AMA Pro Motocross didn’t run over the weekend, so our own resident workaholic, Jason Thomas, saw it not as an opportunity to have a relaxing off-weekend, but hop on a jet and go to work as part of the TV crew at the fabled MXGP of Flanders, better known as Lommel. No matter where a race takes place we always have questions, so we milked Thomas for even more work for this week’s MXGP edition of Breakdown.
Lommel is a sand track, and not like Southwick, where there’s a base underneath the sand. The whole track at Lommel is literally all sand! What are the unique challenges of racing on this surface? How crazy is it trying to find lines when they’re literally changing every single lap?
The sand depth is very unique. Even worse, the track crew brings in more sand than normal, building a higher racetrack than the sides of the course. As mentioned, many sand tracks, and even those in nearby Holland, have a much harder base that creates a firm bottom. Lommel’s base seems to be non-existent. Landings can be so soft that riders do a front flip when they land. The takeoffs aren’t any better as riders drag their footpegs, as demonstrated by Jago Geerts on the weekend. These MXGP riders are sand experts but Lommel is the extreme when it comes to sand tracks.
Sand tracks have a way of making heroes out of riders who excel in sandy conditions. Was there anyone you noticed who stood out more than normal over the weekend?
Typically, the Dutch and the Belgians excel. Most every track they would ride during the week is sand based and they grew up honing their skills in soft terrain. That same theme played out this past weekend as a Dutchman, Kay de Wolf won the MX2 class and a Belgian, Lucas Coenen, won the MXGP class in his first go at it. I would say the tip of the hat goes to Romain Febvre, though, who has seriously improved his sand prowess over the years. His dedication in the winter to reducing any liability has paid dividends as he chases another world title.
Speaking of riders who excel in the sand, Jeffrey Herlings is on that list. But he’s also dealing with a recently healed collarbone. Do you think that injury held him back this year?
Oh, there’s no doubt about it. He was way ahead of schedule even racing. Had it not been Lommel, there’s a very small chance we would have seen him at all. He still gave everyone a glimpse of what the 84 can do in race two, though. He sprinted off to an eight-second gap before anyone could blink. He subsequently crashed a couple of times and suffered through the rest of the race, but if anyone doubts if the form is still there, doubt no more.
Lucas Coenen won the MXGP overall, which is something he’s never done at Lommel before. In what ways was he better this year?
The 450 has unleashed Lucas’ talent. He was crazy fast on the 250 but he often overrode it and got himself into trouble. The 450 power works with his style and he knows how to leverage it. He doesn’t have to push a 450 like he did on the small bike and that patience is rewarding him. I think we are just seeing the start of a next-gen talent unfurling.
Coenen was using a unique wall jump to make passes. Why weren’t more riders performing this maneuver?
The landing was brutal! Lommel is taxing enough without the skyshot approach. It was faster, though, and he used it when he needed it. One of the upsides was that he could jump out past the soft downside of the manmade jump and immediately get drive forward on the harder dirt. If your suspension was stiff enough and you hate yourself enough, this line was the ticket.
Kay de Wolf came into Lommel badly needing to make up points, which he did by going 1-1 in the MX2 Class. What’d you see in his riding that stood out?
He threw up a 1-1-1 weekend, just like he did in Finland. He had a big setback day in Czech a week prior so he needed to dominate. There’s a bit of a yo-yo effect going on between him and Simon Langenfelder where each is getting the better of the other when conditions suit them. Langenfelder, hailing from Germany, likes the harder surfaces while Dutch de Wolf likes the sand. With a hardpacked Uddevalla up next, followed by a sandy Arnhem, the back and forth may continue into late August.
Sacha Coenen is capable of winning, but ultimately ended up third in front of his hometown crowd. He had a pair of crashes in one moto, which didn’t help, but did you notice any other limiting factors?
My man is loose! Sacha is all heart and that heart happens to also be worn on his sleeve. He leaves no doubt on the effort scale but that also gets him into a world of trouble. Lommel punishes the smallest mistake and Sacha makes many of those. He had seven crashes between the qualifying race on Saturday and race one on Sunday. He is going to have to figure out how to mellow out a bit long term. The crashes occur far too often to win a championship and injuries eventually catch up with the ferocity in which he augers himself. I’m a Sacha fan but I’m also terrified of what crash is looming.
Andrea Adamo put in a fantastic charge after going down off the start in the second moto to come back to eighth, and take fourth overall. In what sections of the track was he doing his best work?
For starters, sand doesn’t come easy for Adamo. He’s Italian and there simply aren’t sand tracks like Lommel in Italy. He made the move two years ago and now resides in the city of Lommel full-time now, though. That commitment and added practice is paying dividends. His runner-up finish in race one was testament to that. He had his work cut out for him in race two with the crash but salvaged what could have been much worse. He’s never going to be as comfortable as de Wolf in the sand but limiting vulnerabilities is what champions do.
Camden McLellan also had a nice charge in the second moto after he started outside the top ten. The Triumph rider came back up to third in the moto to take second overall. What’s it like trying to rip through the pack when you’re being absolutely sandblasted with roost?
Cam loves the sand. He knew he would be good at Lommel and he was. That start didn’t help, though, and any chances of beating de Wolf went out the window with it. Being on the podium is what pays the bills, though, and he was super solid. Further, he is cementing himself as a rock solid contender for Triumph. He may not have a well known name globally yet but I think that’s going to change.
