French Elite Championship A sixth podium for Mathis Valin

Back at the French Elite Championship for the penultimate round of the season at Villars sous Ecot, Mathis Valin clinched another podium, his sixth one this year.

Home of the 2023 French MXGP Villars sous Ecot met the fifth of the six rounds of the series, and team Bud Racing Kawasaki was back racing after missing the previous round (Bitche) organized the same day as a the European Championship in Portugal.

Fastest rider in the timed practice period, Mathis got a great start in the first moto to take the lead during the opening lap, but he had during most of the race to deal with Mathys Boisrame who put pressure on him. It was a nice battle, but finally Mathis made a gap to win the race 20 seconds ahead of Mathys. The second race was even more intense as Mathis and Mathys changed their position to lead alternatively the race, and crossed the finish line with only four tenth of a seconds between them! Second of this race, tied in the points, Mathis was classified second overall to consolidate his position in the standings before the final race at Ernée. He will miss this race organized the same day as the EMX250 at Maggiora, but for Ernée and Bitche he will have points compensation.

Third of his group in the timed practice session, Benjamin Garib was in the top four during the first laps of race one, and finished sixth; his second start was not that good, but he score a seventh position and he is now fifth in the standings.

Points compensation: missing a round at Bitche and another at Ernée in three weeks, organised the same day as a EMX250, Mathis and Benjamin will got points compensation at the end of the series. For those two races, they will get for each race a credit of points which is the average number of points that they scored in the four rounds they attended (42 for Mathis and 35 for Benjamin)

Mathis Valin : “The day started really well with a very good lap time and a good speed. Then in the afternoon two very intensive races; in the first moto I start in the top three, I managed to overtake everyone and then during ten minutes we had a big fight with Mathys Boisrame and I won. Second moto I got the holeshot, then Boisrame passed me and we fight the whole moto ! I manage to pass him but unfortunately he overtakes me; I didn’t give up and I finished four tenths of a second behind him so rather happy and satisfied with the weekend!”

Benjamin Garib : “ A 6-7 this weekend, the track was good, many ruts and jumps! Weren’t the results I wanted but I’ll keep working and building for more! I want to thank my team for everything. »

Double win and red plate for Mathis Valin

Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Mathis Valin took over the red plate of the series leader in the FIM European EMX250 Championship after completing his dominant weekend at St Jean d’Angely in his native France with a second moto win and his maiden overall victory in the class.

Mathis was in magnificent form all weekend, confirming his talent as he controlled both motos under fluctuating climatic conditions. He had already secured pole position in a dry Timed Practice and he was clearly not phased when track conditions changed dramatically as rain rolled in from the Atlantic. Fourth through turn one in the first race he quickly slipped through to third within a couple of turns, moved second on lap two and took over the lead on lap four. Quickly opening up a six second lead he maintained his composure in the slippery conditions to eventually take victory by ten seconds. On Sunday the track was still heavy and demanding but nothing could distract him from the task at hand. Second through turn one he dived past for the lead already on the second long downhill and, displaying immaculate bike-control and mature race-skills beyond his tender years aboard the incomparable KX250, he controlled the race from the front to claim his first EMX250 career overall win in the class with a perfect weekend. He also claimed the red plate of the championship leader and takes a twenty-three point advantage over second to the next round. Kawasaki now also leads the FIM Manufacturers’ Championship.

In the first race teammate Benjamin Garib made a superb start from fifteenth gate-pick to run seventh on the opening lap but a mistake on lap four in the slippery conditions pushed him down to thirteenth and, covered in greasy mud, the Chilean eventually finished eighteenth. On Sunday he had gated thirteenth but, looking to advance quickly, slipped off on the greasy surface and remounted way back in thirtieth position. Posting similar lap times to the top-six he narrowly missed the points by one position and is now twenty-third in the series points-standings.
This win is a great reward for Mathis and all the staff of the team, who worked hard since last winter. It was nice to have so many partners and friends with us this weekend, who wera able to celebrate with us this great result.

Mathis Valin: “A perfect weekend here in France with two moto wins! It was amazing this weekend, and I didn’t feel any pressure; it was just a GP like any other even if I felt the crowd behind me; there was more public than yesterday and it was cool to race with this support. I am so happy and enjoyed every minute. If someone had told me at the beginning of the season that I would hold the red plate this year I’m not sure I would have believed them as there are some strong guys with a lot of experience in this championship, but it’s cool to get the red plate and now I will try to keep it until the end of the season.”

Mathis Valin digs dep for another podium in Portugal

Mathis Valin took another podium finish on his Bud Racing Kawasaki in the third round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship at a rain-hit Agueda in Portugal to retain second place in the series standings.

Third in the timed practice session on Saturday, Mathis was initially in the top-ten at the start of the first race on Saturday, as heavy rain swept inland from the Atlantic but he was soon displaying grit and determination to push forward to fourth by lap two. With the ruts getting deeper by the lap he finally broke down the defenses of the series points-leader three laps later before immediately moving clear to chase down the rider ahead of him, claiming his eventual second place with three laps remaining. Excellent trackwork overnight had repaired the rain damage from Saturday but the going was still heavy and unpredictable when light drizzle returned as EMX went to the line. Valin was keen to make an early move with a good start in 2nd position but his plans were dealt a blow within half a lap as he cross-rutted and flew over the bars. He remounted quickly in seventh but was clearly shaken by the crash and needed a couple of laps to settle before advancing decisively back to fourth at the finish despite pain in his left leg. His determination was rewarded with his second podium of the campaign and he retains second in the series headed to the next round on home soil in France at St Jean D’Angely on the weekend of May 18-19.

Bud teammate Benjamin Garib had been impressive and got his best result in Qualifying Practice to post seventh-fastest time but the Chilean was soon involved in collisions with other riders which cost him so much time that, rider and bike covered in greasy mud, he had to be content with thirty-first at the finish. On Sunday at race two he joined his teammate in the top-ten off the start, but his hopes of a good placing were soon negated as a second lap crash pushed him down to twenty-sixth; a difficult race saw the Chilean twenty-second at the finish.

Mathis Valin: “It’s nice to be back on the podium even if the second moto was not what I wanted. This year is a learning year for me in the 250 class so to get podiums is great, but without the crash in the second moto I could have done even better. I knew that the start was important due to the track conditions and I got that today but unfortunately during the first lap I had a huge crash and felt a lot of pain in my left leg. I really don’t know how I could manage to come back to fourth as I couldn’t even put my leg out in the left corners! But a return to the podium is a great reward; we have a weekend off now before the French GP so I will have time to take care of my leg.”

Benjamin Garib: “The weekend started well with good times in practice but the first moto yesterday was so muddy; I had problems with vision so I had to stop for fresh goggles and it was impossible to get back in the points from there. I made a decent start in race two but crashed on the second lap. I’m just feeling disappointed at the moment but we will keep working and I’m looking forward to St Jean d’Angely; I like that track so much.”

French Elite Championship, round 3: A double win and the red plate for Mathis Valin

Team Bud Racing Kawasaki enjoyed another great weekend in the French championship, with a double win for Mathis Valentin and a solid race for Benjamin Garib. The series is at mid-way and Valentin is the new leader while Benjamin consolidates his third position in the standings.

New track and new conditions for our riders! Mathis raced at Romagne in the past, but Benjamin discovered the sunny but cold layout due to heavy wind. During the timed practice sessions Mathis posted the fastest lap in the first group, while Benjamin just lost the pole of the other group in the last minute; however with a second position he did his best qualification so far.
Starting the first race in second position, Mathis only needed three laps to take the lead and go to another moto win while Benjamin came back from sixth to third. The second moto was similar for Mathis who took the lead after two laps, to get another moto win and of course the overall! Benjamin didn’t start so well this moto but came back to fifth, too far to expect a better result as the top four had made a break.

Thanks to this double win Mathis is the new leader of the MX2 Elite, while Benjamin is in third position. There is three more races at the calendar, but our riders will be able to do only one (Villars sous Ecot) as the two others (Bitche and Ernée) are scheduled the same day as a European round. But both riders keep all their chances, as they will get points credit (average points of all the races the attend) for those two rounds.

No race next weekend, we’ll be back on track on May 4/5 in Portugal for the third round of the 250 European Championship.

Mathis Valin: “Everything went well this weekend, I won both motos and got the red plate, a perfect weekend we’ll say! Romagne has always succeeded for me since I was a kid, last year I also got a double win. I feel comfortable in all conditions and on all types of terrain, we try to show that we are there everywhere like this weekend against good riders. The club worked hard, it’s a shame they redid everything before the rounds but we still had some big holes and some good ruts so it was good preparation for the rest of the season.”

Benjamin Garib: “The weekend was not what I wanted, but was not so bad. In the first moto I got a third position which was good, so close to second! In the second moto I didn’t get the best start and it was hard as I was alone during all the moto, the guys in front were ten seconds ahead. It was a boring moto, I need to get better at the start and we’ll continue to work before Portugal.”

Mathis Valin stays second in EMX250

Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Mathis Valin narrowly missed the podium in round two of the EMX250 Championship at Pietramurata in the Trentino region of northern Italy but the French teenager retained a secure second place in the series standings.

A single slip in each race cost the youngster a second consecutive podium in his rookie season in the class, but he displayed character and determination to regain his composure and charge back up the leaderboard to finish fourth in each moto. He spun out in a loose-surfaced turn on the third lap of Saturday afternoon’s first moto after quickly advancing to fourth; the incident cost him three positions but he responded well to recover fourth place five laps from the close despite discomfort in his leg from the crash. In race two on Sunday morning he found himself squeezed towards the trackside banking heading into the first turn but was again quickly on the move to seventh before tipping over in a tight turn at the start of lap four to surrender two positions. Undaunted by the slip he persevered with decisive passes on consecutive laps mid-moto to make fourth his own four laps from the end. He now trails the championship leader by sixteen points but is seventeen clear of third in the standings.

Bud teammate Benjamin Garib had no joy in Saturday’s first moto as he was involved in a mass collision on the exit from turn one but the Chilean showed his speed and determination in race two as he advanced consequently from a fifteenth-placed start to seventh – with his sights set on fifth – two laps from the finish before a fall pushed him back to eighth at the chequered flag.

Mathis Valin: “ After my crash yesterday I had so much pain in my leg that I could hardly walk when I came back to the team truck and I didn’t sleep so well last night. But today I did my best to get some important points with another fourth-placed finish; in the first part of the race I still had some pain, especially when I was sitting down, but it became less painful mid-moto and I could make some passes. I didn’t really enjoy this track so much but the results show that all the work we did this winter is paying off and overall I’m happy as I’m still second in the standings.”

Benjamin Garib: ” Saturday was not a good way to start the weekend with a crunch at the first corner but my start was better today and I was right on the pack. I could make some good passes but I had a small crash near the end which cost me a couple of places. I enjoyed the track, but it was a new experience and very tricky with the grip; you had to be very careful with line-choice. I’m happy with my riding; I just need to figure out my starts.”

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