SECOND ROUND OF WORLD SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP IN ABU DHABI FOR BUD RACING TEAM

The 2nd round of the 2023 Supercross World Championship took place in Abu Dhabi, in the heart of the Etihad Arena, on Saturday November 4. After an encouraging start to the season for the Bud Racing team, Justin Hill, Cédric Soubeyras, Anthony Bourdon and Adrien Escoffier were eagerly awaiting their departure for the capital of the United Arab Emirates. On a European-standard track, starting out in front was essential.

In the SX2 class, Anthony had a good start of the day with a pole position in timed qualifying. Unfortunately, a poor start in the qualifying heat was determined the rest of his day. Condemned to start on the 2nd row in each of the finals, Anthony finished 17th, 14th and then 8th, to take 14th place overall, reflecting neither his speed nor his potential.

For Adrien Escoffier, things were relatively similar. Also starting from the 2nd row, a lack of aggressiveness prevented him from achieving his objectives, respectively 12th, 13th and 12th in the three finals. In the provisional standings, Anthony is 13th, while Adrien is currently 15th. Both will have to fight hard in the final round if they want to enter the championship top 10.

In the SX1 class, Justin Hill came 4th in the provisional rankings for this Abu Dhabi event. Determined to stay at the top of the standings, our American rider suffered from a lack of rhythm. His podium ambitions gave way to a 7th position overall, and Justin dropped back to 5th in the provisional standings. In the end, the weekend’s best performance went to Cédric Soubeyras.

Positive results
Fast and solid, Cédric was in the best group of riders in each final to finish 2nd, 6th and 5th respectively. Over the three finals, he finished in 5th place, same points with 4th-placed Ken Roczen, missing out on the podium by just 2 points. His performance was more than encouraging, and the balance very positive. Whether it’s a question of staying the course for some or rolling up their sleeves for others, the goal of shining in the final in Australia is common to all. See you in Melbourne on November 24 and 25.

Cédric Soubeyras : “It was a positive weekend. In the first final, I took advantage of Friese’s disqualification to finish in 2nd place, even though I was 3rd under the chequered flag. In the end, I missed out on the podium by just 2 points. I’d like to thank the team for all their support and good humour every day”.

Anthony Bourdon : “The day started good, with me taking pole position in the overall SX2 standings. I then missed my start in the qualifying heat and found myself on the 2nd row for the finals. In these conditions, I once again missed my starts and then failed to make my mark on a track where you had to be aggressive and overtake quickly. I’m learning and I’ll come back better, that’s for sure”.

Adrien Escoffier : “My poor qualifying run conditioned the rest of my day, as I found myself starting from the 2nd row. I then lacked the aggressiveness to overtake during the heats. We look forward to Melbourne. A big thank you to the Bud Racing team and see you in Australia in 3 weeks’ time, when we’ll have to pull out all the stops”.

Justin Hill : “After a long break since the SMX in the United States, I arrived in Abu Dhabi with a lack of riding that penalized me for performing as well as I did in England. I enjoyed the event all the same, and it was nice to discover a new country and introduce supercross to new fans who were really behind us”.

Stéphane Dassé : “This second event in Abu Dhabi came as a great surprise to me, with a crowd that was new to supercross but super enthusiastic. The modern stadium reminded me of the Bercy supercross. We just regreat that we missed the 450 podium for two points with Cedric Soubeyras who rode amazingly well in Abu Dhabi. I hope to be back there next year, and in the meantime I’ll see you at the legendary Paris supercross on November 18 and 19″.

Moto podium for Quentin Prugnières in Turkey

BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Quentin Prugnières raced to a third-placed finish – his fifth race podium this season – in the second moto of the Turkish round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship at Afyonkarahisar. Teammate Benjamin Garib finished seventh overall, two positions behind Quentin.

In the first moto on Saturday afternoon Quentin advanced from an initial ninth to sixth by half-distance and thrilled onlookers as he was involved in an exciting duel with teammate Benjamin Garib through the final two laps. The BUD teamsters, each racing with absolute fairness, passed and re-passed each other several times before the Chilean edged in front for good three corners from the finish to leave QMP seventh. A sixth-placed getaway in Sunday morning’s race two formed the basis for Quentin to push through to third by lap ten of thirteen and he made that position secure to claim fifth overall over the weekend and consolidate the same ranking in the series prior to the final round in Great Britain on September 23-24th.
Benjamin Garib had already confirmed his arrival on the GP scene during Timed Practice as he set sixth-fastest time, less than half-a-second off pole, and the Chilean showed his commitment as he charged from tenth on the opening lap of race one to take sixth from teammate Prugnières three turns from the finish. He again proved his fighting spirit in a muddy race two to advance from eighth to sixth for seventh overall over the weekend.

Involved in the fourth round of the French Supercross series at Brienon, Anthony Bourdon claimed another podium result with a third position in the main event. Anthony is currently runner up in the SX1 class before the next round, scheduled at Grenoble mid October.

Quentin Marc Prugnières: « My first moto was not so good as I never found my rhythm, but I’m happy with the second race. My start was good but I lost some positions in the first few corners before I found some good lines to come back. I had a good rhythm even though the track was really tricky so you had to ride carefully but I came back to third, not so far from the second position. I was happy to end the weekend with a good result; my thanks to Bud Racing, Stephane, Thierry our trainer, my mechanic and my family who are always behind me.”

Benjamin Garib: “I felt great all day Saturday and for P6 in the first moto, but the track was very different on Sunday after all that rain. I must admit I’m not used to riding in such muddy conditions but I rode my best to finish sixth again for seventh overall. I made it difficult for myself both motos with my starts so I have to work on that, but my goal now is a podium in England. I want to thank BUD Racing, my family and everyone watching online in Chile who send me their support.”

Mathis Valin joins Bud Racing Kawasaki Team for a multi year deal

After an excellent season in the 125 class in 2023, the brand-new 125 world champion has decided to join forces with the Bud Racing Kawasaki team to move up to the next category, the EMX250 European Championship.

With a view to developing young riders at the highest level, it seemed logical for Stéphane Dassé to sign the young Frenchman, after he had completed the grand slam of the French 125 championship by winning every round in this class.

Currently second in the EMX125 European Championship after winning three rounds, the 17-year-old from Vendée will be coached by Thierry Van Den Bosch and will move to Hossegor France (where the Team is based) this winter to train with the Team and prepare for the 2024 season. With the EMX250 European Motocross Championship as his main objective, this will be a year of learning for Mathis, who will also take part in the French Elite MX2 Championship and other prestigious events.

Stéphane Dassé: “We’re very happy and looking forward to working with Mathis over the coming seasons. Mathis is a motivated young rider who has done some great things this year after working with Valentin Teillet in Team 737 Performance. He’s open to all disciplines, including Supercross, Motocross and Sand, and that’s what appealed to me when I spoke to him. He’s going to have a big winter with Thierry to prepare for his move up to the EMX250 category, and I’m convinced he can surprise next year already.”

Mathis Valin: “I’m really looking forward to coming to live and work in the Landes, close to the team. The team is involved in several disciplines and that appeals to me a lot. The team seems very close-knit and family-oriented, and I think that’s going to push me to the top. What’s more, Thierry will be able to advise me and help me make the transition to the 250 as smooth as possible. See you soon on the team’s Kawasaki!”

Quentin Marc Prugnières fifth in the Dutch sand

BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Quentin Marc Prugnières just missed another podium in the Dutch round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship at Arnhem.

Quentin put in two strong rides against the local sand experts after rounding turn one just outside the top-six in each moto. His persistence paid off in race one on Saturday afternoon as he eventually forced his way forward to third, and the overall podium looked a very realistic possibility as he took another solid start in race two on Sunday morning to push into fifth after a few turns. But an incident further round the lap dropped him to thirteenth; he was back into the top-ten within four laps and maintained his charge to reach seventh. The 3-7 scoreline earnt fifth overall, just two points shy of the podium, but more significantly has seen him advance to fifth in the series standings with two rounds remaining next month.

Team mate Benjamin Garib showed once again that he has soon found his feet in the white-hot world of EMX racing, even if his points-tally from the weekend did not reflect his competitive spirit. The Chilean, an impressive tenth in Timed Practice, battled his way back to eleventh in the Saturday afternoon moto after a second lap fall had cost him his top-ten ranking at the start, and on Sunday he again showed good speed to hold fifth for four laps before the rugged track claimed him. Rejoining the race thirty-first after a pit-stop to straighten the levers he pushed to the chequered flag to finish twenty-first, missing the final championship point of the day by a fraction of a second in a photo-finish.

Quentin Marc Prugnières: « My start was not perfect on Saturday, and it took me a few laps to find my rhythm and my lines, but I could come back through to third so that’s a positive result. My second start was good but on the first lap I hit the rear wheel of another rider and crashed while I was in the top-five. After the crash it took me several laps to find my rhythm and my lines again before I came back to seventh. No excuses; I missed another podium by just a few points but I know what I have to work on to be ready for the next round in Turkey.”

Benjamin Garib: “In the end the results this weekend were not the best but we’re taking the positives. The first moto I crashed on the second lap but got back to eleventh. In race two I got a great start and I felt really comfortable those four laps racing in the top-five; but then I just had a tip-over and had to make a pit-stop so I lost a bunch of time. We don’t have a lot of sand tracks in Chile and this track was really rough, but we had been preparing hard at Magescq. Anyway I’m hungry for more now so I’m looking forward to Turkey and I am grateful to both the team and my family for giving me the opportunity to race the EMX series.”

Hossegor, August 21st

Quentin Marc Prugnières narrowly misses the podium in Sweden Cédric Soubeyras won the Air Contest at Magescq

It has been a busy period for the team, involved during the weekend in the Swedish round of the EMX250 in Sweden and on Monday at the famous ‘Air Contest’ at the Bud Racing Training Camp. Quentin Marc Prugnières missed the podium in Sweden, but Cédric Soubeyras and Anthony Bourdon were both on the box at Magescq!

Quentin posted an impressive third place in the first moto on Saturday afternoon in Sweden as only lapped riders spoilt his challenge for victory. He was the fastest rider on track during the first fifteen minutes as he advanced from fourth to second and he continued his charge to pull back the five-second gap to the leader entering the final two laps. However lapped riders were becoming an ever-greater problem and the Kawasaki rider was hampered so badly that they cost him second during a frustrating final lap. Persistent rain showers overnight and throughout the morning made the Uddevalla track extremely slippery for the second moto on Sunday and Quentin crashed at the start; being dead last at the first corner, he was already nineteenth after one lap and he pushed all moto to eventually finish eighth. The combination of the two motos saw him classified fourth overall over the weekend, on the same scoreline as third, but he missed the podium on the second moto tie-break.

Benjamin Garib made a return to action from injury for the French team. The Chilean raced to an impressive ninth in Saturday’s first moto and was looking at a top-six finish overall as he held eighth in the muddy second moto until he was forced out in the closing stages.

On Monday evening the best French Supercross riders were at the Bud Racing Training Camp, and the fans were there for the second edition of the Air Contest at this location. Once more Cédric Soubeyras was on fire, winning the three races while teammate Anthony Bourdon finished three times on the box, in third position.

The EMX250 is back to action this weekend at Arnhem (The Netherlands)

Quentin Marc Prugnières: « My start was good on Saturday and I could make some quick passes to come second; then I reduced the gap to the leader until we caught the lappers. It was so difficult to pass them that in the end Bonacorsi caught and passed me so I finished third. Anyway it was a good moto even if it’s a little frustrating as I know that I could have been first or second. I crashed at the start of the second race this morning when two riders hit me, and then I had to come back from dead-last to eighth. It’s not the result I was expecting, but my riding was good and I’m happy with that. Now we must continue to work to secure some podiums in the next few rounds of the series; I was so close here in Sweden.”

Benjamin Garib: “My shoulder’s feeling good again and I’ve been back riding for about a month. I flew back into Europe last week and I was excited to race my first EMX. I didn’t really know what to expect but I was happy with my speed; I got ninth yesterday and was running ninth again today. The conditions were tough today but I could stay on two wheels and focus on myself. Now I’m hungry for more and I’m looking forward to Holland next week.”