MX Diary: Track spats
By TMX Archives on 11th May 16
The seventh round of the world championship was marked by growing tension in both MXGP and MX2 classes.
Red Bull KTM's Jeffrey Herlings complained about line-cutting by Monster Energy Kawasaki's Dylan Ferrandis and Team Suzuki World MX2's Jeremy Seewer in the second moto.
In MXGP Monster Energy Yamaha pair Romain Febvre and Jeremy Van Horebeek had a spat at the startgate before the first moto and then came together on the first lap with the Frenchman crashing.
The atmosphere was understandably tense in the Yamaha camp between the motos. Febvre could only finish 10th in the opening race and had fallen again after being unable to avoid Tommy Searle. Van Horebeek allegedly apologised for his part in the drama but then suffered his own spectacular get-off in moto two.
Scared
"The situation should have been fixed before the [first] moto," said Febvre. "The story was that I took Jeremy's line because mine was not so good. I decided to move and I did not know that somebody else had taken his line before. He was pissed off and not with me but with the situation.
"I can do what I want because I was second [in qualification] and when I did he started with some comments that I should be scared of him. For sure I was pissed off also and I was not going to stand and say nothing. The team tried to fix it after the moto but he took me out on the first lap. It was too late and it will be difficult to solve the problem."
Febvre, who also exchanged words with Tim Gajser after Saturday's qualification heat with both athletes accusing the other of aggressive riding, remains confident that he can retain his title.
"I have made some mistakes but I am showing that I have the speed and I know what I do physically is working well because I think I am one of the fittest guys in the paddock. Gajser has had some crashes also and Cairoli had a slow start to the season.
"There is still a long way to go and for sure I need to work more on the starts."
