Interview: Mikkel Haarup!
The first round of the EMX125 championship took place at Valkenswaard during the weekend and one rider that was expected to be right at the front was Mikkel Haarup. The kid from Denmark certainly didn’t disappoint as he dominated the first round. It was the perfect weekend as he went quickest in his group and won both of the moto’s.
Not only did he win both moto’s but he won in style, he crossed the line with thirteen seconds over Edberg in moto one and he won by a massive twenty-six seconds in moto two.
It looks like he could take some serious stopping and has now made himself the favourite for the championship.
We decided to catch up with Mikkel to talk about how the first round went for him.
Gatedrop: Mikkel, it was a perfect weekend for you going quickest in your qualifying group and winning both moto’s, you must be delighted with how round one went for you?
Mikkel Haarup: Yeah, you know all weekend has just been perfect. I had two good moto’s, quick passing in the first laps was good and I made a big gap back to second place in both moto’s. Overall, I am very very happy with my riding. I didn’t make many mistakes so now I am just looking forward to Kegums.
Gatedrop: You had a great pre-season, that must have been good for your confidence heading into round one of this series?
Mikkel Haarup: For sure, after all those good races my confidence was very high. I knew I had done my homework which meant I was very prepared for this race. I am very happy with my riding.
Gatedrop: Your finished seventh as a rookie in the EMX125 class last year, looking back are you happy with how your rookie season went for you?
Mikkel Haarup: Yeah, you know there were some things I would have liked to have change. But that’s how it is. Overall, I was very happy with my seventh place in the championship last year, it was a good season for me.
Gatedrop: Even though you were fast last year you made a lot of mistakes and crashed a lot, is that something you have tried to cut out heading into this season?
Mikkel Haarup: Yeah definitely. Last year I was so small you know, if the bike kicked I couldn’t do so much so I had a lot of crashing and a lot of mistakes. This year I have grown a lot and worked a lot on my mistakes, it has paid off and I can see that.
Gatedrop: You ended up seventh last year but surely the goal this year is to win the title or you might even be disappointed?
Mikkel Haarup: You know, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself but for sure I want to finish top three in the races all season if I can. For sure, I really want to win the championship if I can.
Gatedrop: They made some changes to the Valkenswaard track this year and it was a bit faster this year that previous years, how did you find the track?
Mikkel Haarup: Yeah, actually it’s been a long time since I’ve rode at this track but I have watched movies and it looked more tight than it is this year. I really liked the speed of the track, it was good and you could have a good rhythm around the track so it was nice.
Gatedrop: This is your second year with the ICE ONE Husqvarna team, have you got a contract beyond this year and even to contest the EMX250 class or is it still to be decided?
Mikkel Haarup: Yeah, two years ago I signed a contract that was five years so I will still have two years to go after this season. For sure, there is a bright future for me.
Gatedrop: At this stage would you be wanting to move up to the 250 bike next year?
Mikkel Haarup: It’s hard to say as I haven’t rode on a 250 yet. I will try my best and make a lot of training on the bike during the winter season to be prepared for it.
Pic: Nigel McKinstry
