Championship, Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Cas Valk rode his KTM 250 SX-F to 2-2 for 2nd position overall. The result marked the KTM GP Academy starlet’s first top three of the season and the Dutchman sits 3rd in the rankings.
MXGP now breaks until the first weekend of May where a ‘double’ on the Iberian Peninsula – Portugal and then northern Spain – will push the series up to round six.
Jeffrey Herlings, 4th and 7th for 6th overall in MXGP: “I clearly had the speed to be on the podium today. I came from P20 to pass many guys and reach P4 in the first moto and in the second I had a really good start but the rear end washed away and it meant another charge back, this time to 7th. It’s pretty devastating because I had the pace to maybe even to go for the win. Two out of three starts this weekend were good and my feeling was really good, especially with my ribs…we just didn’t have the result! Anyway, we go home in one piece and we have sixteen more races to come. I should be fully fit and ready to go in Portugal.”
Liam Everts, 3rd and 2nd for 1st overall in MX2: “This weekend was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t a perfect weekend but we got the job done. It’s nice to be back on top, especially at this iconic venue. I had struggled in Sardinia, so I wanted to do better and get on the podium. I wanted to get that burden off my shoulders, and I hope now I have that sense of freedom to continue. We’ll have a small break now and then work hard towards the next Grand Prix.”
Sacha Coenen, DNF and 11th for 16th overall in MX2: “A really good first moto. I led for a while and then got passed by two riders but couldn’t make the finish. It was a technical issue and just bad luck. I really wanted to win the second one but we had the start collision. Disappointing. Last to 11th and not what I wanted but we’ll hope for better In Portugal.”
Andrea Adamo, 7th and 6th for 7th overall in MX2: “After yesterday I was confident for today but this is the way it is and we cannot change the result. The speed was there and everything was on-point but I didn’t make the best starts. It was really difficult to pass. I made a mistake in the first moto and I was in the middle of the mess at the start of the second. We’ll recover, relax and work in the next weeks now to reset the motivation for Portugal.”
Harry Norton, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Really nice for Liam and great to see after he had to miss the first GP of the year. Also, the first one for the team so we’re really happy. Unfortunately Sacha had a DNF, otherwise he was in podium contention and Andrea also showed he had the sped until his mistake. Jeffrey is building back into what we know and we’re sure the slow-and-steady approach will pay-off in the long run.”
Words: KTM
Images: Ray Archer
