Second start of season for Bud Racing

After a first season opening early in January in the US West Coast SX Series, team Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki took a second start this weekend, involved both in the US East Coast Series and in the French Elite championship.

After a few International races (Valence, Lacapelle Marival) to prepare the season, it was time this weekend to enter the French Elite series, including now the Junior (125cc) and Hopefull (85cc) classes. It’s Sommières in Southern France who met this opening round; it was a very good day for Nicolas Dercourt, a good one for Brian Moreau Strubhart and an average one for defending champion Xavier Boog.

Racing for the first time since his knee injury last summer, Nicolas Dercourt confirmed his strong winter training, as he was always one of the fastest MX2 riders. Fifth in his timed practice session, he got two great starts with his Bud KX250F and took the lead of each race after just a few laps. He did a perfect race in the opening moto, winning it 8 seconds ahead of his rivals with the fastest lap time; in the second heat a couple of mistakes relegates him in third, only three seconds behind the winner. He is tied in the points with the leader of the series.

Fastest rider in the MX1 class during the practice session, Xavier Boog will not be as successful as his teammate at the start. Twice in the pack, he lost everything in the opening lap of the first race when another rider hit and him and damaged his bike. Sixth after a few corners in the second heat, he came back third but already played his joker in the series with a tenth overall.

Fifth in the Junior qualifying race, Brian Moreau Strubhart was fifth during the first race when he crashed and lost a couple of positions; finally tenth of the race, he then scored a strong third position in the next heat to leave Sommières fifth in the standings. Next round of the French Series is in two weeks time in St Thibery, again in Southern France.

Flying to the US only last Monday, Cedric Soubeyras had just a few days to prepare the most famous race of the US calendar: Daytona! Ninth overall in the timed practice session, only two seconds from the pole position, Cédric qualified straight for the main event with a seventh position in his heat race. He then scored a twelfth position in the main event, not so far from the top ten and he will be for sure stronger next week in Toronto!

Nicolas Dercourt: “It’s good to start the season with such a good result, as I’m second in the series tied with the leader for my first race since six months. I got a good start in the first race, and won my first ever Elite race; in the second race I was again leading the pack, but I did a few mistakes and score a third position. Happy to start like this, and a big thanks to the staff and the partners of team Bud.”

Xavier Boog: “The weekend started pretty well with the fastest lap time in the MX1 class, but I missed a good start in race one and another rider hit my bike and damaged my chain guide so I had to stop. In the second moto I start again in the pack and came back third, so the results are not what I expected. We’ll continue to train before St Thibery, especially to get good starts.”

Sudden stop for Maxime

The third round of the AMA Supercross series was not the best one so far for team Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki, who didn’t got the expected results. Maxime Desprey crashed heavily during his qualifying race in Anaheim II, and stopped his US experience as he broke his femur in this crash.

Week after week and race after race, we saw that Maxime was improving a lot these past weeks, thanks to the hard work alongside David Vuillemin! Second in the first practice session of his group Maxime couldn’t improve his lap time in the next session due to a small mistake and crash, but qualified easily for the night program. He didn’t got the best gate for his qualifying race but did a superb start putting him in second place at first corner but went too much outside and lost many places, he was eleventh after the first lap; with only six laps and the first nine riders qualified for the main event you have to give all but unfortunately Maxime didn’t finished the fourth lap as he crashed badly in the whoops section. Suffering from a broken femur, he will need a couple of months to recover and come back on the European tracks.
We want to thanks warmly Kawasaki USA and Monster energy for their confidence and support but also all the people who followed our US experience from France, Europe and anywhere else through the 20 videos episodes made by DV934.
Maxime Desprey: “This American experience ends unfortunately too early for me, with this broken femur after my big crash in the whoops. It’s difficult to accept it, as we worked so hard during the past weeks and i was feeling a real progression. Surgery was OK, they put a pin in my bone and I will stay a few more days at the hospital before joining the mechanics and my teammate in Lake Elsinore at team’s base. I want to thanks team Bud Racing, Stephan who stay with me at the hospital, David my trainer, my mechanic Jeremy, all my friends, my family, my girl friend Camille who was on the phone all night long and all the people who sent nice messages on the social medias.”

David Vuillemin: “Difficult to explain my feeling since Max got injured. It’s a massive blow and my stomach is knotted since I saw him down on the track, in the ambulance and at the hospital….”

Stephane Dasse : « we are really disappointed to stop the US SX experience so early, our 2 young riders Darian Sanayei & Maxime Desprey did very big efforts and a superb job with David Vuillemin to progress every week since we are in the USA, Maxime’s injury is really bad for him and us but it’s Motocross and we know that this sport is always a challenge and we can’t change anything now. We must speak with our sponsors during the day but we may be forced to go back to Europe earlier to prepare the European MX championships who will start end of march. It’s so difficult to find a rider who is able to race SX at this US level, specially for us who want to give the chance to young riders or new talents in this championship. However, we will come back even stronger in 2017”.

A good rhythm for Maxime

No racing break in the United States, with Supercross races every weekend! Just a week after Anaheim, Maxime Desprey and the Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki team was in San Diego for the second of the eight rounds of the 250 West coast Supercross series.Between both races Maxime was back training alongside David Vuillemin, and the French kid moved to San Diego more confident as he knew what to expect after his first US experience in Anaheim. He had a better rhythm in the practice sessions, posted the seventeenth lap time and then confirmed his progress in the semi final. He got a very good start, came fourth and keeps this position – and his ticket for the main event – during most of the race. Unfortunately he hit a tuff block in the last lap, and had to go in the last chance session to qualify for the main. The last chance is always a ‘crazy race’ as it’s the last opportunity of the evening, and when another rider crashed in front of him in the third corner Maxime lost his last chance and missed the main event. A frustrating issue as the results didn’t reflect the improvements since Anaheim I, but everyone is now focused on Anaheim II this coming weekend.

Maxime Desprey: « A frustrating evening for me! I was seventeenth overall after the practice sessions, which was much better than last week when I was thirtieth. I was in the top twenty and reached my goal; I had a good rhythm straight away, and had less apprehension. In the semi final I got a great start, I was fourth during most of the race but in the last lap I hit a bale of straw just before a jump and crashed. My goal was to close the line in a corner, but I went too much outside and lost my balance. I was so upset against myself! I did a great race, and was only two corners from the finish line when I crashed. In the last chance race I was outside on the gate, and in the second corner I was stopped by a rider who crashed in front of me; then with only four laps it’s tough to comeback and qualify. Of course I was disappointed not to join the main, we worked hard during the week and I had the rhythm to qualify, but we always learn from mistakes. I want to keep the positive points; on Monday we were back training to prepare Anaheim 2. Thanks to all the people who support me, thanks to the Bud racing staff, to my mechanic Jeremy and to David for his great advices.”

David Vuillemin: « Max made some improvements and did better practice sessions to post a seventeenth overall. The goal is to be always in the top twenty, and he didn’t reach it in Anaheim. His start in the semi final was better; we worked a lot on the starts this week, change many things and he proved that we worked in the right direction. He was fourth but made a little mistake before the finish line and crashed; then in the last chance he was too shy in the first corners, and when a rider crashed in front of him after three corners his night was over. It’s annoying as he progressed a lot, we work six days a week since beginning of December and he is improving but can’t show that with the results. But I’m convinced that he can get some good results in this championship.”

Interview Jeremy Cerdan: l’arrivée de SKIL dans l’atelier du Team Bud Racing

Interviewer : Off Course. Interviewé : Jéremy CERDAN, mécanicien team Kawasaki Bud Racing depuis 2014, en charge du pilote Maxime DESPREY :

OFF COURSE > Jérémy, peux tu nous parler de l’arrivée de SKIL en sein de l’atelier du team :

Jérémy CERDAN > Nous avons reçu les premiers produits SKIL début 2015, ce fut pour nous une excellente nouvelle car nous étions clairement en manque d’outillage électroportatif !

OC > En quoi cela vous facilite t-il le quotidien ?

JC > Nous travaillons avec 2 gammes de produits. La première est la Gamme SKIL MASTERS que nous utilisons au sein de l’atelier de course où nous montons préparons et entretenons les KAWASAKI du team. Dans le détail, nous utilisons ( et recommandons ! ) des perceuses à percussion, ainsi que des décapeurs thermiques et des visseuses. Lorsque nous sommes sur les épreuves, nous utilisons en majorité cette fois la gamme SKIL POWER TOOLS.

OC > Quelles sont les utilisations spécifiques à votre métier ?

JC > Prenons le cas du décapeur thermique ( en l’occurrence le modèle 8004 A ) : Son utilisation est quasi quotidienne !! En effet comme indiqué plus haut, nous intervenons sur bon nombre de motos dans l’année ( environ une quarantaine par saison ! ). Par exemple, il faut apposer nos décos ( où figure entre autres SKIL ! ) et stickers. Ces adhésifs étant très épais ( pour résister à la boue ), il nous faut impérativement user de décapeurs thermiques pour une parfaite application. Malgré un usage vraiment intensif de ces produits, nous n’avons pas rencontré le moindre problème.

OC > Quels autres produits peux tu recommander à ceux qui nous lisent ?

JC > Autre usage détourné : Les agrafeuses murales, elles nous sont utiles et très efficaces pour la mise en place de nos housses de selles. Enfin et bien entendu, nous sous servons au quotidien de perceuses / visseuses sans fil comme le modèle 2598 AA aussi bien à l’atelier que sur les épreuves.

OC > En 2016, allez vous tester ( et approuver ! ) de nouveaux produits SKIL, et si oui lesquels ?

JC > Oui, bien sûr ! Nous attendons avec impatience les meuleuses d’angles que nous avons commandé. Autre nouveauté que nous allons utiliser : La scie multi matériaux 5330 AA.

OC > Le mot de la fin ?

JC > Nous faisons un métier très dur… Nous ne comptons pas nos heures à l’atelier comme en déplacement. Dans ces conditions extrêmes, il est rassurant de pouvoir compter sur de bons outils récents et fiables. Nous représentons un constructeur leader et ce, partout en Europe. Il est donc indispensable pour nous d’exiger le meilleur tant en lubrifiants, pneumatiques ou outillage… Et c’est le cas avec SKIL, j’espère très sincèrement que nous aurons encore l’occasion de pouvoir compter sur le long terme avec SKIL !