Garcia dominates at home
Hailing from a region just two hours away from the Grand Prix, Francisco Garcia delivered a flawless performance throughout the weekend in front of a raucous crowd. The Spanish rider dominated the field, setting the fastest time in qualifying before winning both races in commanding fashion.

In the first race, Francisco Garcia got off to a strong start, quickly took the lead, and was never challenged, controlling the race like a true champion. In the second race, despite a more difficult start, he used his speed and racing intelligence to gradually catch up to his rivals and secure another victory.

This perfect weekend (1-1) allowed him to leave with the red leader’s plate, confirming a momentum already seen last season, where he consistently won and made a strong impression right from the start of the championship.

Cannon confirms its growth
For his part, Jake Cannon also made a strong impression with his best performance yet in the EMX250 class, confirming the progress he’s made over the offseason.

In the first race, the Australian showed excellent speed and made several passes to secure a solid second-place finish. In the second race, after crashing in the pack, he restarted around 12th position. Faster than his competitors, he mounted an impressive charge up to fifth place.

Thanks to his consistency and fighting spirit, Jake Cannon secured second place in the overall standings for the event, as well as in the championship after this first round.
An ideal start to the season

With this one-two finish, the Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki team has made a strong statement right from the start and established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the EMX250 field. This overall result confirms the potential of both riders in the title race this season.

See you next weekend for the second round of the EMX250 European Championship in Switzerland, but before that, check out the Inside vlog from the weekend here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1pQJnJqt0

Jake Cannon: “I’m happy to show that I have the potential to compete at the front this season. It was an incredible weekend for the team, and I feel ready to deliver this for them as often as possible.”

Francisco Garcia: “It was probably the best race of my life; winning everything in front of my home crowd will be unforgettable. The season is off to a great start, and I’m going to give it my all to keep it going.”

After each securing pole position in their respective groups during the morning’s timed practice sessions, Fran Carbonero Garcia delivered a perfect weekend. With two perfectly controlled races, he won twice and left Castelnau-de-Lévis as the championship leader, confirming his excellent form right from the first round.

Alongside him, Jake Cannon also put in a remarkable performance. Thanks to two solid second-place finishes, he completed the MX2 double and demonstrated valuable consistency for the rest of the season.

Competing in the 85cc class, Tim Lopes also shone. Taking pole position with a lead of almost two seconds, he set the fastest time in the first race but, despite two crashes, finished fourth. He bounced back perfectly by winning the second race and securing second place overall.

This collective success rewards the hard work of the entire team and is an ideal start to the title race, both physically and mentally.

All eyes are now on the next event: the opening round of the EMX250 European Championship, which will take place in Spain in three weeks’ time, with the aim of continuing this positive momentum.

Jake Cannon : “I am very happy with today. Riding is going in the right direction. I still need to work on a few things but the speed is good and that’s only the first race”

Francisco Garcia : “Perfect day today going 1-1. I enjoyed a lot and I see that my speed is very good. I was already ready to fight for French and European championship but now I am more motivated than never.”

Tim Lopes : “A second place overall this weekend, of course I wanted to win as I was the fastest on track but I learnt a lot and I am ready for the rest of the championship.”

The Spanish teenager, nominated last week to represent his country for the first time at next month’s Motocross of Nations, ended the season with a perfect double win! On Saturday he emerged fourth at the first turn and was quickly on the move. Clearly the fastest man on-track he swept into the lead on the second lap to win by six seconds, with the fastest lap of the race. Bubbling with confidence after his overwhelming victory in the first moto the Spanish teenager again rode a tight line through turn one to emerge second and was content to shadow the leader for twenty minutes before sweeping past under the eyes of the Bud Racing pit crew on lap ten of fourteen to complete his perfect weekend with a conclusive victory, his eighth moto success and third overall win of the season. His personal consistency and the reliable quality performance of the Bud Racing Kawasaki KX250 were underlined by the fact that he collected eight podiums through the thirteen-round series to earn the FIM series bronze medal.

Francisco Garcia: “That first race was a great moto for me; I made some really good passes early on and rode timed training laps to pull a gap. At the start of the second race Reisulis was pushing hard and I didn’t want to eat his roost so I was content to sit back from his rear wheel and then come back to take the lead after twenty minutes. I feel on top of the world to finish my first complete EMX season with a 1-1. I have been really happy with my last few races and my family was here this weekend to celebrate with me. Now we fly back to France and I will ride a 450 in preparation for the Motocross of Nations. It was always my dream to ride for my country and I will work 200% for the next few weeks to be ready to give my absolute best !”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon also ended the season well, even if on Saturday he missed a better result as he was fourth before being unceremoniously hit from behind by an over-enthusiastic chaser. Rejoining the race eleventh he needed a couple of laps to settle before charging again to cross the finishing line seventh. He had another strong ride through the pack to finish fourth in the second moto and over the weekend. In that second moto Jake was pushed wide at turn one to emerge ninth but quickly gained two positions and after a few laps he was able to make decisive passes to advance to fifth on lap eight and two laps later swept into fourth. His efforts confirmed eighth in his first FIM series in Europe.

Jake Cannon: “I was happy with my riding this weekend; just that incident yesterday spoilt my chances of the podium. I got stuck behind some other riders for too long during the first few laps of the second moto and that cost me the chance of top-three in the moto. Anyway, I learnt a lot from this season and I will come in stronger next season from the experience. I start supercross practice this week and fly back home to Australia on October 1 for the supercross season.”

Narrowly edged out of pole by less than a fifth of a second in Timed Practice Francisco did most of the race in second position behind the series leader, but after twenty minutes he remounted his attack as fitness played a role during the closing stages of the half-hour race. Lapping three seconds a lap faster than anybody else he dived decisively inside for the lead two-and-a-half laps from the finish and swept relentlessly clear to win easing up by three seconds. It was his fifth victory from the last seven motos! Competitors faced heavy wet sand for their second race of the weekend and Francisco was content to stay out of the roost in third through the early laps before switching into attack mode on lap seven to sweep into second. But on lap eleven he lost twelve seconds a single slip as the front wheel washed out leaving a turn. The incident demoted Garcia to fourth in the moto but second overall was still secure. The Bud Kawasaki teamstar is now confirmed to end the season as a medalist.

Francisco Garcia: “I had a good start in the first race and was pushing for the lead early; I made a small mistake and crashed after a few laps but I stayed calm and came back strong for the win. The track is really technical but I like that and I could play with the track; I know I have the fitness and I had the speed to push at the end. It was like a different track for the second moto; I prefer a bumpy track but it was much flatter after they had graded and watered overnight. I fell one time when I made a mistake and lost the front; I managed to come back a little but my rhythm was not as good as yesterday and I had to settle for second overall.”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon had only sixteenth choice of gate after missing a time at the first attempt but rode a smart first turn in the moto to emerge tenth. After a long successful battle for ninth the super-fit Australian teenager went into attack mode during the second half of the moto, making two passes in a single lap for seventh on lap ten before closing the gap to pass for sixth two laps later. He kept pushing to almost snatch fifth at the chequered flag. Eleventh through the early laps of race two, he made a pass to advance to tenth and stayed tenth until three corners from the finish when he was forced out of the race by a damaged radiator. He remains ninth in the series standings but is just three points from eighth and has every possibility to advance higher at the final round of the series in two weeks’ time.

Jake Cannon: “I didn’t get a good jump out of the gate but I went inside at turn one to come out top-ten and just kept chugging along, ticking off the laps during the first half of the race. The track was really choppy and my legs are feeling it now but I was fast and strong at the end; I caught and passed several guys but I need more intensity at the beginning.”

Stéphane Dassé (Bud Kawasaki team owner): « It was again a good weekend for us with yet another podium for Francisco. Yesterday he dominated the first race and for sure it would have been perfect if he had won this round but anyway we are very happy with him; he is consistent and never gives up! It’s his fourth podium in a row; sometimes he wants too much and we need to calm him down, but we are really happy with both riders.”

The Spanish youngster had shown his ability to learn quickly when he posted second-fastest time in his group on his first visit to the Scandinavian track. In the first moto of the weekend he wasted no time in hitting the front as he exploded into action with a decisive inside pass for the lead at turn three. It was his fourth victory in the last five motos of the series ! His start on Sunday was not that good and he was seventeenth at the first timing split. He quickly moved into the top-ten halfway round the first full lap, then advance to fourth and pushed to the end with a decisive pass for third on the final lap securing second overall over the weekend with the same points-haul as the winner. With just two rounds of the series remaining, he is now assured of at least the bronze medal.

Francisco Garcia: “I am so happy with my form at the moment; I have won four of the last five motos and I am now looking to continue like this to the end of the season with more moto podiums. My speed was again good and I am strong in the sand so I am confident heading to Arnhem next weekend.”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon also posted top-three in his Qualifying group. The Australian emerged just outside the top-ten from turn one in the first moto but faced a tough race after slipping off on lap two; he advanced to tenth after twenty minutes and eventually took the chequered flag ninth. On Sunday he got the good start he needed as he powered out on turn one fifth but he surrendered three places halfway round the first lap as he was thrown off the side of the track after a big jump and needed time to settle back into his rhythm. Decisive moves during the second half of the race saw the him regain fifth in moto on the final lap to also claim fifth overall on the weekend. He is now tied for eighth in the series standings.

Jake Cannon: “I felt good on the bike and was enjoying the track but the first moto just didn’t go my way. I rode strong to get back to ninth after crashing on the second lap but I need to get better starts and minimize the errors. I’m frustrated with my first lap in the second moto as I jumped off the side of the track after a good start. After ten minutes I started riding like myself again and came back to fifth for fifth overall; I just have to put it all together for a full moto, I know I have the speed to be at the front.”

After posting the fourth-fastest time in Qualifying Francisco was unbeatable in the first race on Saturday. He moved into the top-three within the first half-lap, advanced into second on lap two and swept into the lead next time round to immediately open up a five-second lead by the end of lap three and later took the chequered flag nearly seventeen seconds ahead of his rivals. On Sunday he had a dramatic opening lap in the second moto as he crashed soon after the start and was then delayed again further round the lap as he stopped in a deep rut. Undeterred by the setbacks he rebounded with ferocious spirit to haul back into a points-scoring position by lap four and, lapping even faster than the leaders through the second half of the moto, he made an exhilarating pass for tenth on the penultimate lap to amazingly secure the overall podium. His efforts have further consolidated his third place in the series points-standings as he extended his advantage over fourth to sixty-eight points with three rounds remaining.

Jake Cannon held a solid eighth for several laps in the first race before exploding into action during the second half of the moto as he felt ever more at home on the loose-surfaced track to sweep into his final fourth three laps from the end of the race. On Sunday he took another good start to run eighth on the opening lap before going over the bars entering pit straight when soft sand grabbed his front wheel. A long delay saw him lose nearly a complete lap before he could rejoin the race but he rebounded magnificently to move into twentieth for the final point of the weekend four laps from the finish. The effort secured tenth overall over the weekend and he is now eleventh in the series standings, just six points from the top-ten.

Francisco Garcia: “That first race was a really solid moto; I found a good flow and was really happy with my feeling for the track. We practiced a lot in sand this week and it paid off.. The track was fast but with a lot of small bumps and I could soon make passes for the lead. Second race was not an easy one but the speed was there. I crashed on the first lap and stalled the engine, then I stopped again in a rut further round the lap, but I pushed hard after that to come from last to tenth. It was not my best result but I gave my maximum and earnt another podium.”

Jake Cannon: “I made a good start in the first moto but my first few laps have been terrible recently and I got shuffled back quickly to eighth before I settled. The track was very choppy and there’s no break anywhere, and it was surprisingly hot too. But I never gave up and finished strong for a solid fourth. Sunday was another story with that crash who cost me so much time, it was another experience.”

In the first race on Saturday Francisco, second-fastest in Timed Practice, held a tight line at turn one to emerge third and was soon on the move, cutting decisively under his rival for second in the final turn of lap two. He closed the four second gap to the leader to launch past with a massive leap over the uphill triple which saw him carry the speed around the outside of the following turn. He then put his head down to establish a solid six-second lead before rolling back the throttle slightly on the final lap to win comfortably by three seconds. Again taking a tight line through turn one on Sunday Francisco emerged fourth before quickly easing past his teammate for third and then launching into second before the completion of the opening lap. As the race approached half-distance the Spaniard upped his tempo and, with a succession of fast laps, hauled back the leader before diving inside at the end of the home straight three laps from the finish for his second win of the weekend. It was his second overall victory of the season, and his first with a perfect 1-1 scoreline; he remains third in the series points-standings but made massive gains on each rider ahead of him and is now forty-four points clear of fourth.

Francisco Garcia: “What a perfect weekend. I already felt at home with the track in practice yesterday and then a win in the first moto. The track was a little different today with more ruts but I was always in control. I rode a little too calmly at the beginning of the races but I can always push hard at the end; I did that again today to take the win. I have a really good feeling with my bike at the moment and we have such a good atmosphere in the team. It’s great to take the overall with a double win; I don’t have a realistic shot at the title after dropping some points earlier in the season, so I came here looking for race wins … and I took my first two-moto sweep in EMX this weekend.”

Jake had used his sixth choice of gate to good effect as he followed his teammate out of turn one in fourth for his best start since the opening round of the series. Settling quickly into a podium race-pace in company with the series points-leader he ran down the riders ahead to make two identical passes on consecutive laps at half-distance to establish a Bud Kawasaki 1-2. Growing in confidence by the lap he defied the red plate holder until the penultimate lap and continued to race his more experienced rival to the chequered flag for a deserved third-place finish. On Sunday he made an even better start than on Saturday to hold down third the first time past the pits; he surrendered two positions quickly as the race settled. At half distance he made a decisive pass for fourth and immediately sprinted clear on a clear track to bring home the fourth place in moto which secured him third overall over the weekend. It was the Australian teenager’s career-first EMX podium since arriving in Europe at the start of the season, and his thirty-eight point haul sees him leap to thirteenth in the series standings, just twenty-four points shy of seventh.

Jake Cannon: “I’m over the moon; finally on the podium ! I had a consistent weekend and have finally been able to show everyone what I am capable of. It started well with P4 in Free Practice, then sixth in Timed Practice to give me a good gate-pick for the races. That is what has been missing; it’s been my anchor. I got twice a good start, I had a really nice battle with Reisulis on Saturday, then on Sunday I was riding tight on the first lap and made a few small mistakes to lose a couple of positions. The track was really wet and slippery so you had you hit your marks. Now I hope I can keep it going to finish the year strong. It’s been a special moment as my family are here this weekend all the way from Australia.”

Stéphane Dassé (Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki team owner): “What a weekend for the team, with a double win for Francisco and the first podium for Jake in the European championship. They truly gave me a nice birthday present this weekend ! Francisco already had some podiums this season, and we saw that Jake’s results in the French championship were improving recently so we are happy to see him where he deserves to be. Both riders are young and we are very happy with them; they work well together, they train hard with Thierry Van Den Bosch, and they bring a great and positive atmosphere in the team so we can say that we made a good choice when we signed them.”

Kegums is a regular venue for the European and World Championships, and this weekend we were there for the eighth of the thirteen rounds of the series. Racing conditions were very different as we had nice weather on Saturday, but again some mud on Sunday due to overnight rain.

On Saturday in the first moto of the weekend Francisco confirm the pace he had shown as he posted second-fastest time in Timed Practice. The Spanish youngster moved from a twelfth-placed start to sixth within a lap and continued to make strong passes to reach third by lap four. The front two had already escaped but the Kawasaki rider, regularly setting the fastest laps, closed the gap dramatically, sweeping into second with three laps remaining, and he continued his pace to finish just three seconds behind the winner. Overnight storms left extremely heavy track conditions for the EMX riders in their second moto on Sunday morning; Francisco made an excellent third-placed start but had been pushed back to fifth at the completion of the first lap. Further mistakes saw him relegated to seventh, his position at the end of the race. Missing the podium by just two points, he retains third in the points standings after eight of thirteen rounds.

On Saturday a first lap crash demoted Jake Cannon, twenty fifth on the gate, to thirty-first but the Australian teenager responded well to pull back to fifteenth until a last-lap incident with a fallen rider put him out of the race. On Sunday chaos at the first turn again left Jake outside the top-twenty but he showed great resolve to advance to eleventh with two laps to go; he had a top-ten result in sight before a mistake on the final lap put him back to fourteenth. He is now fifteenth in the points standings.

Francisco Garcia : Fourth overall (2/7) and third in the championship
Jake Cannon : Twentieth overall (DNF/14) and fifteen in the championship

Francisco Garcia: “I was riding really well with a good feeling for the track on Saturday, but the guy from my left cut my line straight out of the gate so my start was not so good. Still, I made some good passes and I was riding so fast at the end to come close to the win. On Sunday track conditions were so difficult after the rain; it was the same for everyone but I never had a good feeling on the track and there were unpredictable ruts on the jumps. I crashed once and then I had a really big moment on the finish jump and scared myself; but the most important thing is that I am leaving here in one piece and have kept my third place in the championship.”

Jake Cannon: “My riding’s OK and I had two good comebacks through the field, but the starts are killing me at the moment; it all begins with Qualifying and I need to sort that out. I got two good jumps but particularly here it’s a really big detour at the first turn from the outside. Let’s hope I can sort out my Qualifying before the next round in England.”

Many fans, a sunny weather, a renewed track and many guests who came to visit us, this GP was once again lived up the reputation of the French Grand Prix!

On the sporting side the weekend started well for Francisco Garcia, with a second-fastest time in the timed practice period, followed by a fifth-place finish in the first race on Saturday. Once again fighting for a top-five finish on Sunday, Francisco was unfortunately forced to retire, but he is still third in the championship.

While he had only achieved one top-10 finish in the last four European races, Jake Cannon had his best weekend of the year at Ernée, securing in both races ninth-place finishes. On Sunday, after starting in the pack, his comeback from eighteenth to ninth confirmed that the hard work he had put in was paying off, with a fine sixth-place finish overall.

Riders and staff will now enjoy one weekend ‘off’ after seven race weekends in a row, and then we’ll be back racing in Latvia on June 7-8.

Jake Cannon : “We’re heading in the right direction with top-ten in both motos. I still have a lot of things to iron out and put together but we’re getting there. This was a proper race track where you had to be smart and be patient because things could happen quickly. And the public were crazy; there was a hillside there but all I could see were people and you could hear them all moto!”

Francisco Garcia: Eleventh overall (5/DNF) and third of the championship
Jake Cannon: Sixth overall (9/9) and sixteenth of the championship

Once more we had to deal with rain and mud this weekend! On Saturday the conditions were good for the practice sessions, but it start raining mid-day and on Sunday it was even worse as the rain stopped after the European second moto.

Francisco, fourteen points from the points-leader at the start of the weekend after three consecutive podiums in Trentino, Switzerland and Portugal, was optimistic that he could intensify his title challenge on home soil after posting second-fastest time in Timed Practice and held a solid sixth place halfway through the first moto on Saturday before being forced to pull out. Heavy rain for three hours before the second moto on Sunday morning rendered track conditions extremely difficult but he limited the damages with a spirited ride from a twelfth-placed start to fifth at the chequered flag. He remains third in the standings before the next round in two weeks’ time at Ernée (France)

Qualified in eighteenth position Jake Cannon had mid-grid gate and at the start of the first moto he had to stop at the tight first turn as several riders crashed in front of him! Twenty eighth after the opening lap he never give up to come back fourteenth, and the scenario was pretty similar on Sunday when he crashed in the first corner. Once more he came back strongly from twenty third to thirteenth, for fifteenth overall.

Next weekend we will race the fourth round of the French Championship at Gaillac Toulza

Francisco Garcia : Thirteenth overall (DNF/5) and third of the championship
Jake Cannon : Fifteenth overall (14/13) and seventeenth of the championship