MXoN - What the riders said.... and in alphabetical order.
This Honda supplied image is from Steel City.
from KAWASAKI RACING.
from KTM RACING - Photographer - Ray Archer
Tony Cairoli: "it was an okay weekend for me. I had a good start but I wasn't feeling so good with the altitude and it wasn't good for my asthma. But I finished second behind Ryan and it would have been possible to win the moto but I made a small mistake going over a jump and I hurt my wrist and back then I didn't have such a good start in the second moto and I was back at 15th and had to fight back again into fourth place. Overall for Italy it was better than last year to be fifth. Also the federation (Italian) called me back just last week to race here. I had not been training as much as I am used to so my condition was not as good as it could be."
Rui Goncalves: "I finished in the top ten in the first race and I had a good start in the second but then I got hit on my shoulder by a big rock. I lost the feeling in my shoulder and from then on it was very tough. I couldn't really push hard."
Left to right: Stefan Everts, Ricky Carmichael and Pit Beirer. KTM coming to America with big budgets - mmmmmm.
from TEAM SUZUKI PRESS OFFICE. Ken Roczen was winner of the Ricky Carmichael MXoN the Youngest Rider Award. German Roczen had a great outing at only his second participation at the Red Bull FIM MXoN as this year the 16 year old was the youngest rider to line up at the gate in the three races and even took the individual victory in the MX2 class representing Germany. (From Alan H: In 2011 Roczen and his longtime sponsor Teka will both move to KTM and contest the World MX2 Championship with high ambitions.) After Saturday's Qualifying.
Clement Desalle: "I lost the rear wheel and spun round, Boog hit me and I went down. From there I just tried to recover some positions. It was weird with the sunshine; not easy to see the bumps and the shadows seemed to change every lap! We have a decent enough position for tomorrow."
After Sunday's racing.
Ryan Dungey: "This weekend was quite amazing. The track was rougher and better than yesterday. I felt the pressure from Cairoli in the beginning but the line choice increased as the race went on. This is right at the top considering what I have won this year. Everything must go right to win at this event. It is hard to put into words but it's like the experience of a lifetime. I felt like we really stuck together as a team and that helped a lot. We never quit and always kept pushing. I want to thank the team and everyone behind us."
Ken Roczen: "Today I rode two good races and felt awesome. My start was not great in the first moto but my speed was OK and I felt that I rode well. Leading that second moto was something unreal and the whole experience is definitely a highlight. I'm really happy to have ridden for Germany and to be on the podium also to compete against some riders we have only seen on the TV!" Clement Desalle: "I finished second in the World Championship, second at Unadilla here and now second again; it is boring to always be second! Still this is good result and we did a good job with the team. I have been struggling since the crash at Lierop and couldn't train since the beginning of the month. I felt better on the bike today though compared to Italy two weeks ago." Steve Ramon: "I'm happy to be up here with the team but also a bit disappointed with my riding today. There was a chance of being able to win but I was not at the same level as I have been in the last two weeks. It was tough out there and I was fighting the track a little bit. I would like to thank the team because we did a good job anyway. I think this was my ninth Nations and I have always been on the podium." Arnaud Tonus: "It has been a cool day; the only low-point was a crash on the first corner of the first moto which meant that I have to push to come back. I was not so good and struggled to get a rhythm. I was 16th and not happy so I focussed hard for the next race and that was much better. I rode the whole distance with Boog and it was a good battle. I pushed really hard but was losing out to the 450 on the hill. Anyway, eighth was good and helped the team."
from SYNERGY-SPORT
The final and deciding MX1/Open moto once again saw BT challenging for the win. With the USA duo of Ryan Dungey and Andrew Short out front Townley closed in on "It was great winning the first moto” explained Townley " There were so many Kiwi supporters cheering us on today and to win for them is amazing. Of course I’m disappointed with my crash in the second moto. Luckily nothing is broken, just some swelling and pain so I should be ok in a few days. The Motocross of Nations is a such a special event to me – the camaraderie between the teams is great to see and experience. I’m proud of what we achieved with Josh and Brad and look forward to next year in St. Jean d’Angely in France.”
Images courtesy of CDS.
MNZ's Andy McGechan says: Coppins finished 11th and 14th in his two outings. "It’s sad it didn’t quite work out for us this year,” said Coppins. "I want to thank all the people who helped make this weekend possible for Team NZ and, to all the supporters who made the trip, waved banners and shouted their support, also a huge thank you.”
Image courtesy of CDS.
from YAMAHA RACING.
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Trey Canard: "This is a very difficult race but one I've always wanted to do. It definitely lived up to all my expectations. I got caught up early in the first moto when a rider in front of me went down. It put me way back in the pack and I had to work really hard to get back in the front group. Then there wasn't enough time between motos to fully recover and I got a little tired in Moto 2. I'm a little bummed about that but overall it was great to compete in this event and help bring it home for the USA. I would do this again in a heartbeat. I think it would be a lot better to do it on a 450 so hopefully I'll get that chance some day. For now, we're going to savor this win for Team USA and have some fun with these crazy fans." 
Brett Metcalfe: "I'm pretty pleased with my effort. It was really hot out there and the altitude hurts the performance of the bikes a bit and kind of throws you off but I'm happy with the finish we had as a team. If you're not in first place at the end of the day you always feel as though you could have done better but we raced as hard as we could and had a great time. This event is unlike any other and it's so cool to have all the fans from the various countries out there supporting their riders. I was honoured to represent Australia again and it was also pretty special to race in the USA this year because this is where I live now and this is where Sheena (wife) is from so we had our own cheering section." 
Dean Wilson: "The long uphill start was difficult for the 250s against the 450s, but I was soon in front of the other MX2 bikes in our first race, leading until Roczen caught and passed me a few laps from the finish. The second race was a little more difficult for me as I didn't get quite such a good start, but I finished 6th and 8th against the larger bikes." 
Xavier Boog: "I haven’t been lucky with the starts this weekend, as I crashed there twice, once on Saturday and again on Sunday. In qualification it was the fault of another rider, but in the first race on Sunday I crashed alone and started last. I rode tense and never found a good rhythm, so I was pretty tired when I finished the race in eleventh position. There was only a short break to recover between the races, so the last race was tough. At least I didn't fall this time but my start could have been better; still I managed to finish seventh after starting somewhere around twentieth. It was a dream to race the Nations for my country but I had been hoping for better results.” 
Jonathan Barragan: "I was happy with my speed this weekend, even if I’m not fit enough due to the fact that I only got back into full training a few weeks ago. But, after Fermo, I confirmed that I am returning to my best speed; I got the holeshot in the first race, but I knew that Cairoli and Dungey would be faster so I didn’t battle too much with them as I wanted to finish the race. Later Metcalfe also passed me for the third position. In the second race I was seventh for a few laps but then I had some problems with the bike, maybe due to the altitude of the track.” 
Jeremy Van Horebeek: "In the first race I just never found my rhythm. I was stressed and Canard passed me, but I was able to watching his lines; that was good for me, and it helped me at the beginning of the second race. But as the race wore on it became more difficult with the ligaments in my right thumb which I had broken in Fermo two weeks ago. I had kept it to myself and didn’t say anything as I wanted to be there for the Nations. It got more and more painful after ten minutes, but I finished tenth and did my job for the Belgian team who again finished on the podium. I want to thanks Kawasaki, Pro Circuit and CLS who provide me with perfect support all season, but now I will go back to Belgium to have surgery on my thumb.” 
Max Nagl: "It was amazing to be on the podium and its the first time for us since 1985 and that's a long time. The last years have been really tough but now we had three top riders. I was quite happy with my riding. The speed was there and I had the same lap times as the big guys. I had a crash in the second moto and I hurt my hip but I'm happy that I wasn't injured although for sure it will be sore for the next couple of days." 
Marvin Musquin: "It was a bad weekend for me and the French team. I wasn't good on Saturday but I was better in the warm-up. I was happy at the beginning of the first moto. I was good and my speed was good but then I had some problems with the bike. I need to really learn about the injection bike and I am excited to begin testing and working the Roger DeCoster and the guys in the team. I am happy about coming here to ride." 
I would love to know what this conversation was all about ? 
Ken Roczen: "It was a great race and I really enjoyed it. I could see some places in which I was a bit quicker than Trey but he was really fast and we kept together. You needed a good eye to find an overtaking chance. On that last lap I just came out of the rut and hit a bump and couldn't save the bike. It was a shame but I'm not disappointed; just really looking forward to tomorrow."
Steve Ramon: "I like the track, there is a lot of grip and it is fun to ride. My speed was good but we need to change a setting on the bike to get a bit more power at this altitude. I also had a problem with my tear-offs on the second lap and the lens cracked on my goggles."
Ben Townley: Troy Lee Designs Honda rider was in the Open Class in Moto's 2 and 3. As the MX2/OPEN moto got underway, Townley had a decent start and quickly shut down fellow Honda racer Andrew Short from the USA. BT wasted no time in making an aggressive pass on the American with both riders not backing down. It was Short who came off second best as Townley managed to keep upright and take over the lead. A charging Ken Roczen from Germany made for some exciting racing when he passed Townley for the lead. BT settled into a race rhythm and set up the young German for a great pass where he succeeded to pull a comfortable lead to put Team NZ high up on the score board with his superb victory. 
Short and made the move on the American with five laps gone. Townley pushed to keep Dungey honest however around the halfway mark he made a vital mistake and went down hard, twisting his ankle in the process. Townley remounted and tried to complete another lap but had to retire with a sprained ankle..jpg)
Josh Coppins: Aprilia's Josh enjoyed a solid weekend of racing on board his Aprilia machine, resulting in the 7th best placing in the MX1 class, and supporting New Zealand to a respectable 8th overall in the event. ‘Lizzard’, who has recently retired from Grand Prix racing, now heads home to New Zealand to enjoy some family time, ahead of next season where he will contest the Australian Motocross Championship.
Gautier Paulin: "The team did a really great job and my bike was perfect today. I am a bit disappointed to finish fifth in the first moto because I felt that my real place should have been third or fourth; I was a bit tight on the bike. In the second moto I had a really bad start and then two small crashes which meant I had to fight back from 23rd to 9th. Together with Marvin we [France] were leading at one point in the first race but the conditions became difficult, and for me in the last part of the day the low sun made life pretty tough. Anyway it was not a bad way to finish the season and I want to thank the team so much for all they have done." 
Zach Osborne: "It was a decent weekend. I made some silly mistakes; on the first corner of the first moto and then another when I was eleventh or twelfth in the second. It was not the best showing today but I still have a lot to think about with the British Championship decider coming up next weekend. I'll go back to Europe and then head home for a few weeks. It was a good experience being here and it was my favourite of the year so far." 
Harri Kullas: "It was hard against the 450s and I was asleep at the beginning of the first moto. I pushed back to take nineteenth and had a small problem with the clutch. I made a silly mistake by reacting to Karro next to me at the start of the next moto and hit the gate. I fought back strongly on the first lap and followed Tonus for a while and had an OK race. I finished 19th twice and I'm a bit disappointed by that. I had 18th and 16th last year. I did my best and rode as fast as I could. I finished both races but it could have been better." 
Alessandro Lupino: "The first race was not bad. I started in thirtieth position and won ten places but in the second race I went straight into a rider who had crashed on the first corner. I was last and tried to push but had some stomach cramps. We finished in the top five which was our goal so I am happy. The event was really nice and it was wonderful to be here."