Check out some of the leading riders from the weekend and their comments on racing in Italy and France. Tim Gajser and Maxime Renaux were the 450 winners and Simon Langenfelder and Mathis Valin in MX2. Bavo Swijgers image

Tim Gajser: It was a good day overall, and I’m glad we came here to race. In the first moto I got a bit of arm-pump, which isn’t totally unusual, but I wasn’t feeling so great and that affected me a bit towards the end. Then in the second race we made some adjustments and things were a lot better and this gives me confidence that everyone is still motivated to win after the off-season. I’m excited to head to Argentina and get the first MXGP round started!

Mattia Guadagnini: “How cool! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I missed this feeling so much, both on the podium and with the bike. In the first moto, I got some arm pump, and in the second heat I took a few wrong lines, but overall I had fun. It was really nice. At the start, I was really excited and aggressive in the first laps – it has been a long time since I had this much fun. Let’s hope it’s the start of a great adventure. I’m happy, I’m really happy.”

Jeremy Seewer: “Today we had good weather, but the track was brutal, with it being frozen and icy in the morning, so I didn’t go crazy because I didn’t want to hurt myself here. In the first moto, I had a lot of arm pump and didn’t get the best start. I just didn’t get the feeling on this track and I didn’t want to push too hard and make a stupid mistake. So I just stayed in my place, and then seeing as I had a lot of arm pump, I just didn’t risk anything. Moto two was really good, solid start, I was around the top four for a bit. I followed and caught Mattia, and then found a good pace to pass him, but then I had some technical issues and that was it but still we made a good step. It was a positive moto in terms of my riding and bike set up. We know it’s a project and we keep working.”

Ferruccio Zanchi: It was nice to get on the podium and have a good day of racing near to where I grew up. I felt strong and just kept pushing in both races. I made a couple of mistakes, but it was good to battle in completely different conditions than last week and it was good to have a couple more starts under my belt. However, I am looking forward to racing in Argentina and getting this world championship underway.

Valerio Lata: I wasn’t completely at my best today, but I think it was an okay round, and I was still able to finish third in the championship, so that is a nice feeling, in what are the early stages with this team. We’ve worked hard over the winter to get to this position and it is good to get some rewards already. Now though, the important work begins with the world championships and I need to make sure my preparation for Argentina goes well because it will be my first trip travelling such a long way to go race.

Mathis Valin: It was another good weekend with the pole position this morning and two moto wins; what can I say? Everything was different from last weekend - the track, the weather - but I had fun again as they had prepared the track really well. This weekend I had stronger opponents than last week but I got good starts and soon found a good rhythm during both races. It was nice to see so many fans around the track cheering me; nowwe have one more race next weekend to finalise the preparation for the GPs."

Romain Febvre: "It was a decent day but I just made a few mistakes which cost me the win. I was leading both races and could make a gap each time but in the first moto I stalled the bike. I took back the lead on the last lap but then I over-jumped the table-top and ran off the track. I started third in race two but I could pass Maxime (Renaud) and could pull a gap; then I had a small crash in a turn when I lost the front end. I caught up again but there was too much traffic with many lapped riders to attack safely. I'm a little disappointed not to have won a moto yet, even if these races are not for the championship, but I feel I have everything to make it happen when we put it all together and next weekend we have one more race of preparation for the GPs and I want to start winning again."

Pauls Jonass: "Today was the first time I've been on a track like this since joining the team but that was a good experience as we learnt what we have to adjust to suit my riding style. I know what we have to sort out - and that's why we do these races - so we will be ready when the GPs start. I am still riding a little tight but the season is long and it will come. I had two small tip-overs today so I need to stay on two wheels but I feel positive heading to the GPs."

Francisco Garcia: "It was a great day for my first race with Bud Racing Kawasaki. I'm really happy with the team and with my performance today; I was the leader in both races of the riders who will contest the entire series so it was a good way for us to start the season and I hope we can continue like this. The track was really challenging - tight with lots of ruts and bumps - and I really enjoyed racing here."

Jake Cannon: "This was my first race in Europe and the track was really gnarly and technical; it was definitely a big change coming from supercross to motocross with longer motos and a challenging track so you definitely had to be on your toes. But I felt like I made a good step today and the result was a good starting point to keep building and improving. And the atmosphere here with all of the fans was crazy; I really enjoyed it."

Jago Geerts: Tough day today. I didn't feel comfortable on the bike at the beginning of the day, but we made a lot of changes and improvement on the bike.

Ben Watson: ‘I did not have a great day in Montevarchi. I struggled to find the feeling with the track, which is very slippery and full of stones. In the first heat I crashed in the early laps, lost a lot of positions and was forced to make a comeback. Once I was back riding, my arms got hard and I tried to finish the race without making any more mistakes. In the second one, me and Coenen got touched at the start and found myself chasing again. This time my feeling was better but it was really difficult to find good trajectories for overtaking. At the end my speed was fine and when I had a clear track I managed to get back into the top ten. I think without the time lost in the first laps I could have finished even better. Now the focus is on the first round in Argentina where we will definitely find better weather conditions.’

Tom Koch: ‘Today the track was really difficult, especially because of the stones sticking out of the ground; in the time trials I did not do a good lap and was not very satisfied with 15th place. My start in the first heat was good: I came out of the gate well, but then lost a little time in the first corner. I felt good riding, but after five laps I had a strong hardening in my arms and had to slow down. I did not get a good start in the second heat, but then I found a good rhythm later in the race. In the final I suffered a bit with some dubbed riders, but we worked in the right direction. I am looking forward to the start of the world championship in a few weeks and working hard to improve myself.’