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Five minutes with...
Jeremy Van Horebeek
The Belgian MXGP rider had a tough season - at times showing the form that
saw him finish 2nd in the championship in 2014, but otherwise troubled by
injury. So we thought we’d ask him about Christmas songs...
Images: courtesy of Monster Energy
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So how do you think the year has
gone for you?
You know, I started off really good. I
had really good preseason races with
Tony in Italy and was winning Motos - I
was on the podium all the time and
then I got into the MXGP season and I
felt really good.
I already had two podiums. I was
sitting in fourth with twenty points
behind second. So, then I had
the crash in the start on Saturday,
qualifying in Russia, where I broke my
finger and you know everything was
gone, everything where I prepared for
was gone in just a second.
Was it a bad break?
Yeah, it was a finger, so I could not
come back quickly. I missed three
GPs. I was in a lot of pain in all
the GPs and the problem was the
motivation was gone.
Did it feel like the season slipped
away?
Yeah, I finished seventh now, but
I’m pretty sure without those injuries
and the three DNFs, a podium finish
was realistic this year because I was
prepared better than ever. But it is
what it is, you know: it’s racing.
Many guys got injuries by the end of
the season. It’s not what we want,
but at least I got two podiums in the
beginning of the year. And a new
contract with Yamaha...
What do you think you’ve learned
from this year? Are there positives
to take from this?
I’ve learned a lot. It’s not just the world
championship anymore, this class is
brutal. You have to be on your A-game
every weekend, and you have to focus
on every little single detail.
In 2014, I was on a podium every
weekend but didn’t care about the
details: food, what time I went to
bed - all that, you know. But it’s really
important. You have to be at your best
all the time. I learned it last year, but
again this year it became even more
clear that I have to do that.
What did you make of the MXoN
track at Matterley Basin?
We didn’t ride Matterley this year,
but we have it for the nations. It’s
huge, you know, big jumps and it has
everything here. It has everything for
us. It has everything for the spectators.
Time for a change of direction,
what’s your favourite Christmas
song?
That... that’s a strange one. I don’t
know so many Christmas songs,
but... I know “All I Want for Christmas
is You” is really popular in Belgium.
They play it a lot, it’s not my favourite I
guess but let’s say that one.
How do you usually spend
Christmas?
I love family time. It’s an important
time of the year for me because after
that it takes off. We go to bootcamp,
out of the country in January for a
month. So it’s really important. I like to
spend it with the family - and between
Christmas and New Year see friends.
Was Christmas all about new
motocross and bikes when you were
a kid?
I remember when I got my first bike -
my first bicycle - yeah. They’re great
memories.
I was a small kid... like five or four... it
was like kind of a party and there was
like a present and I had to find it. But
I could not find it. It was stuck under
the table, but the table was wrapped
in paper!
You snowboard too, don’t you? Do
you get much of a chance to go
boarding?
In the season, not so much. Off
season, we have indoor slopes and
all that in Belgium. Then I go to the
slopes - but actually it’s been a long
time since I really went on a proper
trip.
But I really enjoy it you know, because
I was kind of really good at it, but it
can kind of get too much...
It can get dangerous pretty quickly,
yeah…
Always getting more and more
crazy. But hey, I said to some friends
we should go the week between
Christmas and New Years’. I said we
should go there because it will be
really nice to do it. I enjoy it, but then
I’m pretty good at it, so boom. t