Press Release: Kawasaki Racing Europe
Gautier Paulin of the Kawasaki Racing Team finished runner-up in the Thailand round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship at Si Racha to maintain his 100% podium record this year.
The Frenchman made life difficult for himself with a less effective qualification than usual and the subsequent poor choice of gate saw him buried in the pack at the start of the MX1 race. However he battled magnificently to fight through the field for an eventual fourth place and later in the day secured his second podium finish of the season with a sparkling ride to second place in the Superfinal and the overall classification. He is now third in the World Series, just 17 points from the series pace after two GPs.
Tommy Searle of Team CLS MX1 Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit added to his learning curve in his rookie season of MX1 GP racing to finish fourth overall and advance to fifth in the championship standings. A difficult qualification race left him with a poor choice of start gate, but the English rider advanced strongly throughout the 40 minute MX1 race to finish fifth, and followed this up with an even better ride to fourth in the Superfinal despite a small crash in the middle of the race.
Jeremy Van Horebeek continues to be handicapped by a pre-season finger injury, but the Belgian battled resolutely to score points in both races. With three weeks to the next GP in the Netherlands at Easter he confidently looks forward to soon joining Kawasaki Racing Team teammate Gautier Paulin at the head of the pack.
Gautier Paulin: “Another podium for me so it’s another good weekend, even though I didn’t qualify so well on Saturday. At the start of the MX1 race I was in the pack and got mixed up with some other riders so I was seventeenth the first time past pit lane, but I was able to fight back to fourth. My start in the Superfinal was much better as I came out of turn one third behind Cairoli and Desalle. I was able to pass Clement for second and we have reached our goal with two podiums in a row.”
Tommy Searle: “ It was an improvement with a fifth and a fourth place, and that is what we are all working for. I wanted to be in the top five and that’s what I did this weekend, so I’m happy, as it’s only my second race on a 450. We are setting up the bike better for me at every race, but I still need to improve my starts. I crashed in the Superfinal when I was chasing Paulin, but it was still a good weekend for us.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “For me it’s the same as last week. I can’t train enough with my bike due to my injury and it was tough again. In the MX1 race I started twelfth and managed to finish fifteenth, but the Superfinal was much more difficult. I just want to go training properly again so that I can return to my real level.”
