Jérôme FARAILL – MXVOICE.Racing : Can you introduce you to the french fans who maybe don’t know you yet..?

Jago GEERTS : My name is Jago Geerts, I’m 19 years old and i live in Belgium. I’m a professional motocross rider in the MX2 world championship for Monster energy KEMEA yamaha racing.

MXVOICE.Racing : How did you come to motocross..?

Jago GEERTS : My dad was a GP mechanic for a long time and he was also the mechanic of Marnicq Bervoets for a couple years. Before that he was also racing himself. So everything was about motocross when i grew up and i tried it for the first time when i was 3 or 4 years old and i immediatly loved it.

MXVOICE.Racing : Will you stay with the same team in 2020..?

Jago GEERTS : Yes, Yamaha had an option to keep me for 2020  and they took the option so my contract is extended for one year. Next year the team will change a little bit. The structure of Yamaha is changing and we will be the Factory Yamaha MX2 Team. I think thats a good step forward that we can work even more professional !

MXVOICE.Racing : How did you feel during the MXON..?

Jago GEERTS : On Saturday i didnt feel really good but I still finished 4th in the qualy race after a really bad start.I wasnt that happy about my riding. On Sunday during the MXON i felt much better. The first heat i worked my way up to 10th place and 2nd of the mx2 class but then i had an unfortunate electronical problem with my bike. The 2nd heat i finished 8th overall and first of the MX2 class. I was happy with my riding and we finished 2nd overall with team Belgium. That was a really nice experience and i hope more podiums in the MXON will follow.

MXVOICE.Racing : Some months ago i talked with Stefan Everts and he said that he see you as a possible world champ in the future, is this something that put some pressure or not..?

Jago GEERTS : It is nice to hear that Stefan has a lot of faith in me that i can become world chamion in the future. It doesnt give me really more pressure but it gives me motivation to work hard during this winter and hopefully that i can battle next year again for the podium and maybe for the world title.

MXVOICE.Racing : Do you want to go to the US one day or doing a career only in the GPs..?

Jago GEERTS : No I think my career will be only in the GP’s. It is very difficult to move to The USA as a GP rider and compete in the Supercross and AMA motocross series. The most difficult thing to learn are the supercross tracks because the American riders train on those tracks since they were very small. We need to learn all these techniques in only a couple months. Thats why a lot of european riders who go to the USA get injured fast in the beginning. I like the USA to go on holiday or to train in the winter but I’m not interested to really race there.

MXVOICE.Racing : What kind of tracks do you prefer..?

Jago GEERTS : I prefer sand tracks the most. I grew up in Belgium, really close to Lommel so i have been riding in the sand since i was really small. I also like very technical tracks like Ernée and Saint Jean d’angély.

MXVOICE.Racing : What are the points you want to work specially during the inter-season..?

Jago GEERTS : During the off season I still want to improve my starts. That was really a weak point this season because my starts were really inconstant. Also the first laps i was sometimes a little bit careful and lost some ground the first 10 minutes. But i have a full winter to work on that so next season it must be better.

MXVOICE.Racing : Who is your best friend in the championship and why..?

Jago GEERTS : I get along good with a couple different riders. But to say who is my best friend is difficult and i never really think about that.

MXVOICE.Racing : Did you think one day when you were a kid that you will race in the world mx championship..?

Jago GEERTS : It was always a dream to compete in the world championship for me. So its a dream come true. I was always thinking about it when I was small. In 2016 i became world and european champion in the 125cc class. Then I was thinking that maybe my dream could actually come true. In 2017 I signed my first factory contract and from then on Im a fulltime MX2 world championship rider.

MXVOICE.Racing : What are your hobbies..?

Jago GEERTS : I dont have many hobbies except motocross. I like to go karting with friends and doing some BMX riding is also a hobby of me.

MXVOICE.Racing : Is there something special you do before a start, are you superstitious..?

Jago GEERTS : Im not superstitious but i have a little bit of a routine before the start. I always warm up when im behind the gate to get my heart rate going a little bit. I also do some breathing excercises before the gate drops and that works good for me.

(Exclusive Interview – Texte Copyright Exclusif (toute reproduction même partielle interdite) © 2019 Jérôme Faraill pour MXVOICE.RACING ©, Photos : Yamaha Racing Europe, Thanks For Your Time Jago..! Special Thanks to Alexandre Kowalski..)

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