Kay de Wolf Gets Honest

Racer X: Reflecting on the season, there must have been career-best moments of riding and then others where luck and strategy came into it…
Kay de Wolf: Yeah, of course. It was a long season that had good races…but also some where I clearly needed to do better and have to do better for 2025. Sweden for example. I dominated on Saturday but then struggled on Sunday and went off the track. I made life hard for myself and that’s what I need to improve to be ready for the MXGP class where you cannot make those mistakes.

Can you be more specific about getting better? Is that a concentration thing?
No, small mistakes. They will always happen but…

And especially in 60 motos in a season! Winning the 2024 championship proves there were not too many!
No, there weren’t that many but there were 4-5 motos where we know we need to work more on [pause]. I know from 60 that doesn’t sound too bad! But those small things cannot happen. Look at Switzerland: the whole thing could have been gone there. It was a massive crash, and I was really lucky to walk away from that one.

That day in Frauenfeld defined the year. You were not at your best but won a moto, won the GP and went for those points…
Yes, it was all about the points. We were talking about it on the way to the track; it just felt like a day where I was going to collect massive points for the championship. When things seem to be going in one direction then they have a way to change. Lucas had been winning a lot…but we got it done. I was laying on the massage table on Saturday and thinking “We need to find a way to ride tomorrow.” I knew it would be tough on Sunday, and I woke up and thought “This is bad”. I could barely walk due to my hip being so bruised. It stayed blue for something like three weeks; that’s how hard the impact had been. In the shower that morning I wondered how I was going to ride but I turned it around: almost a holeshot in the first moto, got to 1st and led the whole way.

The Swiss GP was four races from the end of the season. Did you risk-manage for the championship after Frauenfeld?
That first moto…winning that made me think, “Right now, [race] for the championship.” I was around 60-points ahead and we only had Turkey, China and Spain to go so I backed-off in one aspect. I’m sure I gave him [Coenen] some moto wins at the end of year. I gave him a few ‘three points’, whereas at the start of the season then I would have fought a lot harder for them. I’m happy with how I managed everything.

Lucas has left the team now [moving to Red Bull KTM]. We’ve seen teammates going for a championship before but how hard was it for a then-19-year-old and a 17-year-old to go head-to-head?
I didn’t really care too much. I think it was more from his side. In fact, I know it was more from his side. He stopped talking to me at one point. But that was up to him and if he thought he could win the title by doing that then I proved he couldn’t. He’d been pretty nonchalant about his performance all year long and, okay, he won a few more GPs than me but they came out of the last few rounds where I backed-off for the title and he could go all-in. Maybe he can say he was the fastest…but he cannot say he was the best.

How has life been as a new world champion? Much more media work?
I had to go to a few Red Bull events but largely the same. The Dutch press have been terrible. We haven’t had one single bit of attention. The Dutch press is not quite on the level it should be for motorsports, I think. It’s sad…but it is what it is.

Lommel [Flanders GP, round 14] was a disaster for Coenen with a 5-8 and plenty of incident. Were you watching and knowing that you couldn’t afford the same slip for the rest of the year?
Yeah, of course. At Lommel I think he just ‘blocked’, and didn’t know what to do. He crashed, gave-up and then decided to come back again. That’s never been my way. If I’m not injured, then I get back up and go full gas again. I would not pull into the pits, have a cry and then go out. But his lap-times after that were unreal! It was already too late though.

In 2024 we saw plenty of the ‘old’ De Wolf with the fluid style and amazing speed but then you also cut out those silly errors that had led to injuries in the past. It was real progression…
Yes, and that’s how I managed the championship by not obsessing about GP wins or moto wins. Lucas just went for moto wins or GPs and then would have a really bad result the next week whereas I would be 2nd or 3rd and consistent. I would settle and avoid those mistakes. It was about management.

Was there a time when talk of 2025 and speculation about riding in MXGP or in a different team overlapped with focus for the championship?
I kinda knew quite quickly what my plan for would be for 2025…I just liked to wind things up! Everyone was thinking I would get on the 450 but I never really considered it.

Not tempted? Even for a second?
No, never. I had been riding the 450 quite a lot, because I like the power, and I think the rumors came from that. I’ll wait a few years for MXGP…even though it’s getting closer and closer. I’ve got another three years for MX2.

California and supercross: did the trip and the riding go as you expected? Was it worthwhile?
It only gave me more motivation and more interest about supercross. I think about it almost every day, even now, and how I can improve. I might even focus on doing that [improving] here in Europe. I’m thinking about every small detail but let’s see. I might want to do the rest of my career in MXGP.

Were you able to make the laps okay?
It came quite quickly to me. I went step-by-step and it soon came to feel very normal. I would roll out on a new day and already start jumping everything from the first lap. It was fun.

What about the settings?
I didn’t do anything! They just gave me a standard set-up that RJ [Hampshire] uses. We didn’t try too much. At one point they said “we can make the whoops easier because we found something with the offset and this-and-that…” but I stayed with one setting - more or less - for three weeks and didn’t complain. Apparently one of the settings was very low but I didn’t care, I just rode my bike and had fun. I wanted to ride as much as possible.

What about riding in traffic?
I trained with Tom [Vialle] a little bit and tried to follow him. It went quite decently. If I could have a full winter of supercross then it would look quite good to start racing.

So, was your mind more made-up about supercross? Or does the temptation of a juicy factory contract in MXGP outweigh the option?
No… and the contracts will decide things: if there are some good ones in the U.S for supercross or some big chances in Europe and MXGP. I enjoy both. I like racing in MXGP, and I like to be at home but on the other side I’d like to race supercross someday. So, we’ll see where the contracts come up and where I’ll feel at home the most.

What is it about supercross that appeals?
I don’t think it is the scene or the crowds…it is just the riding. I love whoop sections. I cannot get enough of them. I’m thinking of building a set at home with just a little circle. Get some suspension and then hit them all the time and practice. 

Rasmus [Jorgensen, Team Manager] will love that…
I’m sure he will!

Could WSX be a way to sample Supercross?
That could be possible, but the main goal will be to start in the AMA. 

There has been a lot of stories and some wild headlines about the Pierer Mobility Group’s status and commitment to racing. Has it affected you at all?
I never really had worries. I’m sure the situation will sort itself out and I don’t think it will affect me too much because Kay Hennekens [Team Owner and Principal] has such a big heart for this sport, and I think he would keep us racing anyway. He would make sure that we’re there.

Lastly, why hang around in MX2 when you’re already a champion?
Like I said I think I need to improve a bit more before I move to the MXGP class. I feel it is too early, and I want to work on a few more things before I move up and fight for a podium place there.