First post-race reactions from Team USA after finish third in the 66th Motocross of Nations with Ryan Dungey fifth in MX1, Blake Baggett second in MX2 and Justin Barcia fourth in MX Open

Ryan Dungey: Obviously there is a little bit of disappointment… you know we come here to win. Third overall is not bad and we did our best. We came over here early to prepare for the sand and it ended up being a good eye-opener for how I can improve. These guys [Europeans] ride it really well and they did good today so congratulations to Germany and Belgium. I made a few mistakes and you cannot be doing that. I know the next time we come to this track and if I’m on the team then I will be more ready.

On sand riding…
There is a certain technique that over more and more time you can develop. I’m not making excuses…there were things that other riders were doing better. It is a track condition I need to spend more time in and I think that will improve areas of my program. We wanna' win and that’s Team USA and unfortunately it didn’t happen today but we gave it all of our heart, so I cannot be too mad.

On Europeans in the sand…
They are talented guys but from what I hear they are in their backyard. If they came around near where we lived it would be a similar deal. They have very impressive talent and technique that is beautiful to watch and I’ll try and pick-up on some of that and learn.
This is the first time I have been on the team and lost but the number on your plate when you turn up to the next Des Nations is only a number really. The goal never changes when you come to this race. This is a first-time experience and overall it will benefit my career moving forward.

Blake Baggett: We came over here a bit early to try and prepare for the sand because over in the USA we don’t really have anything like this…other than on public beaches and definitely no riding there! We are the best of the best selected to come here for Team USA and I felt we had a good team. We did what we could but this track is like something from my worst nightmare; it was gnarly! Hands down to Cairoli, Germany and Belgium and Herlings…you guys are animals man.

On being the champs and the ‘targets’…
We’ve got some work to do. When we come here it kinda' seems like all the countries are gunning for us but the another side of that means you are doing something right.

On being lapped by Herlings and company....
We knew these guys were fast. You only have to switch on Youtube to see that those guys are gnarly in the sand. It would be the same thing as them turning up at Anaheim 1 and riding Supercross after three days. Hands down to them, they are bad dudes. They have that technique mastered. It’s a skill and we can learn from that.

Justin Barcia (On his first moto collision with Ken De Dycker that led to a broken front wheel and fourteenth position): It was a big mistake on my part because it took out a load of spokes and my front wheel eventually locked up and it was pretty much over from there. Ken kinda came in a bit slower and from the outside. I was on the inside and we met up and that’s what happened; definitely ‘racing’ and those things can happen.

On his rookie Nations showing…
It has been a great experience being on Team USA and we had a great team this year. It is very disappointing not to have won. The track was definitely something I have not ridden in my life before. Nothing can compare to this. It is never-ending; the huge bumps and crazy sand. And I thought it was hard back home! The guys over here are so talented and we tried our best to keep up with them and race them; that’s how it goes down.

Roger DeCoster, Team Manager: Of course we came here to win but first I want to congratulate Team Germany. What they did was very impressive; they stayed out of trouble and didn’t seem to make any mistakes. We were hoping they would do something wrong in that final moto but it never happened. We always expected it would be Holland and Belgium to be the toughest on the sand but we didn’t really count on Germany enough. I have to thank Tony and Jeffrey for the riding lessons; you guys were unbelievable.