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.”

Opening of the WSX Supercross World Championship in Birmingham UK and MX2 victory for Quentin Prugnières at the French Elite Motocross Championship

Just one week after the opening of the French SX Tour Championship, the team headed to Birmingham, England, for the first round of the WSX World Supercross Championship, but this time with 4 riders – 3 French and one American. In the 250cc class, Adrien Escoffier and Anthony Bourdon defended the Bud Racing colors, as did Justin Hill and Cédric Soubeyras in the 450cc class.

An excellent start of the evening for the American Justin Hill, winner of the Heat and Superpole. Well placed on the starting grid, Justin took the Holeshot in the first final and finished 3rd. After another excellent start in the second final, Justin finished in first place after 8 laps. With only one final remaining, Justin had all his chance to finish on the podium, given his previous results. Unfortunately, Justin fell into the whoops on the very first lap and was a bit concussed, ending this final with difficulty in 15th place. 4th overall, just one point off the podium, Justin has everything it takes to excel in future races.

A little less success for our 3 French riders, all three missed their Heat and had a bad gate pick. With starts at the back of the pack and a very short race format, all three were unable to climb back up despite encouraging speed. Cédric Soubeyras finished 18/12/12 of the three finals, and came 14th overall in the 450cc class. As for the SX2 riders, Adrien Escoffier crashed at the first start, damaging his bike. He didn’t finish this final, but came 10th and 12th in the other two, to finish 15th overall. Anthony Bourdon came 14th overall, having completed 15/12/13 in the finals.

Numerous Supercross races await our French riders this summer, who will have plenty of time to prepare before meeting again on September in Singapore for the second round of the WSX Supercross World Championship. As for Justin, he’s going back to the United States to continue his training so he can continue with his excellent speed for the rest of the season.

Back in France with Quentin Prugnières, who was competing the final round of the French Elite Motocross Championship in the MX2 class this weekend. Winner of the first race, Quentin led the entire second race before making a mistake three corners from the finish and finished second. Winner again of the MX2 event two weeks after his first MX2 victory.

Justin Hill: “It was an incredible night with a win in Heat and Superpole. I’m obviously disappointed to make that mistake in the third final which cost me the podium, but there are a lot of positives to take away. Now that I know the championship and the format, I’m ready to get back to training. I’m already looking forward to Singapore.”

Quentin Prugnières: “A good weekend overall, I had good speed all day long. It’s a shame to lose the second race because of a big mistake when I had a 10-second lead. But all in all, it was very positive with two good starts. Now I’m going to continue preparing for the next race in Europe, which takes place on August 12/13 in Sweden.”

Stéphane Dassé: “It’s great to get the WSX championship underway. Justin rode really well and we’re really happy about that. Unfortunately, the others were badly placed on the grid and the start was very important this weekend. It’s a really special format with 3 very short rounds in a row where anything can happen. Everyone knows what to improve and I’m convinced that with better starts, they’re all also capable of fighting at the front. We are also very happy about Quentin that is back in a good rythm and we can’t wait to be at the next races.”

Hossegor, July 3rd 2023

Opening of the French SX TOUR Championship Podium for Anthony Bourdon !

Superb weather, a sold-out stadium and great battles all evening – all the conditions were in place to make the opening of the French SX Tour Championship in Clermont Ferrand a real success. After his victory last weekend in the Elite MX1 French Motocross Championship at Rauville la Place, Anthony Bourdon arrived in Auvergne determined to make the Bud Racing team’s colors shine for this 1st SX of the season in the 450 cm3 class.

Starting the day with the 6th fastest time, Anthony found his rhythm and progressed throughout the evening. With a good start in the semi-final, it didn’t take him long to take 1st place and hold on to it until the chequered flag. In the final, the scenario was identical. Anthony started in the leading pack before settling into the leader’s seat.
A solid performance

Particularly at ease on this demanding track, he put in some solid laps before seeing Josh Hill catch up with him. Despite his best efforts, Anthony succumbed to the American rider’s onslaught to finish 2nd. Victory may have been close, but it’s a fine podium finish and a big points tally to kick-start the season and build confidence a week ahead of the opening round of the World Supercross Championship.

Anthony Bourdon: “It was a good evening overall, as I won my semi-final. In the final, I got off to a good start and took the lead for a while before seeing Hill overtake me with 2 minutes to go. I have mixed feelings. I’m happy to be on the podium but a little disappointed to have broken down physically, because I think victory was possible. It’s still cool to start the season ahead of all the French drivers. We’ll keep on working to get stronger for the next few races“.

Stéphane Dassé: “Anthony is in a good mood after his victory at the Elite last week and his podium here in Clermont-Ferrand. This 2nd place in the 450 cm3 class ahead of some solid SX riders is a nice surprise. The training seems to be paying off. All we have to do now is keep up the good work. »
This Saturday, July 1, the Bud Racing team will be in Birmingham for the opening round of the World Supercross Championship. Anthony Bourdon and Adrien Escoffier will represent the team in the SX2 class, while Justin Hill and Cédric Soubeyras will compete in the SX1 class.

Hossegor, June 26th

Justin HILL with Bud Racing for the WSX World Supercross Championship 2023

After a successful year in supercross in 2022, the Bud Racing Kawasaki Team is back for another year in the WSX World Supercross Championship, which begins July 1st in Birmingham.

With two Frenchmen, an American and an Australian, the team finished third in the 250cc championship and scored top five finishes in the 450cc class, so you can imagine that the team is determined to do at least as well in 2023. The championship will feature no less than 6 events around the world (Birmingham UK, Lyon FR, Asia, Dusseldorf DE, Vancouver CA, Melbourne AU).

For this the Bud Racing Kawasaki team announced a few weeks ago the renewal of the contract of the six-time French supercross champion, Cedric Soubeyras. Runner-up to Marvin Musquin at the 2021 Paris Supercross, Cedric is eager to compete again with the rest of the world’s riders and show what he can do.

His team-mate in the 450cc class will be the American Justin Hill, former 250 AMA supercross champion. He’s eager to get back on the Kawasaki that had previously worked so well for him, as he won 8 AMA Supercross races on this bike and was the last Kawasaki rider to win an AMA 250 Supercross championship. This will be a first one for the American in the WSX World Championship who is currently in the top 10 of the premier class in the American championship and who continues to improve with each race (7th in Detroit).

Stay tuned for the names of the riders who will represent us in 250, they should be revealed very soon.

Hossegor, April 6th 2023

KAWASAKI BUD RACING POWERED BY BS BATTERY FOR 2023 MXGP & SX SEASON

‘Off-road has always been at the heart of our products development. The unpredictable grounds allow us to test the durability of our products in extreme conditions. Receiving technical feedbacks from KAWASAKI BUD RACING’s Engineers and riders after MXGP races are precious for our R&D Department always concerned by weight and vibrations optimization.’ says Romain MENDUNI, R&D Manager at BS BATTERY!

BS BATTERY lithium range is 70% lighter than the conventional batteries, a good asset for all the demanding riders who look after performance! The Smart Chargers have also been designed to answer all needs, from the smallest battery to the largest capacity: lithium or acid, from 2Ah to 80Ah, 6 or 12V, 100% automatic… BS BATTERY team is always focus on making rider’s life easier.

“Since 2022, we are approved by KAWASAKI Factory as Original Equipment Supplier, continuing our partnership with KAWASAKI BUD RACING make more and more sense every year.” add Benjamin SEBBAN, General Manager from BS BATTERY.

Off-road races are very demanding: the track become trickier every minute and the bikes can be quickly damaged.

“The physical conditions of our riders and their riding skills are essential to maintain a good performance along the way. That’s why we are always trying to improve the riding comfort of our pilots and facilitate their movements. Collaborating with BS BATTERY has been key for us. We reduced a lot the weight of our bikes thanks to their Lithium BSLi-02 Battery, rider’s agility is much more optimized.” says Pere IBANEZ, Technical Manager from KAWASAKI BUD RACING.

Created in 2007, KAWASAKI BUD RACING has always been invested successfully in several championships every year. With the support of BS BATTERY, no less than three championships are on 2023 program, which will be officially launched on March 5th with the opening round of the French Elite championship.

Three riders will defend BUD RACING colors in the French championship: Quentin Prugnières (17 years old), Benjamin Garib (18 years old) will line up in the MX2 class while Anthony Bourdon (24 years old) will compete in MX1. Next 15 and 16th April, KAWASAKI BUD RACING will enter at the opening of European Motocross Championship – class 250cc commonly referred to EMX250 and will take place at Pietramurata circuit, in Italy!

About the World Supercross Championship, KAWASAKI BUD RACING will also race in both classes – SX450 & SX250, including 2 riders per class. KAWASAKI BUD RACING team’s final composition will officially release in a few weeks. The FIM World Supercross Championship will host the British Grand Prix at in Birmingham, Great Britain on Saturday July 1st.