MX Diary: Pit stop gossip...
By Sean Lawless on 13th Apr 16
Check out this week's gossip from the pits
Brent Van Doninck was, as expected, an absentee in Argentina but the 20-year-old Belgian is already looking provisionally at a comeback in Latvia. "Everything is much more positive since he was operated," said a Yamaha spokesman.
"The injury to his hip was not as complicated as feared, surgeons were able to remove all the small pieces of bone which were broken and he has no pain.
"Brent is keen to race already in Latvia but we will take no risks. There are four GPs in May and if he tries to come back too soon it may be detrimental for the GPs in the following weeks."
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Shaun Simpson was in good form on his arrival in Villa La Angostura. "I finally feel strong again this week and can train properly without feeling tired or sick," he said.
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Max Anstie was optimistic of a dramatic upturn in his fortunes in South America.
"I thought I was ready when we went to Qatar," he said, "but it soon became clear I still had some way to go after my Nations injury and switch to a new make.
"I had to start my physical preparation late in the winter so I didn't have time to test the bike as thoroughly as I would like.
"I used Thomas' [Covington] settings for those first few GPs but now I have had time to test and find my own settings."
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Thomas Covington had a good reason for his disappointing performance at Valkenswaard.
"I broke bones in my left ankle on Tuesday before the race," said the American.
"I'm okay again now but I didn't want to give the opposition a weakness to work on."
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Adam Sterry is back on a bike and on course for his intended return to racing at round two of the Maxxis series at Canada Heights on April 24.
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The future of the GP of Patagonia is secure. Spectator numbers were actually up on last year and the new Governor of the state of Neuquen, which subsidises the event, was so impressed that he has already told the event organiser to sign a new three-year contract on top of the deal which continues into next year.
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Fans at Valkenswaard may have noticed the impressive sand riding of Suzuki World's Jeremy Seewer.
The consistent Swiss has never been near a podium in sand before but his trophy in the Netherlands was fully deserved and a tribute to the advances he has made during the winter.
What stood out in particular was the fact that he was riding a gear higher than everyone else.
"It's always been my style to use the torque and the team has worked hard throughout the winter to improve my bike even further," he said.
"I can shift at rpm levels where other bikes bog."
The advantages were evident on sections of the track like the uphill after the footbridge at the Eurocircuit where everybody else was spinning the rear wheel as they dug holes in the sand.
