Behind The Gate – The Interviews: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2

For the MXGP of Latvia, the Behind The Gate documentary series simply had to follow the Latvian brothers Karlis & Janis Reisulis around their home GP at Kegums. Episode Nine, “Brotherhood”, went behind the scenes with the “Reisulii” as they went for home GP glory at the Zelta Zirgs Motocenter circuit.

Elder brother Karlis, despite being behind his younger sibling Janis in the Championship, proved to be the faster Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rider at his home GP, and was denied a glorious podium by a last lap from Camden McLellan, but still took fifth overall with his 6-3 finishes, matching his best of the year so far and lifted himself from a points tie with Valerio Lata to hold eighth, behind his brother, in the MX2 World Championship.

Janis had a below average weekend for his debut season, which has otherwise been seriously impressive, but still managed seventh overall with 8-10 finishes.  He had high hopes after a best GP to date of fourth overall in Germany the weekend before, and a great EMX250 weekend at Kegums in 2025. 

The interviews with the two brothers, as well as Team Manager Herjan Brakke, a former GP racer from the Netherlands, took place before the MXGP of Italy at Montevarchi.  They took place before the announcement that the partnership between the Hutten Metaal team and Yamaha was in its last season. 

KARLIS REISULIS

 

KR: [Pulling funny face, crossing his eyes – see the episode!] Where is the camera? Which camera? I can't see it. Just can't do it.

 

BTG: Here we are! All good. So Karlis, thanks for joining us! Talking about your season so far, how are you feeling with the season? It's your second full year in the Yamaha team, obviously, in MX2. So, yeah, how were you feeling so far, before your home GP I mean?

KR: Yeah, so far this season, I've been feeling quite well. I've had some dips, especially in the French and German round, but otherwise, I'm feeling quite well on the bike. The team is well organised, so yeah, it's been quite a good season so far.

 

BTG: How does it feel then for you, now with your brother in the same class? I don't know how much you helped each other in previous classes. If you can say maybe, if you did help each other before, or not, when you were in different races, but now you're competing again together, how does this feel for you? Does it feel much different, like you've got an extra motivation?

KR: Yeah, now being in the same team as my brother, in my opinion it's quite a nice plus to have, because we've been riding together for a long time, but this year I felt like we've been more together. We help each other a bit more. We experience the same lifestyle, same everything, so we can relate to each other much more. So, it's a nice thing to have in this team.

 

BTG: Although Janis has got some good starts and been up there at the front, you've actually beaten him as much as he's beaten you so far, on Sundays that is. However, on the Saturday, that seems to be the problem there. Is there something that you need to improve on that you know of for Saturdays? Why do you think the Saturday results haven't quite matched the Sunday ones?

KR: Yeah, the battle between my brother and me it now seems like a never-ending story. Especially, I struggle on Saturday. It's hard to say. Like, I'm not feeling so good on the bike, maybe at that time of the race. Like, next day I have more bike time, and then I feel even better with the track, or maybe the solution would be to ride only on Sundays! I don't know.

 

BTG: So, speaking about the first race, in Latvia. You seemed to be responding well to having the home crowd with you, that sort of support. It seems to help you. You're not feeling the pressure, or at least not showing the pressure, so to speak. So, yeah, for that first race, sixth place, how happy were you with that?

KR: Yeah, first race in Kegums actually went well, in my opinion. I didn't have a good start. I messed up a bit on the start and I fought my way through the pack. And even till the end, I was catching the riders in front. Just was a bit far off to manage to pass them as well. But otherwise, yeah, I was feeling good. The crowd was like crazy at Latvia, and all my friends were there, so I just had more, how to say, wish to perform well. Maybe that's why I could ride a bit better. That's what I asked them, to come to other races, yeah, that's what I asked them, but I don't know, maybe that's actually not a solution! [Laughs]

 

BTG: Cool, and then, yeah, the second race. I mean, an amazing start. You quickly got past Valerio, and then you were sitting nicely in second there for some time. So, how good was that feeling with all the fans there making noise? It must have been every lap for you, surely?

KR: Yeah, second race in Kegums was really good, in my opinion, especially at the home track, like I was sitting at a steady pace. In second place nearly all race, and just made a little mistake towards the end. But otherwise, yeah, I was feeling so happy mostly, after the race because in the race I really didn't focus so much on the fans. I couldn't. I was just trying to ride my best. But just to think about that race, it's giving me a little bit of goosebumps thinking about how the fans are so nice there.

 

BTG: Nice one. And then, yeah, a real shame, obviously, that the last lap issue there, and the pass from Camden, means that you didn't get on the podium. Did you know that the podium was on for you? Did you know that was part of it?

KR: Yeah, when I made that mistake, I also didn't know I was on the podium before that. Like, I was trying to look at the pit board, but it was just like at that moment, I couldn't see it every lap. I was just focusing on the line too much, maybe. And I missed the board sign that I'm on the podium at that moment but I think it wouldn't have changed anything, like I was still pushing as hard as I can. in those last laps I over-pushed a bit, but yeah, I think it didn't matter that I didn't even know I was on the podium in that moment.

 

BTG: So, just to ask you a question that we've been asking all the other riders in these interviews. Your race number, where does the number 47 come from?

KR: Number 47 comes from, I don't know, like I was just putting numbers together when I first joined Team MJC on the Yamaha 125 team. And they asked me if I could take a double-digit number because at the time, I was 772, same as my brother is now. And I thought, like, I was just arranging numbers together and I saw 47. And I knew some Latvian ice hockey players used to have a number 47. I knew Jeff Emig had 47. I was thinking it's a nice number. That was actually genius, because like after my first season riding with this, one of my Lithuanian friends told me ‘bro, you can have like a marketing deal with this thing’ and I said oh hell yeah give me that! I didn’t think about the AK-47, the famous rifle.

 

BTG: Just thinking ahead, maybe to the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. Obviously, Latvia at the moment, you've got one 450 guy, two 250 guys, so have you guys even thought about who might race the 450? Or not?

KR: I think, talking about the MXoN team, for Latvia, I think we'll manage easily maybe, who rides 450 or who has their own role, so I think we'll just manage this.

 

BTG: So, have you ridden a 450 much?

KR: Yeah, I did last year, like a bit, both in the winter and before the Nations. So, I have some experience on the 450 as well.

 

BTG: If you had one piece of advice for your brother, especially now he's in the room, what would you say?

KR: I don’t know… [Laughs] Sometimes… it takes time… No, no, wait. No… Be yourself and enjoy it… Keep calm and open the throttle. Or, wait… Work hard in silence, and let farts make the noise. [the whole studio laughs at that one!] Yeah, that's good, no?

BTG: Amazing. I really hope we can use that! That's all we need. Let’s get your brother in, thank you!

JANIS REISULIS

 

BTG: Thanks for joining us, Janis. It’s your first year in the MX2 class, obviously, you had great success in EMX, with titles in both 125 and 250. So, coming into the season before you started racing MX2, what were your thoughts? What were your expectations? Did you think you're going straight for wins immediately, or did you have a kind of plan, or a target, for what your year was going to be like, at least at the start?

JR: Yeah, to be honest, coming into this class, I didn't really have expectations, and yeah, I also didn't want to put any pressure on myself. Even though I am the kind of guy who, like, no matter the situation, I always want to win. But yeah, I think I've been doing, really, my best this season so far and it's been going quite well.

 

BTG: Talking about the season before Latvia, you were ever so close to getting a race win and even a podium there in France, for example. So, you've got to be pretty happy with how it’s been going, or are you frustrated to not get on the podium yet.

JR: Yeah, obviously like, how the results have been at the start of the season, sure, the results are quite solid and also consistent. So, yeah, I'm really pleased with that. But also, yeah, we are working for the podium and for the wins, and that's what we are here for. So, yeah, just need to keep putting in the work, like we have done so far this season, and I think everything should be as we want.

 

BTG: How much more difficult are you finding it with the extra races? Because of course you had one race Saturday, one race Sunday, now it's one Saturday, two Sunday, they're all longer. Are you feeling the difference there? Is it changing how you train and prepare?

JR: Yeah, having this format, with longer races and two full race days, doesn't really bother me, because I know what I've been working on this the whole winter and this season so far. So yeah, that doesn't really bother me. And even though it is quite a bit more difficult than in the EMX, because also the race intensity is a lot higher, I think I'm managing it quite good.

 

BTG: Just to talk about the relationship there with your brother, of course, going into this season before, you have raced each other in the past, but you've had a couple of years where you were not in the same race. Are you the sort of guys, because we see a lot with the Lawrences and the Coenens, do you guys communicate a lot, or did you before you were competing? And has that changed much?

JR: Yeah, in my eyes, like, when this season began, in my eyes, me and my brother started to even know each other more, because we had more things in common since we race in the same team. Because we also do like all the training together, physical stuff, and also on the bike, like almost every day. Yeah, I think I know my brother pretty well now.

 

BTG: Nice one. Your race number, where did you get the 772 from? Karlis said he had it first, but why that number? What's the story behind that?

JR: Yeah, the number 772, my brother was racing it first, and to be honest, I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's because our father was born in 1972. In the beginning we were riding #72 before we started doing the 85cc and 65cc European races, where you needed six or seven in the front. So, yeah, just decided to put another seven, so, yeah, it became 772.

 

BTG: Nice one, and he took it away when he went to EMX, but you kept it coming back up through, yeah?

JR: Yeah, I think keeping it was a good idea. It's like a lucky number now.

 

BTG: Nice one. Talking about your home GP, you won the EMX250 last year, in Latvia at Kegums, so you know what it's like to have the crowd behind you there. Did it feel different now that you're in MX2, now that you're in a World Championship?

JR: Yeah, like racing at home is always nice. I remember winning it last year in the European was really great, but I think even this year, even if I wasn't riding at the front, it still was even better. Because there were lots more fans, and really cheering on me, on the side of the track. So, I'm really grateful to have these kind of people supporting me.

 

BTG: The race day didn't quite go to plan, not your best of the year, shall we say. So, yeah, can you explain what that was? Was it just bad starts or were there things in your riding that weren't quite right? Or, yeah, what can you say about your results?

JR: Yeah, like I would say that the home GP, I was affected by the amount of emotions I had. I needed maybe some more experience for it, but that's already all behind, and I'm not thinking about it at all and just focusing on what's coming next.

 

BTG: We heard that you just finished your exams or something like that on the final Friday, is it, before the actual GP started? So, yeah, even now it's a couple of weeks on, you haven't had a race with the exams behind you, but can you feel the difference now that you're not having to worry about all that?

JR: Yeah, obviously it's a really great feeling to finish all the school work, because it was really something to think about in the winter, and in the beginning of the season, and it gave a little bit more work to the mind. Now that it's all done, I'm really dedicated to putting the work into what I'm doing in Motocross, and all the other activities, so yeah. It's great!

 

BTG: Now, you've had this nickname, The Killer, which we’ve all been aware of you since you started winning in EMX. Whereabouts does that come from? Is that from someone else, or is it something you came up with? Whereabouts did this nickname come from?

JR: Yeah, like the nickname was made by Davide Soreca. He was actually a Dakar rider last year, also. I think it was like a camp in Spain one year, where I was all the time walking around quite serious. He just gave me the nickname Killer because of the silence and the seriousness of me.

 

BTG: Ah ha, cool. Any advice for your brother as well, just to finish things off, like he did?

JR: I don't know. No, I don't think of something.

BTG: All good, thank you, Janis!

 

HERJAN BRAKKE – TEAM MANAGER

 

Paul Malin, from his commentary booth at the side of the studio: This man knows how to ride, eh? Top ten in GPs back in the day! He can also run like a 3 minute 14 kilometre. Strong runner. What's your best, what's your kilometre speed?

HB. Yeah, it depends with distance. Like my marathon pace was, my best is 4:11 My 5k is my best, I think 3:19 and 10k is 3:24.

PM: Imagine if you had two knees!

HB: Yeah. Imagine! And I'm half paralyzed.

PM: And he goes, Let's go for a run. Like an easy run. I thought, surely he can't run. He's got plastic on the back of his leg. Yeah. He can still run. Where was that injury from? Was that from Latvia?

HB: No, this was just a practice crash on the Wednesday before the GP of Lommel.

PM: So, who's the real “Killer” in the room?

 

BTG: Nice one! So, obviously Herjan, you had a change in the team, Karlis stayed with you, but yeah, a change in the team there to bring the two brothers into MX2. What were your expectations coming in? I mean, did you think it might have been tricky to manage? I mean, how well did you know Janis?

HB: Yeah, this year we had a change in the team. We went from three to two riders. Karlis stayed, Janis was joining. We were very happy actually that Janis and Karlis stayed together, because we had the experience with Karlis. He's a really nice guy, professional, respectful. So, it's nice to have such a guy in a team. Janis, we didn't know at all. Of course, we saw his races, but we didn't work with him. So, it was a bit of a ‘let's see what's going on.’ And then we started working together, and actually, I think we had a very, very good winter. And it was nice working with them, and still is. For the team, it's nice. It was a change, but only positives.

 

BTG: How does it affect the normal teammate dynamic, does it take the chance of animosity away a bit? I mean, there are always teammate, and the first rule is always to beat your teammate, all that stuff, it’s always a part of motorsport in general. So, does the brotherly thing take that kind of thing away a little bit, or does it add to it? What changes does that family relationship make to the atmosphere between teammates?

HB: Actually, everybody got treated the same in our team. Why I like our team is because our team owner, Wim Hutten, always had a vision that we need to take care about our bikes, but also take care about the riders. And this is something I like. We support them where we can, and our goal is that they can show, on the big stage, their maximum or their full potential. And that's what we are looking at.

 

BTG: Have there been many changes to the bike, between this year and last. How much can you tell us about what's changed on the bike itself? And have you changed the bike much to suit your riders this year?

HB: Well, last year was the first year that there was the new noise regulation. This was a challenge. We worked very hard last year already on our bike, and this year we continued. We had a year of experience, and we continue to make the package better and better. I think we have a competitive bike. Big changes for the guys? No, because Janis and Karlis, actually they are quite easy riders, as I mentioned before. Of course, we made the package as good as possible for them, and they rely on the team and they trust the team, so they feel very confident on the bike they have.

 

BTG: In terms of setup, are they similar with how they run the bike? Is there a difference that you can say about that one rider is different in one way to another?

HB: Actually, there is almost no difference. We started the season with a different handlebar for example, but in the winter Karlis said he would love to test the handlebar from Janis, so they are even on the same handlebar right now! And despite some minor changes, it's more or less the same bike.

 

BTG: This season they've both been putting in great results. You're now what, seventh and eighth in the Championship together, so you know it's all sort of pulling forward a little bit, and it feels like there's more results to come. So, how difficult was it to manage the riders going into their home GP for example, an atmosphere perhaps that's still a little bit new, certainly to Janis. How difficult was it to manage their emotions going into the GP in their home country?

HB: It was difficult for Janis. It was the first home GP for Janis. Karlis had some experience. This is something that, as a team, we try to keep them focused on what they have to do, and to keep them focused on the things that have to happen on the track, but also to enjoy the atmosphere and the energy of a home race. So, this is actually a job for the team to give them, from both worlds, let's say. I think they gained a lot of experience. Karlis was really shining in his home GP, and Janis was doing about normal. We have seen some really great races from him, and in the home GP, everybody was maybe expecting, but he was just normal, and we have to accept this.

 

BTG: Did you guys know, or figure out, that Karlis was in line for a podium there until that last lap? Did you know that the podium was happening, and if you did, how disappointing was that final lap?

HB: Oh, we definitely did! We knew that he was in a podium position, and that he was on the same points as Mathis Valin. At that point, besides giving him the message at the end of the race, we can't do anything. We trust that Karlis is giving everything, his best to get the best result. And then it happened in the last lap, the last half lap, that McLellan passed him and he dropped off the podium. Of course, the first emotion is disappointing, but to be honest, I think everybody, and also if I speak for myself, I could really quickly switch into the mode like, I'm so happy that he showed his potential, and that he is in this position to almost get a podium. This is promising. He's on the right track, let's say. So, from a small disappointment, straight away into the positive vibe like, hey, look what you did.

 

BTG: Yeah, because both riders have both got into the top five now, on a few occasions this year. So, it's all going in the right direction. So, the big game, obviously, is always to win. But for you, would a podium feel like a win now for the rest of the year?

HB: Yeah, definitely. A podium feels like a win, but as I said before, they need to be themselves, they need to show their full potential. And if they are able to put this in the race, they are fast. They still need to experience that it isn't over until it's over. Because the class is stacked. Like we have McLellan, Längenfelder, Coenen, Valin with more experience. They all have the experience. They all went through it already, I think, where the Reisulis boys are going through it now. And this we need to accept, and we need to keep digging. As Janis said, keep working. Latvia is done. Now it’s Italy. Then it’s Portugal. Then it’s South Africa. We know we are good. We know what we can do and it will come.

 

BTG: Just one last question for you there. I mean, in terms of the two Latvians there, do you know if they're more comfortable in hard pack or in sand? Or are their experience and skills kind of more like an all-rounder?

HB: In my opinion, both brothers are very all-round They are Latvian, so I think they grow up with a medium sand soil, so they feel, quickly, confident on this. But they also can adapt to any kind of soil right now, which is also needed, if you want to compete in the World Championship, let's say. So, is there a big preference? Karlis is maybe stronger in the sand than Janis. I think it doesn't matter, just changing week by week and doing all that they can.

 

EPILOGUE:

Both brothers struggled somewhat on the old-school hard-pack of Montevarchi in Italy, with Janis 10^th and Karlis 13^th.  However, since then, Janis has finally clinched that first career podium with a stunning second overall at Águeda in Portugal!  Backing it up with third overall in South Africa has moved the younger Reisulis to sixth in the Championship before the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain.  Karlis has stayed consistent with eighth and seventh across the last two rounds to still hold down eighth in the series.  How they continue to develop will be an intriguing sub-plot in the second half of the MX2 World Championship.