Kay de Wolf delivered a statement ride to secure his first MXGP podium, overcoming adversity, injury and a chaotic start to produce one of the standout performances of the weekend. The Dutch talent showed exactly why he is so highly rated, charging through the field in spectacular fashion and proving he belongs among the elite in the premier class.
The defining moment of his weekend came in the second moto, where disaster struck early on.
“It was a crazy one, I don’t have much to say. I just came from last to third in that second moto. I crashed in the second turn together with Pauls (Jonass), he got pushed wide, landed on the inside of me, we went down together. Then I just put the hammer down from lap one, and I think I was almost off about 10 times, but I just held on for dear life and I went from last to third, so I gave it my all. I don’t have much to say about it, I just pinned it, and happy to be on the box. I saw Romain (Febvre) in the last 10 minutes, I had to give a big push, because he still had like 10 to 12 seconds on me, so it was a big gap I had to close, and I got behind him, took a few breathers, and then went around him pretty fast, so it was a decent moto. I then tried to sprint away, because he kept pushing, so I tried to sprint away, and that worked. In the last lap, I had a bit of a gap, so I just rode home, it was a decent weekend. I was struggling a little bit all weekend long, I didn’t have the right feeling, which is really important on the 450, more than on the 250, so I’m happy. We did a good change before the second moto, and it worked out a lot better”.
Despite the heroics, De Wolf who had been riding with a thumb injury, revealed he actually hurt his other thumb at the opening round of the Dutch Masters. He also acknowledged the incredible pace of Lucas Coenen and Jeffrey Herlings at the very front.
“It (the thumb) actually was getting better, up until last week, when I was pushing Jeffrey at home in Heere. I hit a small stone on the take off, and then I kind of whiskied, which is pretty easy to happen with a 450, because it’s so powerful, and I way overjumped something, cased another jump, so I also injured my other thumb, so I’m struggling a little bit with both thumbs at the moment. We’re going to Arco, and then we’ll let both thumbs heal a little bit, because I’m still not really holding on to my bars properly. I’m still riding with my thumb straight, so I’m basically holding on with four fingers, so to do this result is pretty good. I don’t think it will give me another to seconds a lap, don’t get me wrong. These two (Lucas Coenen and Jeffrey Herlings) were on a different planet this weekend, and I just couldn’t catch up, especially with the bad starts I had. The first moto was an okay start, but the second moto with the crash, it just wasn’t good enough to stay up with these guys”.
The step up to MXGP is clearly no easy task, and De Wolf was honest about the level required to compete at the very front.
“We have just worked really hard, but this class is no joke. Even P15 can be really fast, so especially the first few laps, everybody still has some energy, so they’re not giving up for a spot, and it’s a lot of hard work. It’s a fun class, it’s a nice experience, but I still need to do a lot of work to keep up with these two. Like I said, they’re on a different level at the moment, so we just keep working hard and learning a lot. I’m learning every single moto I’m on the track – I really feel that, and I hope to be up there with them one day”.
For De Wolf, this first MXGP podium feels like a breakthrough moment and there should be plenty more to come. Battling through injury, fighting from the back of the pack and still finding a way onto the box highlights both his resilience and raw speed. If this performance is anything to go by, it may not be long before he becomes a regular contender at the sharp end of the premier class.
