French Elite Championship A double podium for the team !

It’s not so often that you can score a double podium and a win in a race, and this weekend team Bud Racing Kawasaki did it at Castelnau de Lévis during the second round of the French Elite Championship. With an overall win for Mathis Valin and a second position for Benjamin Garib, everyone was smiling on Sunday evening!

Since three weeks now the team enters a race every weekend, and after an Elite round in Normandy and the first European race in Spain it’s near Albi that our new structure was for the second round of the French Elite. Castelnau de Lévis is an atypic track, offering both “concrete” and “plasticine” sections where both riders felt comfortable in the practice session with a third position for Mathis and a fifth for Benjamin.
In the first moto Mathis grabbed the holeshot, and did the entire period in the lead to win seven seconds ahead of Benjamin who did a great comeback from seventh to second, posting the fastest lap time! The second moto was another good one for both Benjamin who finished third and Mathis who got a fourth and secure the overall win ahead of his team mate! Those performances are a great reward for Mathis who got again top results in his fourth race on a 250, and for Benjamin who got his first ever podium since he joined us in Europe after a tough Spanish weekend.

Next weekend no race at our program, and then the team will move to Italy for the second round of the European Championship on April 13-14.

Mathis Valin: « Another great day even it was pretty tough for me as this kind of track is not my favorite, but I won the first moto and the overall so what could be better? Good results keep coming, we worked hard with the team and I’m happy to offer them this win. We’ll continue to work as it would be great to continue this momentum.”

Benjamin Garib: “Happy with this podium, last weekend in Spain was not so good for me so to come back strongly on a podium is great and we’ll keep working. This weekend was very fun, I want to thanks my team Bud Racing, my family and my mechanics. This track was similar to some tracks in Chili, and I felt pretty comfortable all day long.”

Race win and podium for Mathis Valin on EMX250 debut

Mathis Valin was impressive in his first ever 250 European race, as he sensationally raced to a moto victory and second overall on his debut in the European EMX250 Championship in the suburb of Madrid.

On Saturday afternoon Mathis had already shown his potential in the first moto as he charged from sixth on the opening lap to finish third, less than four seconds behind the winner and he was truly in his element in race two on Sunday morning. Gating second he moved confidently into the lead already on the opening lap and controlled the race to the finish in heavy track conditions with deep sticky ruts after extensive overnight track-watering. Quickly breaking away from the chasing pack he showed great maturity to extend his lead to seven seconds by half-distance, coolly maintaining his advantage to the chequered flag. The moto win appeared to the key to overall victory too as he entered the final lap but there was heartbreak as his rival for the top step of the weekend podium was gifted a position three corners from the finish to reverse the overall standings. But, with second overall and a moto win Kawasaki’s class newcomer can look forward with confidence to the next races.

Mathis Valin: “Incredible! Already yesterday I had a good feeling; the track changed a lot throughout the day but that was not a problem as I feel very comfortable on the bike. Then today I had another good start; I took the lead when van Erp crashed and I could made a gap to control the race. I have always enjoyed racing in muddy conditions but to win a moto in my second race on the 250 is incredible! I stayed calm until the chequered flag; I just lost the red plate as Lata gained one position on the last lap but anyway it’s great to be on the podium. We had a good winter with the team and the hard work is paying off, it’s great to offer them this podium and I’m proud of this first moto win.”

Benjamin Garib on the second Bud Racing Kawasaki had to dig deep from midfield starts in both motos from the middle of the gate after a disappointing Timed Practice had left him with sixteenth pick. The Chilean’s frustration was intensified in the first moto as he was dragged down in a multiple-rider pile-up on the opening lap and narrowly missed the points in twenty-second after a tough recovery from the back of the forty-rider pack. Sixteenth in the early stages of race two he advanced to fourteenth by mid-moto and, maintaining his lap times to the finish, grabbed two places on the final lap to finish twelfth.

Benjamin Garib: “I didn’t get the results I wanted this weekend but I will learn from my mistakes; I don’t feel so comfortable in muddy conditions but at least I stayed on two wheels today. My thanks to the team and my mechanics; we will keep pushing and training and look for a return to best form in the French championship race next weekend.”

French Elite Championship Top six results to launch the season

As Lacapelle Marival was cancelled two weeks ago, team Bud Racing Kawasaki was doing its first race of the season at Basly, first round of the French Elite Championship.

After weeks of training and preparation, Basly was finally the first event of the year for the team and the first race this season for Benjamin Garib and Mathis Valin. Track conditions were muddy on Sunday morning due to the rain, but Mathis had a good feeling with the track as he posted the second fastest lap of his group while Benjamin finished tenth. As the rain stopped the track conditions were better for the first moto, even if it was a muddy one; Benjamin got a top ten finish with and eighth position, while Mathis couldn’t do better than twelfth. Both rebounded in the second moto; Mathis got the holeshot and led the race during six laps to finish runner up, while Benjamin came back from seventh to third of the moto, and was classified fifth overall one position ahead of Mathis.

This weekend the team will be at Madrid for the first round of the 250 Motocross European Championship.

Mathis Valin: “Different conditions in both races, some little problems in the first one where my riding was not so good, and then in the second one I was leading several laps to finish second! Track conditions were rough, thanks to the club for what they do on the track and after this first pre season race I feel ready for the opening round of the European 250 next weekend.”

Benjamin Garib: “It was ok, not my favourite conditions this morning with the mud but the track came better for the second moto. The track was a lot dryer and I felt more comfortable and got a third in the second moto. Just happy, we keep pushing and building for the next couple of races”

Team Bud Racing Kawasaki all around the world in 2024

With three riders, the French team will compete in four different championships in 2024: the French Supercross and Motocross championships, the EMX250 European Motocross Championship, and the WSX World Supercross Championship.

As usual, Team Bud Racing has again this year taken under its wing a young French talent, Mathis Valin (17 yo), who already has a fine list of achievements to his credit, including Junior World Champion, EMX125 European vice-champion and 2023 French Junior Champion.

At the age of 17, Mathis will join the big boys and take part in the French Elite MX2 championship as well as the European EMX250 championship, just like his team-mate, the young Chilean Benjamin Garib, who is back for a second year on his Kawasaki 250. Both will be trained by former Supermotard world champion Thierry Van Den Bosch, the Team’s riding trainer and sports coach for over 5 years.

Currently 7th in the prestigious American Supercross Championship on the West Coast, Anthony Bourdon will be well-prepared to start the French Supercross Championship in the premier class in June. Runner-up in last year’s French SX 450 championship with Bud Racing, he is aiming for the title in 2024. He will also be representing the team and its sponsors at various international events throughout the year.

As for the World Supercross Championship, where the Bud Racing Kawasaki Team is one of ten teams selected by the promoter, the team line-up and calendar will be made official in a few weeks’ time.

Team Bud Racing Kawasaki will kick off the season this weekend with the opening round of the French Motocross Championship at Lacapelle Marival.

Stéphane Dassé: “We can’t wait to start the season. The riders had a great winter, starting earlier than the other years, so that they could be at 100% right from the start of the season. Thierry and I are delighted with their commitment and their state of mind. Mathis has integrated well into the team and the whole team is working in the same direction. As for Benjamin, he’s really keen to show that he can ride in front in Europe in his second year away from his homeland. It’s going to be a long season for our two youngsters, with over 20 races between the French and European championships, starting this weekend with the opening of the French Elite Championship. As for Anthony, he’s having a superb Supercross season in the USA, and will continue to learn there before returning to France for the SX season.”

Mathis Valin winner on the beach at the Touquet

As every year the Touquet Enduropale was succesful with more than 2700 riders, and team Bud Racing Kawasaki was involved in the race with Mathis Valin who raced the junior class. As did in the past Dylan Ferrandis and Quentin Prugnières, Mathis won the event for his first race in the 250 class.

Main event in the calendar of the French Sand series, the Enduropale was the first race of Mathis on a 250 and the result confirmed that he feels comfortable on the 250 Kawasaki. Despite a bad position behind the starting gate due to his #188, Mathis was sixth after the opening lap and gained a few positions during the first laps. He closed the gap with the leaders lap after lap, and came second after the ninth of twenty-one laps; three laps later he took the lead and made a gap to cross the finish line with a thirty-eight seconds advantage.

Mathis Valin: “I was far on the grid with my number 188, completely outside and I wanted to start quickly to follow the leaders, but in the first part of the race I had some trouble to pass some amateur riders. It took me a few laps to find my marks on the track, I was not very comfortable in the waves. When I was told that I reduced the gap with the leaders after a few laps I felt more relax; I came back second, we made a quick refueling – congrats to the mechanics – and once leading I made a little gap on Knuiman. I stayed calm despite a little crash during the race, and I had fun here. It’s great to start the season on a victory!”

Stéphane Dasse: “We are happy with this victory, and super happy for Mathis. This winter we discovered a simple boy, easy to get along with, hard worker, everyone appreciates his attitude and the relationship within the team, whether it is the mechanics or his teammate Benjamin Garib, is very good. We took him training in the United States, in Spain, in Sardinia, we try to provide everything so that our riders can train in good conditions because they both deserve it. Le Touquet is an important race for us and for Kawasaki, so we are delighted with this great start of the season.”