Double win for Darian Sanayei in Switzerland, SX Win for Xavier Boog in French Supercross SX Tour

Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei finished runner-up in the European EMX250 Motocross Championship after a double victory in the final round at Frauenfeld in Switzerland, while Kim Savaste jumped to sixth in the series with a second overall in this last round of the 125 European Championship. At the same time in France Xavier Boog won the SX at St Thibery, penultimate round of the French SX outdoor series.

The American rider showed an immediate liking for the new track on the outskirts of the town in northern Switzerland as he posted fastest time in qualification and he confirmed this form on both races, leading the first moto from start to finish to win by twenty three seconds and taking the lead on lap two of the second race to again win by more than twenty seconds. It was a fitting farewell to Darian’s career in the European Championship; he will now contest the final two MX2 GPs of the season in the USA in September and become a full-time MX2 GP rider in 2017.

The last round of the 125 European Championship was also a good one for Kim Savaste who qualified in fourteenth place on a muddy track on Saturday morning. The track conditions were much better later, but Kim didn’t got a good start in the first heat; ninth after the opening lap, he didn’t do any mistake to get a strong fourth position. He did even better on Sunday, scoring a second place behind the 2016 champ. Second overall, he shows how fast he is also on hard tracks and will now move on the 250 Kawasaki to prepare next season.

Teammate Brian Moreau was fast on this track, and posted the fourth fastest time in the qualifying period; his first start was not the best but he came back from twelve to seven in two laps during the first heat. He was pushing really hard, maybe be too much and he crashed in the third and fourth laps to finish outside the top twenty. Despite another early crash in the second heat, he scored a tenth position and finished ninth in the series.

The penultimate round of the French SX Tour, in St Thibery, was a good one for Xavier Boog who got his second win in the series after Estillac. Winner of his heat race Xavier got the lead in the main event during the first lap and pulled away, to get a strong win. He is now second in the standings before the last Outdoor race this weekend in La Tremblade, only five points behind series leader.

Darian Sanayei: “It was a pretty good weekend for me, even I was afraid to have a muddy race when it rained on Thursday and Friday night. The track was really muddy for the qualifying practice early on Saturday, but I was able to post the fastest lap time. I got the holeshot in the first moto and won the race by twenty three seconds; in the second one I missed the holeshot but moved to second straight away and then took the lead after two laps to gain another moto win. It’s a good way to end the season; my goal this season was to get a top three and I finished the series in second position. Now I will go back to America, and will prepare for the two US GP where I will race for Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki.”

Xavier Boog: “It’s so good to win again! I was only third in the timed practice session, but as I never did a perfect lap I was confident, as I knew I could do better. I got the holeshot in my heat race and I made a gap, but Soubeyras was coming back strongly; I won the heat, but just a few meters ahead of him. Then in the main event my start was not so good, I was four or five in the first corner but I was ‘on fire’ and before the end of the first lap I took the lead and pushed to make a gap; then I controlled the race, nobody really bother me and it was a great feeling to win.”

Kim Savaste: “In the first race my start was not so good, I had a good jump of the gate but then I couldn’t’ shift for third of four. I had some good lines on the track and made a couple of passes to come back four. On Sunday my start was much better, and it’s good to end the season with another podium. Everyone knows that I’m used to race on sand tracks, this weekend I prove that I can ride good also on hard pack. I got some more confidence, my riding is much better; with the 125 here it was really difficult with deep ruts, now it’s time to move to the 250.”

First European podium for Kim Savaste in sandy Belgium

Team Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki enjoyed good results in the penultimate round of the FIM European Motocross Championships, with a solid podium for Savaste and a fourth and a fifth place for Sanayei and Moreau in difficult conditions at Lommel in Belgium.

The sandy circuit has long been a rigorous test for young Darian as he never encounter such conditions in his homeland, but the teenager showed great spirit to achieve a commendable result in the circumstances. He already showed his determination to qualify second from his group and the resultant choice of gate enabled him to holeshot the first moto and lead for a couple of laps before the sand experts pushed him back to fourth; he showed great spirit to recover third place again before the finish. Race two saw Darian miss the overall podium on the points tie after crossing the line fourth, just over a second from third. He retains second in the series standings and has a comfortable thirty-seven point advantage over third as they go to the final round in Switzerland next weekend.

Kim Savaste has more experience of sandy tracks and the young Finn show great form with a second position in his qualifying group. His start was not the best one in the first heat, but Kim came back from a top fifteen to the fourth position, just a second behind the third rider! His second race was even more exciting, as he came back from last after a crash at the start to the second place! With these two great results Kim got his first podium of the season with a second overall with a 4/2 motos finish and is now eighth in the standings.

Not as used as his teammate to sand tracks, Brian Moreau increased his performances during the weekend; ninth in his qualifying session, Brian got a good start in the first race to finish sixth, and did even better in the second one as he came back from ninth to third! Fifth overall with a 6/3, Brian got his best result of the season and is now ninth in the standings, tight with Kim before the final round of the series this weekend in Switzerland.

Darian Sanayei: “This weekend was a bit tougher for me; we don’t have any track like this one in the USA ! I was second in my qualifying group; that was my first goal to get a good gate pick for the races. In the first race I got the holeshot, and finished the two races in third and fourth position. I’m not happy with the results but it’s not too bad for my first time in Lommel; I salvaged some good points before the final round next weekend, and I want to thanks the whole team and our sponsors for their support.”

Kim Savaste: “It was a very good weekend, even if on Saturday I was not so happy with my riding. For the race we made some changes on the suspensions and it was working a lot better; my start in the second heat was not very good, then I crashed in the second corner and was nearly last but I wanted this podium and I charged my way and made many passes to come back 2nd !. I’m of course very happy with the result, thanks to team Bud for their great support.”

Brian Moreau: “I struggled on Saturday for the qualifying, but the feeling was better and better for the races. We worked a lot on sand riding with the team trainer Thierry Van Den Bosch during the weekend and French Federation trainer Pascal Finot during the week, it helped me to get these good results. I finished the last four races in the top six, and will go confident to the final round in Switzerland.”

Podium and Win in SX pour Boog and Moreau

The French SX Tour was back to action this weekend in Brittany, and it was a good opportunity for the Monster Bud Racing Kawasaki riders to get some more trophies with a win & a podium results. In the SX1 class Xavier Boog got a third overall, while Brian Moreau Strubhart did an amazing performance as he won the Junior class in what was his first official Supercross.

Third round of the summer tour after Estillac and Chateauneuf, La Bosse de Bretagne opened a new chapter in the season as there are no more French Motocross now after the final round of the French Elite one week ago. Unable to train during the week after his injury in Chateauneuf (broken rib), Xavier Boog did a strong performance; third in the practice session and second in his heat race, Xavier got a third position in the main event and remains a title contender as he is ten points behind series leader with two more races to go. Still recovering as he start practicing only one month ago, Maxime Desprey just lost a top ten result at the end of the main, after a fifth in his heat race. This event was the first official Supercross for Brian Moreau, the youngest riders involved in the Junior class; third of the first race, Brian was even stronger in the second one and beats all his rivals to get the overall win.

Next weekend the 125 and 250 European championships are back in action, with the last two rounds in Lommel (Belgium) and Frauenfeld (Switzerland) for Brian Moreau, Kim Savaste and Darian Sanayei.

Brian Moreau :” It’s super cool to be back on the first step of the podium for my first official Supercross race. I really enjoy riding SX and had only some training at the Team’s track during the week but i immediately felt good on the bike. I was not so fast in the whoops at the beginning but i improved at each session, so it was good, to finally win the overall. The bike was good also, it was really fun to race.”

Xavier Boog: “Due to my broken rib in Chateauneuf I can’t train as I would like between the races, but luckily when I’m on the bike it’s not too painful. I had a good practice session and qualified in second in my heat race; in the main I had a good start in the top five, but when I was in third I never found the opportunity to pass anyone. I’m a little bit disappointed, but I think that soon I will be able to practice normally.”

Maxime Desprey: “Each weekend I have a better feeling, even if I would like to be already at 100%! I’m not totally confident in some sections, like the whoops, but I was back on a bike just a few weeks ago so I need to practice and to race to be back at the top. Every week I saw the improvements, and I know what I have to do in the next days; in the main I was tenth, and tried to move to ninth but finally lost one position! Now we have two weeks to prepare the next round in St Thibery, and two weeks to work.”

Xavier Boog French vice champion

Winner of the MX1 French Elite series, Xavier Boog finish this season runner up in the main French Championship. Coming to the final round of Iffendic in third position, the Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki rider finished runner up of the event behind Romain Febvre and runner up in the series behind Gregory Aranda.

With three ‘MXGP top guns’ racing this final round (Febvre, Paulin et Tixier), things were not easy for the three riders (Aranda, Teillet et Boog) fighting for the title. Coming to Iffendic in third position fifteen points behind series leader, Xavier Boog was still disturbed by a broken rib sustained one week earlier in a French SX tour event; sixth in the timed practice session, Xavier was followed by team mate Maxime Desprey who travelled all night after racing an International MX in Gimont on Saturday.

Xavier got a great start in the first heat, coming third behind Teillet and Febvre after one lap. Paulin, Tixier and Aranda passed him later, and Xavier who struggled with the track was only eighth at mid race; he finally earned three positions during the last laps, to finish fifth. The Alsacian rider was stronger in the second race, with a third position in the same lap as Febvre and Paulin who finished first and second of this last heat; as Teillet struggled during this event, Xavier earned one position to finish runner up in the series. For Maxime Desprey who entered two events in a row Iffendic was a tough event, with high temperatures in Brittany; fourth on Saturday night in Gimont with three strong races (2/6/5) among GP riders, Maxime did an impressive opening race in Iffendic with a fourth overall behind two GP riders (Febvre and Tixier) and the series leader. In the second heat he retired after two laps, tired after so many races in a row and a very short night.

Two weeks before the next race of the European MX2 Championship, Darian Sanayei was also racing in Gimont and as usual he improved his results race after race; fifth, fourth and second of the races, he finished runner up of this event with his 250 Kawasaki, among 450 riders.

Xavier Boog: “With my injury I can’t train at the moment during the week, but this weekend I didn’t suffer so much except at the end of the second race when I had some troubles to breathe normally. My feeling with the track was not really good in the first race, and I had a bad rhythm; it was much better in the second heat, and I scored a third behind Romain Febvre and Gautier Paulin who had a ‘GP rhythm’ in this race. I earned one rank in the series, now it’s Supercross time with another round of the SX Tour in La Bosse de Bretagne next weekend. The last round in Chateauneuf was not really good for me as I crashed during the practice sessions and broke one rib; I save some points with a ninth position, after a very bad start and another crash when I was fighting for the fifth position. I’m currently third of the series, only five points behind the leader so everything is still possible.”

Maxime Desprey: “It was a busy weekend for me with an International MX in Gimont and then the Elite Championship in Iffendic, but at the moment I need to do as many races as possible to be back at my best level! I finished fourth in Gimont, just a shame that I missed two good starts; then I drive all night long to join Iffendic, where I posted a seventh position in the practice session. I was happy with my riding in the first heat, coming back from eighth to fourth, but then I was unable to finish the second heat; I had a bad start, and felt tired so it was better to stop. But it was a good weekend for me; at each race I feel improvements, and have a better feeling; for example I had some arm pumped in Chateauneuf one week ago at the SX Tour, but this weekend I had no troubles.”

European Moto win for Darian Sanayei in Italy, SX Tour win for Xavier Boog in France

It was another busy weekend for team Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki, involved in Italy with the European series and in France with the opening round of the SX Tour. On both side of the Alps, the Bud riders offered some wins to the team.

Since the French round of the EMX250 championship Darian Sanayei is stronger and stronger, and once more in Mantova he got a good second position in the qualifying session and later dominates the first race. The American teenager enjoyed a terrific duel with his series rival before eventually coming out on top in Saturday evening’s opening moto, and he appeared to be headed for a double victory until he had an engine problem and crashed at the end of the second moto on Sunday morning, which was a devastating end to what should have been an awesome week-end. He remains a clear second in the series standings with two rounds still to race.

In the Euro 125 the team got his best result of the season with both riders in the top five of the event! Leader of the first race during most of the period on Saturday, Kim Savaste finally got his best ever result in the class with a second position. On Sunday he didn’t rode so relax, and crashed several times; eleventh of the race, he finished fifth of the event tight in the points with team mate Brian Moreau. On the rough track and under very hot temperatures (over 30°C all weekend long) Brian scored his best performance of the season with two consistent races; even if he is the youngest rider in the series, Brian didn’t do any mistakes to collect two fifth positions and a fourth overall. He is now ninth in the standings, followed by Kim.

The youngest team representatives were in Italy, and their experimented teammates were in South west of France for the opening round of the famous SX Tour championship. After a test during the week, Maxime Desprey was coming back racing alongside Xavier Boog. The Alsacian was the fastest riders in Estillac, and dominates the event; second in the timed practice session, Xavier won his heat race and the main event! Maxime didn’t got similar results as it was his first race since four months, but he got a good fifth in his heat race and a thirteenth position in the main event. The SX riders will be this weekend in Maricourt for a new SX series, while Brian will start training SX at Team private track during the EMX series break.

Darian Sanayei: “I did pretty well in practice, even if we didn’t made the best decision concerning the tyre choice but my speed was good and I got a second position. In the first moto I took the holeshot; I was riding good but I made some mistakes and Olsen just get around me about ten minutes in. I followed him, saw his lines, knew the track better and made a pass on him after twenty minutes to win the race, which was pretty cool. In the second race I got another holeshot and was riding good again; Vaessen was second, Olsen was pretty far back and I was getting better and better but unfortunately I had some troubles with the bike, fell and had to retire.”

Brian Moreau: “ It was great weekend for me, especially on a sandy track who is not my best usually! I got good starts and rode carefully in both races, as I never got two good results at a race this season. It’s a great feeling to be twice in the top five, I still need to work physically to be able to race for a podium result and that’s what we are doing with the team.”

Kim Savaste: “It was a good weekend for me as I got my first second place during the first race; I was leading until 3 laps to go but the weather was very hot and I felt tired during the last laps, but I was happy with my riding. Second race I think I had some little pressure for the podium, I got another good start but felt twice during the race when I try to make some passes. This weekend I was happy with my riding, for sure I’m Finn so when it’s sandy it’s easier for me.”

Xavier Boog: “Practice was good as I got the second position but very close from the poleman, with a couple of fast laps. I won pretty easily my heat race and again in the main event I started in third; in the second lap I took the lead and posted a couple of fast laps to make a gap, and then to control my rivals until the finish line.”

Maxime Desprey: “I was back on a bike end of May on Motocross tracks, and last week I just try to ride on the team’s Supercross track and finally decided to race in Estillac. I had a good feeling on the bike but knew that I will not have the rhythm during fifteen laps, and still struggle in the whoops missing some confidence. I got a fifth in the semi final but then I got a bad start in the main, crashed and had some troubles to keep the rhythm and finally had some arm pumped. I finished thirteenth, happy to be back racing, and I know that I still need to train and ride to be strong physically.”