What a great home GP for team Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki! In Saint Jean d’Angely Brian Moreau claimed his first ever podium in the 250 European Championship with a second overall, while Pierre Goupillon won his first European heat during the French round of the Championship.

A vast crowd witnessed exciting racing in varying conditions at the hillside Saint Jean D’Angely track, only 300km from Bud headquarters in Hossegor. On Saturday morning Brian and Pierre dominate their practice session, posting the first and second fastest lap time in their group to get a good gate for the races. The first race on Saturday evening was run in glorious sunshine, but overnight rain made conditions tricky for race two when both Bud teamsters excelled. Brian Moreau held a strong second place for five laps in the opening moto before selecting neutral and crashing but the youngster showed character as he recovered to regain fifth place on the final lap of the race. Again starting well in the muddy second moto he quickly advanced to the third place which would ensure his overall podium success and again showed character and maturity in difficult conditions to rebound after temporarily losing the place with a fall.

Philippe Goupillon also reached a career landmark as he raced to his first moto success in the series in the second moto. An incident when another rider crashed into him at the start of the first moto cost him all hopes of overall success but he too showed strength and maturity to quickly take over the lead in the muddy race two and maintain it to the end of the gruelling race.

Brian Moreau: « It’s so nice to get my first European podium on a 250 so close home and in front of a huge crowd. It was not an easy weekend as the track was muddy this morning after it rained a lot in the night, and it was important to avoid mistakes. I crashed one time and Boisrame passed me, but I passed him back to finish third and secure this podium. The first race could have been better as I was second for a long time until I hit a neutral in a corner and crashed. I have been searching since the beginning of the season to put two solid races together on the same weekend. Now I have achieved it and there was no better place to do it than my home GP. »

Pierre Goupillon: « Yesterday I had a good feeling with the track and posted the second fastest time in my group, but at the start of the first race another rider hit me and I couldn’t avoid a crash. I knew that my speed was good and I knew that with a good start everything was possible in the second race. I got a great start and soon took the lead. It’s important to be in front in the mud so you can choose your lines; I made a gap and didn’t make any mistakes, even when Clarke was pushing behind me, to win my first ever race in a European series. »

Team Monster Bud Racing Kawasaki was back on the box this weekend in the 250 European MX Championship, as Pierre Goupillon finished third at the fifth round of the series in Great Britain.

On the track of Matterley Basin considered by most of the riders as one of the nicest of the season, the team enjoyed a great Saturday morning as Brian Moreau posted the fastest time of his qualifying group, followed by….Pierre Goupillon! Both had the best gate pick, but got different results at the start of the first race; Pierre was in the top five in the first corner, but Brian was far in the pack. On this fast track a group of ten riders was fighting for the podium after a few laps, including Pierre who was fourth until he made a small mistake before a jump and lost four positions! Finally ninth of this race he did much better on Sunday with the holeshot and a third position; leading the race during a few laps he did a clever race, losing two positions but scoring twenty important points to be back on the podium!

Brian lost all his chances this weekend with two bad starts. In the first heat he was pushing too much and crashed twice during the first lap; last of the race, he came back twenty fourth. On Sunday after another bad start he didn’t want to repeat the same scenario, but finally took a bad rhythm and scored only six points with a fifteenth position; before the French GP this weekend he is now ninth in the standings.

Pierre Goupillon: “It’s great to be back on the podium for me as I didn’t score any points at the last round. I finally got back on the podium and it’s a great motivation before the French round of the series next weekend. I never stopped working since the beginning of the season, and we’ll continue to do so as my goal is to win some other races. This weekend one of my goal was to stay on two wheels and I did it; the result could have been even better if I hadn’t lost four positions when I made a mistake in the first race before a jump.”

Brian Moreau: “I had a good feeling on the track during the practice session, and it was great to be the faster guy! I missed my first start and I did two mistakes in the opening lap as I pushed too much to regain positions… I was last after the opening lap and never found the good rhythm to finish twenty-four. My second start was not better but I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake, but in fact I never found my rhythm and stay fifteenth during most of the race behind another rider. A disappointing weekend for me.”

Back in the European 250 Championship, the Bud Racing Monster Energy riders had a tough weekend in Latvia as neither Brian Moreau not Pierre Goupillon felt comfortable on the rough track of Kegums. Brian scored points in both races with top twelve results, but Pierre didn’t get any point.

One week ago on similar conditions (sandy track and hot temperatures) Brian got his first pole position and the podium honours in the French Elite series, but this weekend was a different story. Fifteenth in a fast qualifying session as the first fifteen riders were all tight within 1.5 seconds, Brian got a good start in the first race but struggled to find his rhythm and could only save a thirteenth position. His second race will be similar with a twelfth position; twelfth of the GP, he is currently sixth in the series.

The weekend was even worse for Pierre, who was back racing after a short break to preserve his knee after his crash in Russia. Very far in the timed practice session Pierre was in the top twenty after the start of the first race, but after several mistakes he couldn’t score any points. His second race was similar, even if the result was a little bit better with a twenty-one position. He is now twelfth of the series.
The team will have a short break next weekend, and then will have five consecutive races with two French Elite and three European GP rounds.

Stéphane Dassé: “Our riders are still missing consistency; Brian was really good one week ago in Bitche, which was also a sandy and hot race, but here in Latvia he was never where he should be. In the practice sessions he made a couple of mistakes and lost his confidence with the track for the entire weekend; he is now sixth in the standings, but the gap with the top guys is now bigger and it will be difficult to reach the podium. Concerning Pierre he hurt his knee in Russia, he made a couple of mistakes there early in each race when he was in the top five and this weekend he was not really there. Everyone will have a short break next weekend, then we’ll go for the French series in Pernes before the next rounds of the EMX250; the British and French GP rounds will be a good opportunity for our riders to do well, and we expect to see them racing for podiums.”