Winners - Herlings and Cairoli

Last weekend at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria the two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli did what we are so used to them doing, and that is winning.

For Herlings and Cairoli it was hard work as they fought hard with their rivals, although at the end of the day they stood proud on top of their respective podiums. We caught up with them after their victories.

For Herlings it is still about progressing and getting more bike time as he struggles a little with his condition and speed. Still though, from the four GP’s he has raced, he has won all of them and while he isn’t his normal self, he is still the man in the MX2 class.

“Obviously on Saturday I struggled with arm pump,” Herlings said. “I didn’t ride so much in the morning, and I struggled after like two laps with arm pump, and in the heat race I also had trouble with arm pump. The first moto I had an average start around fifth or tenth. I passed a lot of guys and I closed in on Arnaud and he made a mistake and I took over the lead. The second moto I was second in the start and took the lead on the second lap. The track was so tough and slippery and really weird. I don’t have much experience on those tracks. We won both motos and we are trying to improve every week.”

“We didn’t ride much in the last six months, and we are working hard to get the red-plate back, but Arnaud (Tonus) has improved a lot. We need to just win more races. The first lap I overtook him and he overtook me back and he pulled a five or six second lead.”

“Even in Italy in the first moto I struggled with arm pump. I haven’t ridden much, I didn’t ride in December, I didn’t ride in January, we started our preparation in February which wasn’t good for Qatar. Then I got a virus in Thailand and was in bed for a week or two, then I hurt my shoulder and didn’t ride again for two weeks.”

Cairoli might not have had the same problems as his younger team-mate, but he has struggled with an ankle injury and had to fight off the very in-form Gautier Paulin. Still, victory in Bulgaria did make his job a little easier.

“It felt amazing to win in Bulgaria. I had never won the MX1 class in Bulgaria and even on Sunday there were a lot of ruts and I thought I could express myself better. Gautier was faster than me and I couldn’t stay with him. I was worried about my ankle, but it is healing a lot and I don’t have any pain anymore.”

“The conditions were so different in the two motos, changing situations. First race was hard and slick and a lot of traction in some places. In the second moto it was just slippery everywhere because of the rain and mud.”

“I was comfortable in the lead in the second moto, but from one lap to the next the lines changed because of the conditions. I nearly went over the bars and then down one of the hills I made a mistake and lost some time, but I had a big lead, and I could still finish in front.”

“I like Valkenswaard, I like the sand. I also like hard-pack, I am trying to be faster on hard-pack, but sand I like a lot. I look forward to being closer to my second home.”