After being the pit reporter for the first two rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, our own jet setter Jason Thomas went to Germany over this past weekend to do TV for the MXGP round at Teutschenthal. Even wilder, he has just gone to Spain to ride the Stark Varg electric bike a few weeks earlier! We fired some questions his way to ask some thoughts on all things MXGP of Germany and riding with voltage.
What do you think happened with Tim Gajser for a few weeks? He missed some podiums, now he's back to winning ways.
Each weekend seemed to be something different. Sardinia was illness and that track, and those conditions will exploit any weakness whatsoever. Spain saw mistakes from Gajser which he certainly isn’t immune to. I believe France was simply due to the Saturday drama and resulting outside gate picks for Sunday. Unless you’re Jorge Prado and can holeshot from the Skybox, starting from the outside gate is asking for trouble. He put himself into precarious positions all afternoon because of the bad gate picks and resulting bad starts. Germany was more of a return to normalcy. He’s the best rider in the MXGP field at the moment and will win most times if all things are equal.
![The MXGP class start at the MXGP of Germany.]()
The MXGP class start at the MXGP of Germany. Honda/Bavo Swijgers ![Tim Gajser]()
Tim Gajser Honda/Bavo Swijgers ![Tim Gajser continues to lead the MXGP points standings.]()
Tim Gajser continues to lead the MXGP points standings. Honda/Bavo Swijgers ![The Honda HRC crew.]()
The Honda HRC crew. Honda/Bavo Swijgers
Jago Geerts has crashed away some points, but now is back into the lead after a Tom Vialle DNF. Any idea what causes some of the mistakes for Jago?
I bet I could negotiate some serious money if I knew why Jago makes the mistakes he does. He’s always been this same guy, though. He’s improved his speed and fitness but he’s still prone to the crashing that can derail championships. I did like the maturity from him this weekend, though. He wasn’t feeling it, didn’t like the track, but didn’t throw away a solid weekend because of it. A younger version of himself may have overridden the situation and ended up on the ground. He needs to maintain that level of “big picture” thinking as he moves forward. It will serve him well if he can. Take the wins when they’re available but rack up the podiums when they aren’t.
| Position | Rider | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tom Vialle |  | 758 |
| 2 |  Jago Geerts |  | 754 |
| 3 |  Simon Längenfelder |  | 596 |
| 4 |  Kevin Horgmo |  | 527 |
| 5 |  Thibault Benistant | | 510 |
Talk about the track design and prep at the GPs. You've mentioned how massively different it is from America.
MXGP tracks are groomed less than Lucas Oil Pro Motocross tracks. That’s not a new development. It’s a fundamental difference in approach. The tracks in the USA are works of art and allow riders to push the edge in ideal conditions. MXGP tracks are rougher, ruttier, and more treacherous. Lucas Oil Pro Motocross tracks belong on calendar photoshoots while MXGP tracks make me uncomfortable to imagine competing on. Which is better? Depends on who you ask. I would choose to ride and race on tracks in America 10 out of 10 times. I do think that the MXGP tracks likely develop more well-rounded riders and more technical skill sets. To go fast on MXGP tracks, it takes a full repertoire of talents. The lack of traction coupled with a myriad of concrete-hard ruts would have me loading up my bike and heading for home. The MXGP riders have to spend time learning how to go fast when conditions deteriorate because they will see that type of track week in and week out. While I respect their willingness to grab another gear while ripping through footpeg deep ruts, I think I will stick to the picture-perfect tracks we have stateside.
MXGP of Germany highlights:
Are there some riders in either class that maybe casual American fans haven't noticed?
In the MX2 class, Thibault Benistant is on the verge of super stardom. His talents were on full display in Germany, hopping and skipping his way to the overall win. His approach to sections was unorthodox, choosing lines that others probably didn’t even know existed. He was working with the track and carrying momentum through low traction sections. He has had a few breakout rides since moving up to MX2 but that race two on Sunday was something special. If he can harness that level and smooth out some of the variance in his results, we may be looking at a future world champ.
Because you're insane with travel you also went to Spain to ride the Stark Varg. What was it like?
It was such an incredible experience on so many levels. First and foremost, not having a transmission or clutch was very challenging to adjust to. Decades of habits don’t break easily, and I constantly found myself wanting to downshift and pull in a nonexistent clutch lever. Once that adjustment period is over, the story is all about power. Without an engine to spool up or RPM to build, twisting the throttle sends you to neverland in a heartbeat. The only thing keeping you from idling to top speed is traction. It’s remarkable how fast mistakes can be overcome because speed can be regained instantly. In the Racer X video about the Stark Varg, it’s easy to see how speechless I was about just how fast that Varg is. It is a bit overwhelming, honestly. For a novice rider, it’s far too much. That might be the coolest aspect, though. The power is completely programmable. Want it to be more like a 125? No problem. Have a friend that’s never ridden before and need entry level power delivery? Again, no problem. Adjusting from that to a fire-breathing monster is just a few keystrokes away. It is a do-it-all bike and without making a sound.
Watch Jason Thomas on the Stark Varg here:
Main image courtesy of Yamaha/Bavo Swijgers
