Kawasaki riders show good form at Valence

Newsflash, 22 February 2010
For the first time this season the Kawasaki teams KRT, CLS and Bud Racing were involved in the same meeting, the Valence International, the second main pre-season motocross event of 2010.

A race victory for Grégory Aranda, top three finishes for Jonathan Barragan, Sébastien Pourcel and Steven Frossard and top ten scores for Xavier Boog, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Nicolas Aubin confirmed that they are all making good progress in their preparation for the forthcoming GP season.

The opening MX1 race was a stunning double success for Kawasaki as Bud Racing’s Grégory Aranda took his first major victory with KRT’s Jonathan Barragan chasing him home in second place.

Misfortune was to strike both riders in their later races, but Sébastien Pourcel took up the challenge for Kawasaki and advanced from bad starts to record impressive third and fifth placed finishes.

Despite a disappointing opening race, those scores lifted the French KRT rider to fifth place on the day, one ahead of Barragan with Aranda ninth and Xavier Boog, the third member of the KRT team, narrowly missing the top ten overall despite three solid finishes.

There were high hopes of Kawasaki success in the MX2 class as Nicolas Aubin of Kawasaki Bud Racing set the fastest time during Saturday practice, and Steven Frossard of Kawasaki Team CLS Pro Circuit qualified fastest on Sunday morning, but both riders suffered setbacks during the racing.

A sick Aubin was unable to maintain his proven pace for the full duration of a race, and Frossard, still getting used to the awesome power of his new KX250F, misjudged his first two starts and actually hit the gate in the opening race.

Setting the fastest race lap each time, he scorched through the field to finish fifth and third, and in the final race of the day, in which the best MX1 and MX2 riders started together, he was the leading MX2 rider throughout to confirm third place on the day.

Kawasaki Team CLS Pro Circuit colleague Jeremy Van Horebeek recorded three solid finishes, the highlight being a second race fifth place, to finish the day eighth in class.

Each of the Kawasaki riders will now prepare in a number of different races all over Europe prior to the opening round of the FIM MX1/MX2 World Championships at Sevlievo in Bulgaria on the Easter weekend of April 3rd and 4th.

Jonathan Barragan: “I had good speed in the first race, but it is so difficult to pass here so I had to settle for second place. In the second race I crashed and scraped my arm on the tyres which mark the track, and I collided with another rider at the start of the Superfinal so I didn’t get the overall finish my riding deserved. But this is only my second race with the team and I feel more at home on my KX450F every time I ride it.”

Sébastien Pourcel: “I was much happier with my last two races. I found a good rhythm to come back to third and fifth after bad starts in all three races. We have been testing different tyres and exhausts; I feel good on the bike now and didn’t get tired so that shows we are working in the right direction.”

Xavier Boog: “This was only my second race on the KX450F-SR and the first in track conditions like we had today, but I felt stronger in every race. I still have to improve my starts, but now we have three French championship races before the first GP to work on that.”

Grégory Aranda: “I was very satisfied with my first race as I proved that I can run the same pace as the top riders if I get a good start. I had some bad luck in the other races, like a stone in the front brake in the second race, but I felt good on the bike all weekend and confirmed that my physical condition is good.”

Steven Frossard: “My main aim this weekend was to test the bike in racing conditions, and I must say that the technicians have done a great job. The power comes in so strongly that I made a mess of the first two starts, in fact I hit the gate in race one, but I had got used to it in the Superfinal and was the first MX2 bike from the start. I made the fastest lap in the first two races and that gives me confidence for the World Championship.”

Jeremy Van Horebeek: “I already have a great feeling on the bike, but the track was slippery this weekend and I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. This was our first race and I made a few mistakes getting used to the power but the bike is so good that I can hardly wait for the GPs to start.”

Nicolas Aubin: “I didn’t get the results I expected today, but I know the reason. I proved already yesterday in practice that I had good speed for one lap, but I felt sick today and found it difficult to concentrate. The race was useful though, because we made some improvements to the set-up of the bike and are working in the right direction.”

Results MX1 : 1.Cairoli (ITA, KTM) ; 2.Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha) ; 3.Ramon (BEL, Suzuki) ; 4.Boissière (FRA, KTM) ; 5.Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 6.Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki) ; 7.Desalle (BEL, Suzuki) ; 8.Nagl (ALL, KTM) ; 9.Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 10.Leok (EST, Honda) ; 11.Boog (FRA, Kawasaki) ; etc….

Results MX2 : 1.Roczen (ALL, Suzuki) ; 2.Musquin (FRA, KTM) ; 3.Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 4.Paulin (FRA, Yamaha) ; 5.Teillet (FRA, KTM) ; 6.Herlings (PB, KTM) ; 7.Roelants (BEL, KTM) ; 8.Van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki) ; 9.Aubin (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 10.Simpson (GBR, KTM) ; etc…