Interview: Rasmus Jorgensen on De Wolf and Van de Moosdijk
The opening round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship is just hours away. Rasmus Jorgensen, the team manager at the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team, looks ahead to the new campaign below. Kay de Wolf and Roan van de Moosdijk have enjoyed a productive off-season, so Jorgensen is excited about what the duo could do across the next twenty rounds of competition.
Husqvarna Motorcycles: The start of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship will mark a return to normality with a traditional calendar and the two-day format. How exciting is that for you?
Rasmus Jorgensen: Yes, I am very excited to go back to the two-day format. If it stays like this, we will not have any triple headers and can go back to a normal season. It is a more mellow season in a way – there are some periods that are quite intense, but there are also more free weekends during the season. I feel like this will be much easier on everyone than the last couple of years have been! I am very excited to get back to normality.
Kay de Wolf definitely exceeded expectations in his rookie season. How do you manage that rapid progress heading into his sophomore season? Is it hard to stop expectations from being too high?
It is a difficult balance. Kay did what he has done every year as a rookie; he showed speed and was on the podium in his first EMX125 and EMX250 seasons. The biggest step that he made was in the MX2 class. Not only did he show glimpses of brilliance, with raw speed and podiums, but he was also quite consistent throughout the season. It is a tricky one to manage, of course, but he is working hard and has all of the tools behind him. We are supporting him and not saying that he has to be world champion this year, but we all know what he is capable of and we are trying to improve in every area. We always try to look ahead. I do not think that there is a lot of pressure on him to go and win – we are taking it one year at a time. The boy has just turned seventeen!
How has Roan van de Moosdijk gelled with the team since he joined? It seems as though that process has been as easy as possible.
Yes, it has been. The transition was surprisingly easy with the bike and team – he has gelled well with Kay. They knew each other a little bit anyway, but they are getting along well. Roan is getting on well with his mechanics as well. We have a good click too! Honestly, we work well together. It has been a very interesting wintertime, I have to say. It is nice to have both of the riders aboard. I think that we are in a good position this year.
Both Kay and Roan are quite similar. They are both Dutch and at similar points in their respective careers with a lot of potential. It seems that they have embraced that though and are really pushing each other along.
I think it is very important to understand the bigger picture and take advantage of the fact that you have a teammate who is on a similar level. You can be selfish and say that you do not want to practice with your teammate, but working together has taken them both to a higher level. It was important that they both understood that from the beginning. There is no way that one guy is going to be faster all of the time, but you sometimes learn more on those days when you are not the fastest. They have really done well this winter and pushed each other whilst keeping that respect – they have tried to make each other better. Let the best man be in front once the gates drop! It is going to be a long season, but they have definitely done as much as they can to be as prepared as possible. I am very happy with the progress this winter.
It is all very exciting at the moment. I am sure that you have goals in mind that will make you happy, but consistency must be a priority. If both guys can find some consistency around the top five and podium then the rest will come.
Yeah, exactly! I honestly feel like we are in such a good position. The pressure is on the riders who have won Grands Prix the last couple of years, but I really believe that we have a good shot at fighting for wins and podiums. We will see where we end up towards the end of the season! I think it is important that we focus on ourselves and take one race at a time. I feel like we are in an underdog situation – I like the position that we are in! The guys just have to go and do their very best at each round. I really think that we can surprise everyone, but it is such a long season and you have to stay on a good level throughout the year. We just need to start in a positive way – we do not need to finish first and second on Sunday.
Words and pic: Husqvarna
