With a moto win and another podium in the Swiss round of the European EMX250 Championship, Mathis Valin is still leading the series with two more rounds to go. It was another good weekend for team Bud Racing Kawasaki, as Benjamin Garib got another top five result at Frauenfeld.
Undisputed fastest in both practices, Mathis was chopped off aggressively by his closest championship rival entering the first turn and faced a mountain to climb from dead-last in a field of forty. Passing rivals at will he was into the top-twenty already on the second lap and he continued to push hard, moving into the top-ten on lap six and continuing his charge to eventually finish fourth. On Sunday he got in the second moto the decent start he needed as competitors faced sticky conditions after heavy overnight rain, and he quickly moved forward from fourth to second already on the opening lap to give chase to his main championship challenger. He had already closed down his rival as they hit the first lappers as early as lap four and cleverly chose an advantageous line through traffic to sweep around for the lead two laps later. Withstanding the pressure he built an advantage which he could defend despite having to discard his goggles after ten minutes as the leaders encountered a never-ending string of tailenders. Such was the pace of leaders that only four other riders remained on the same lap at the finish with victory for the Kawasaki rider by nearly four seconds. The moto win secured second overall over the weekend – his seventh podium of the series – and significantly he rebuilt his championship points-lead to eleven points with two rounds remaining.
Teammate Benjamin Garib made a superb sixth-placed start in the first race and a clever opening two laps saw him advance to third and hold it for four laps before a small mistake dropped him to his eventual sixth. On Sunday he continues to build after a difficult start to the season; he again gated superbly to exit turn one third and, after quickly surrendering two positions in the difficult conditions, settled down to bring home a lonely fifth, one of only five riders not lapped by his teammate. The effort secured him fifth overall and the weekend points-haul lifts him into the series top-ten, just five points shy of seventh.
Mathis Valin: “I was feeling great in the Free Practice session and I confirmed that feeling with the pole position in the Timed Practice period. Then I had a good start, but Lata had a better one and changed his line; I hit his rear wheel and crashed, so I was last after the first corner. I did some good opening laps; I knew that it was important to pass early in the race to get the best possible result as we are close in the championship. I rode a strong race to finish fourth. On Sunday I came here to win, I wanted to get my revenge! I did it and we kept the red plate, so that was a perfect way to respond. I love the rain and the mud, and I could pass Lata for the lead and resist his challenge to the finish. I even rode my best lap at the very end so I’m proud about that.”
Benjamin Garib: “In the first race I had a good start and was running third for a couple of laps before I had a small crash; I felt a little tired in the heat after the break in my rhythm but in general it was a good day. I know I have the speed because I was pushing and now I want to ride some more in front with the top guys. On Sunday the conditions were hard after the rain but I rode smart and stayed on two wheels. I’ve been really consistent these last few weekends so let’s keep on training hard and keep the results coming.”
