your jumps out of the gate? Obviously Tony zapped you right away, but then that is not really surprising.

In both motos I was struggling with my balance. For some reason, it felt like it took so long for the gate to drop. I do not know if it was actually long. It was just my feeling that it was really long, then in the first moto just before the gate dropped I got out of the balance. In the second moto it was exactly the same thing. It was a little bit my own fault. My starts were not great, but they were not bad. Both times I was out of the first turn in around third or fourth or something.

They were not good, but they were not super bad. I have had better starts than that and we will keep on working. I have seen that it has been raining a lot in France and the track is currently a little flooded. I have seen pictures, but I do not know if they are really recent or not. You need to have a good start there even if it is dry. We are going to work on that this week. We will not find the egg of Columbus, obviously, but at least we will keep working and keep trying.

Finally, you have had one hundred podiums. More important though, you have had one hundred podiums with the same group of people. I guess that makes it really special? 

It is actually a dream come true. I remember when I signed my first contract in 2008, which was basically ten years ago. I had that one year with Jacky Martens, but I have been with this group since the end of 2009. We have almost had ten years together. It is simply amazing to achieve one hundred podiums, seventy-four GP wins and three world titles in less than three years. I lost two due to injuries, unfortunately, but it is pretty amazing to accomplish that.

I probably could not have made it happened without KTM sticking behind me. They have always had a great bike from the beginning until now and have always supported me whatever decision I have made, even in the years where I did some dumb things they always stuck behind me. I have to appreciate that and give them a big thank you for always having my back.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX