It is only his rookie season contesting the competitive EMX250 championship but Max Werner is having a solid season as he currently sits ninth in the standings with two rounds to go. The young German has been a good signing for the JM Honda team and will hope to have a bright future in the sport.
We caught up with Werner in Switzerland after he finished a brilliant third in the second moto in very demanding and muddy conditions.
GateDrop: Max, I think you had issues yesterday but today you got a good start in unbelievably tricky conditions and you showed your true potential there with a third, so even though yesterday didn’t go according to plan you must have been happy to end the weekend on a high?
Werner: Yeah, of course to come back after such a bad day from yesterday with a P3 with the holeshot, for me it’s unbelievable. I’m really happy about that but still I wasn’t 100% today, it was actually crazy that I did that after yesterday, it was good.
GateDrop: What actually happened yesterday, dehydration was it?
Werner: Yeah, I got dehydration, like I pushed and because I fell back then I pushed back and came back to 11th or 10th, I don’t know, and yeah then at one point I finished myself and I was still finished the race but yeah, you cannot call it riding. But then I just got a quick check up from the medical staff and yeah, they said it’s okay to ride if I feel okay and then I decided to ride today.
GateDrop: Good decision to race! How did you find the track compared to yesterday? A lot of ruts, old school, not a very long track. Do you think it’s GP standard in terms of the track and then obviously today heaven’s open and it was survival out there?
Werner: It’s kind of like an ADAC track, it’s like Gaildorf a little bit with less jumps, so you have to like these kind of tracks. I kind of like it, it’s quite good but yeah, also yesterday was quite sketchy but still grippy so yesterday I liked the track. Also, today it was, yeah, it’s muddy, it was just mud, otherwise difficult to say but it was muddy and still for me good because I like the mud but yeah, some riders don’t like, some riders like but for everyone it’s the same.
GateDrop: Just on the EMX250 series, you’re obviously a rookie, just how would you analyse your season so far? I mean, you’re getting good starts which also helps but you’ve been in the top ten plenty so I feel like this is a solid first season for you in the class?
Werner: Yeah, I would call ups and downs a lot. I have had some races where I fall back a lot and was not the best but yeah, I learn with every race and try to get better every race and learn, you know. That’s why I’m here for this year, to learn and just build myself to have a solid season next year.
GateDrop: How do you find the Honda? You’ve obviously been used to an Austrian brands, how did you find getting on the Honda straight away and how’s everything going there with the bike?
Werner: Yeah, the bike is good, I like it engine wise also, I’m very close with the engine guy and he did the perfect setup for me so yeah, everything perfect. I would say the handling is good, I can’t, I have no excuse, I don’t know how you say it, I have no complaints about the Honda.
GateDrop: How’s everything going with the Jacky Martens team as well? He’s obviously very good at spotting young talent and helping them develop them, how’s everything going there? And you’ve also got Brent Van Doninck as a teammate, he’s very experienced, are you close with him and are you able to learn things from him for the team?
Werner: Yeah, when I have questions I always ask him and he helps me, so he’s a good guy and also in training we have some laughs and fun together. Jacky, he helped me when I had no team at the beginning of the season. He picked me up from nowhere actually and yeah, he brings me a lot of experience into my career also, I learned a lot from him and it’s also kind of old school sometimes, but it’s really good and really good stuff to learn. You know, it’s the new generation, but still to take something from him is unbelievable sometimes what we learn.
GateDrop: Have you got any plans for next year yet? I guess you want to stay in the EMX250 series at least and maybe it sounds like you’re positive about the team, so maybe stay there, but I don’t know if that’s an option or not…
Werner: Yeah, I’m not allowed to talk yet about it, but yeah, my plan is to stay in the EMX250 and do a solid season there.
GateDrop: So, after this season obviously I’m sure the goal will be to have a strong winter and then have you got a goal now, what you’d like to achieve next year?
Werner: Yeah, I would like to finish all the races solid in the top five/podium positions and yeah, hope to be an EMX250 champion.
