Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia raced to a career-first EMX victory in the third round of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship at Pietramurata in the Trentino region of northern Italy.
Watch our video inside Team of the Italian round on our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW–zneIBG0

The Spanish youngster had dominated both practice sessions to earn pole position and in the first moto of the weekend he came out of the first turn just inside the top-ten. Lapping more than a second faster than anyone else, he sliced his way up the leaderboard with a series of immaculate passes to take over third by the end of the opening lap and was second next time round before taking the lead with a decisive move on lap four. He immediately opened up an advantage of several seconds to control the race to the finish, eventually taking victory by more than eight seconds. The track was different on Sunday for the second race as it rains in the night, and our young Spaniard emerge fifteenth from the first corner, but quickly moved to fifth by the completion of the first lap. Fourth one lap later he quickly passed third, and was fighting for second position when he was pushed into the trackside banking and fell. He was quickly back on his feet without losing a position and with three laps remaining was back in contention. A pass for second appeared secure but his front wheel was engulfed by a deep sticky rut and he crashed with three laps to go; the incident pushed him back to a distant seventh but that position was sufficient to secure his first-ever overall victory in EMX250. Scoring thirty-nine points for the weekend he is back into serious championship contention as he is now fourth in the standings, twenty-four points off the series lead and just eight points off second.

The weekend was not so good for Jake Cannon; in the first heat Jake was running a comfortable tenth for the first half of the race until he crashed off the side of the track; it cost the Australian teenager nearly a minute to rejoin the race and he eventually finished twenty-fifth. On Sunday he pushed forward from a mid-pack start and was eyeing up the top-ten until a mid-moto fall cost him several places; after recovering to thirteenth the Australian teenager had he heartbreak of bogging down at the very last turn of the race when a rock blocked his rear chain.

Francisco Garcia: “I had really good speed this weekend and I wanted to win again after my first victory on Saturday. I didn’t have much luck in the mud at the first two rounds of the series but I have felt so good since I joined Bud Kawasaki. I had a really good feeling with the track and my KX250 immediately from the start of the weekend. My start was not so good on Saturday but I could soon pass into the lead and push to open up a gap. On Sunday the track was really tough in the rain and I guess I pushed just a little too hard but I was on the top of the box anyway. It’s my first-ever overall win in EMX and I am so happy, not only for myself but also for the team and for my father who is the most important person in my life. I now have a lot of confidence; with our first win the season has really kicked in.”

Francisco Garcia : Winner (1/7) and fourth in the championship
Jake Cannon : Thirty fifth overall (25/33) and nineteenth in the championship

Once more it’s in tough conditions due to the weather that the second round of the 250 European Championship was organised at Saint Jean d’Angely. Racing conditions were not as bad as in Spain, and the Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki riders experienced mixed fortunes, culminating in a fifth place finish for Francisco Garcia.

Some sun, some wind and some showers didn’t deter the fans who were as usual there to cheer their heroes at this GP of Europe, organised on a track that has been significantly modified since last year. As always in France there was a nice atmosphere at Saint Jean, and we had the pleasure to meet many partners of the team who came to visit us throughout the weekend.

Saturday the track was dry for the practice session, and Francisco Garcia confirmed his ambitions with the fastest lap time of his group in both sessions to get a very good gate pick. In the first race he was close to the top ten after the first lap but during the second circulation he hit the bike of a rider who crashed in front of him. With his rear brake damaged in the process, Francisco went into ‘warrior’ mode to come back from thirty-ninth to eighteenth place and save some points. On Sunday after an average start he was back in the top ten after four laps, and never give up to cross the checkered flag in fourth position. Fifth in the GP, he is seventh in the championship.

Team mate Jake Cannon also posted in his group very good results in the practice sessions, with a fourth in the free session and a third in the qualifying one. In the first race he got the holeshot, and was fifth at mid race when another rider did an aggressive attack, hit his bike and forced him to retire with a damaged bike! On Sunday his start was not as good; he was outside the top twenty after one lap, but he came back ninth to finish the GP in fifteenth position. He is eleventh in the standings before the next race organized at Arco di Trento (Italy) in three weeks’ time.

Next weekend the team will be at Pernes les Fontaine (southern France) for the second round of the French Elite championship

Francisco Garcia : Fifth overall (18/4) and seventh in the championship
Jake Cannon : Fifteenth overall (DNF/9) and eleventh in the championship

The 250 European Championship kick off last weekend in Cozar (Spain) and that race was more than a challenge for the riders and the staff of team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki. As rain never stopped during the past three weeks and during the weekend it was a muddy GP, but both Jake Cannon and Francisco Garcia got a race podium.

It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s riders in the opening round of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship but both Francisco Garcia and Jake Cannon showed clearly that they will be title candidates as each posted a second-placed moto finish.

Australian teenager Jake Cannon raced to an impressive second place in Saturday’s first moto on his series debut; he emerged seventh from the initial sort-out at turn one and stayed calm and avoiding mistakes as others faltered he gradually advanced up the leaderboard. By lap six of eleven he had taken over third and gradually closed down the leaders to finish second at the chequered flag. On Sunday morning’s muddy second race he lost time in a first corner crash and subsequent pit stop for fresh goggles and gloves which cost him more than a minute and he spent the rest of the moto chasing to eventually finish just out of the points in twenty-first.

Francisco Garcia, second-fastest in Timed Training, had moved forward from a fourth-placed start to second in the first moto before he was eliminated on lap five but he rebounded defiantly in the second moto. From third place on the opening lap, in a race run in even muddier conditions after further overnight rain, he advanced to second on lap four and chased the eventual winner to the chequered flag for the team’s second runner-up moto finish of the weekend.

With twelves rounds of the series remaining both riders have plenty of opportunity to reduce their nineteen-point deficit to the individual points-leader and their two impressive rides mean that Kawasaki is second, just six points from the lead, in the manufacturers’ championship.

Francisco Garcia: “I had a good feeling with the bike and the track both days, even though the track conditions were really difficult because of the rain; I am Spanish so this was my home GP but the weather is not normally like this in Spain (laughs). It’s just a pity about the DNF in the first race, but the championship is long and my physical and mental condition are both good. l think this will be a good year for me and next week is the team’s home GP in France so let’s go for it.”

Jake Cannon: “I was over the moon with my first race in EMX particularly after I saw the track when I arrived. It was just crazy for practice and I only managed four laps; I wasn’t sure how the day was going to go but I executed a good start in the first race and rode smart and came good at the end. I saw fourth trying to put a charge on me but I found some good lines and all of a sudden I was behind second and could pass him on the last lap. In the second moto I crashed off the start and then I lost another minute when I needed to stop in the pits for fresh goggles and gloves; I felt comfortable riding in the mud both days but I just need to get round the first turn, stay off the ground and minimize those mistakes.”

The Supercross seasons ends this weekend at Grenoble, and once more after Paris Supercross one month ago Anthony Bourdon got a silver medal to end the season SX1 vice champion with team Bud Racing Kawasaki.

With seven podiums (three times second and four times third) in as many finals in the French Supercross Championship, Anthony Bourdon has this season combined speed and consistency to claim this title of vice-champion SX1 behind Greg Aranda. If he had to settle for third places two weeks earlier in Lyon behind Aranda and Tixier during the penultimate round, Anthony beat twice in Grenoble the former MX World Champion to take second place in the main event on Friday and Saturday, ending the season by delivering a superb duel with the new French champion.

Anthony Bourdon: « Once more runner up in the SX1 class for the second year in a row, happy but a little bit frustrated as I didn’t won any main event! I think that I can be proud of this season, I end it at Grenoble really closed to Greg and we keep the positive to continue my progression. A big thanks to team Bud Racing Kawasaki for their support all season long.”

Mathis Valin claimed the FIM European EMX250 Championship title in style with a double race win at Cozar, final round of the series. He offers team Bud Racing Kawasaki his first European title in this class, and the second one as Brian Moreau won the EMX125 in 2017.

Third of the qualifying session on Saturday, Mathis cleverly choosed a mid-gate start position, several gates away from his title rivals and claimed a clear holeshot ahead of Bud teammate Benjamin Garib. Establishing a three-second advantage already on the opening lap the eighteen-year old smartly managed the advantage to sweep home as moto winner thirty minutes later and thus be confirmed as European EMX250 champion in his first season with Kawasaki and his rookie year in the 250cc class. On Sunday he again swept into turn one in front from mid-gate but drifted slightly wide in the rapid sweeping turn to emerge second. This would already ensure the overall victory but the stylish youngster confidently swept inside for the lead at the start of lap five and, soaking up pressure admirably despite sickness, kept his main rival of the campaign off his rear wheel to the chequered flag for his tenth moto victory, fourth overall (three of them with a maximum score) and ninth podium in the eleven-round series and a decisive thirty-four point title victory. The result was also important in the stakes for the FIM Manufacturers’ Championship; with an eight-point advantage at the start of the day Valin’s victory ensured that Kawasaki deservedly take the title by eleven points.

Benjamin Garib was also impressive on Saturday as he followed Mathis through the opening turn of the race, maintaining second-place throughout the moto and defiantly holding off a last-lap challenge to complete a rousing 1-2 for the Bud team and Kawasaki. On Sunday he was closed down entering turn one to emerge sixteenth but he dug deep to claw back one position after another until he was ninth on lap ten of fourteen. He continued to push to narrow the gap to the riders ahead but just ran out of time to make the further pass which would have secured him his first career podium. Fourth overall, edged out of the podium by a single point, his efforts did however confirm seventh in the final series standings.

Mathis Valin: “This season was incredible; at the start of the year I could never have dreamed that I could win the European title in my rookie season. My aim at the start of the year was to be around the top-five but in fact I won nearly half of the races to take the title. I was delighted to secure the title with a race win on Saturday, but I came here determined not only to win the title but also to take the victory in this final round and we did it! It was a great and incredible season; I want to thank Stephane Dasse and the entire Bud team, our coach Thierry (Van Den Bosch) and all my family for their support. Now I will take a little break and then we’ll go for the winter training and another step in my career with a new bike, a new team and a new life as I will be based at Lommel. »

Benjamin Garib: “This first moto means a lot to me. This results just shows how hard work pays off; I didn’t start the season well with so many muddy races, but this was a new track for everyone and I had a good pace all weekend. On Saturday I had Mathis in front of me and it felt like a training moto; then on Sunday I had a really bad start but I came through from the back even though it is really hard to pass here. I had the speed but I got stuck behind some guys for a long time and by the time I got to ninth the gap was too far to eighth to make the final pass I needed for the podium. But I’ll take the positives from the first moto; that was a good note to end the season. My thanks to everyone in the Bud Kawasaki team for the last two years; we were always improving and had a lot of fun together.”

Stephane Dasse (Bud Kawasaki team owner): « We are super happy. For us it was a perfect season as we won the French Elite and the European Championship! There was a great atmosphere with both riders in the team, our bikes were competitive, and Mathis surprised us! When we signed him for two years we were not expecting such good results already this year but he is really strong mentally; we saw him progressing all year long and since mid-season he made another step. Now he is ready to move to MX2 and we want all the best for him in the factory team. We will continue to invest in young riders for the European Championship; that’s what we enjoy and with this championship, the French Elite, Paris Supercross and the World SX we have a strong and busy programme. »