Quentin Marc Prugnières fifth in the Dutch sand

BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Quentin Marc Prugnières just missed another podium in the Dutch round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship at Arnhem.

Quentin put in two strong rides against the local sand experts after rounding turn one just outside the top-six in each moto. His persistence paid off in race one on Saturday afternoon as he eventually forced his way forward to third, and the overall podium looked a very realistic possibility as he took another solid start in race two on Sunday morning to push into fifth after a few turns. But an incident further round the lap dropped him to thirteenth; he was back into the top-ten within four laps and maintained his charge to reach seventh. The 3-7 scoreline earnt fifth overall, just two points shy of the podium, but more significantly has seen him advance to fifth in the series standings with two rounds remaining next month.

Team mate Benjamin Garib showed once again that he has soon found his feet in the white-hot world of EMX racing, even if his points-tally from the weekend did not reflect his competitive spirit. The Chilean, an impressive tenth in Timed Practice, battled his way back to eleventh in the Saturday afternoon moto after a second lap fall had cost him his top-ten ranking at the start, and on Sunday he again showed good speed to hold fifth for four laps before the rugged track claimed him. Rejoining the race thirty-first after a pit-stop to straighten the levers he pushed to the chequered flag to finish twenty-first, missing the final championship point of the day by a fraction of a second in a photo-finish.

Quentin Marc Prugnières: « My start was not perfect on Saturday, and it took me a few laps to find my rhythm and my lines, but I could come back through to third so that’s a positive result. My second start was good but on the first lap I hit the rear wheel of another rider and crashed while I was in the top-five. After the crash it took me several laps to find my rhythm and my lines again before I came back to seventh. No excuses; I missed another podium by just a few points but I know what I have to work on to be ready for the next round in Turkey.”

Benjamin Garib: “In the end the results this weekend were not the best but we’re taking the positives. The first moto I crashed on the second lap but got back to eleventh. In race two I got a great start and I felt really comfortable those four laps racing in the top-five; but then I just had a tip-over and had to make a pit-stop so I lost a bunch of time. We don’t have a lot of sand tracks in Chile and this track was really rough, but we had been preparing hard at Magescq. Anyway I’m hungry for more now so I’m looking forward to Turkey and I am grateful to both the team and my family for giving me the opportunity to race the EMX series.”

Hossegor, August 21st

Quentin Marc Prugnières narrowly misses the podium in Sweden Cédric Soubeyras won the Air Contest at Magescq

It has been a busy period for the team, involved during the weekend in the Swedish round of the EMX250 in Sweden and on Monday at the famous ‘Air Contest’ at the Bud Racing Training Camp. Quentin Marc Prugnières missed the podium in Sweden, but Cédric Soubeyras and Anthony Bourdon were both on the box at Magescq!

Quentin posted an impressive third place in the first moto on Saturday afternoon in Sweden as only lapped riders spoilt his challenge for victory. He was the fastest rider on track during the first fifteen minutes as he advanced from fourth to second and he continued his charge to pull back the five-second gap to the leader entering the final two laps. However lapped riders were becoming an ever-greater problem and the Kawasaki rider was hampered so badly that they cost him second during a frustrating final lap. Persistent rain showers overnight and throughout the morning made the Uddevalla track extremely slippery for the second moto on Sunday and Quentin crashed at the start; being dead last at the first corner, he was already nineteenth after one lap and he pushed all moto to eventually finish eighth. The combination of the two motos saw him classified fourth overall over the weekend, on the same scoreline as third, but he missed the podium on the second moto tie-break.

Benjamin Garib made a return to action from injury for the French team. The Chilean raced to an impressive ninth in Saturday’s first moto and was looking at a top-six finish overall as he held eighth in the muddy second moto until he was forced out in the closing stages.

On Monday evening the best French Supercross riders were at the Bud Racing Training Camp, and the fans were there for the second edition of the Air Contest at this location. Once more Cédric Soubeyras was on fire, winning the three races while teammate Anthony Bourdon finished three times on the box, in third position.

The EMX250 is back to action this weekend at Arnhem (The Netherlands)

Quentin Marc Prugnières: « My start was good on Saturday and I could make some quick passes to come second; then I reduced the gap to the leader until we caught the lappers. It was so difficult to pass them that in the end Bonacorsi caught and passed me so I finished third. Anyway it was a good moto even if it’s a little frustrating as I know that I could have been first or second. I crashed at the start of the second race this morning when two riders hit me, and then I had to come back from dead-last to eighth. It’s not the result I was expecting, but my riding was good and I’m happy with that. Now we must continue to work to secure some podiums in the next few rounds of the series; I was so close here in Sweden.”

Benjamin Garib: “My shoulder’s feeling good again and I’ve been back riding for about a month. I flew back into Europe last week and I was excited to race my first EMX. I didn’t really know what to expect but I was happy with my speed; I got ninth yesterday and was running ninth again today. The conditions were tough today but I could stay on two wheels and focus on myself. Now I’m hungry for more and I’m looking forward to Holland next week.”

Opening of the WSX Supercross World Championship in Birmingham UK and MX2 victory for Quentin Prugnières at the French Elite Motocross Championship

Just one week after the opening of the French SX Tour Championship, the team headed to Birmingham, England, for the first round of the WSX World Supercross Championship, but this time with 4 riders – 3 French and one American. In the 250cc class, Adrien Escoffier and Anthony Bourdon defended the Bud Racing colors, as did Justin Hill and Cédric Soubeyras in the 450cc class.

An excellent start of the evening for the American Justin Hill, winner of the Heat and Superpole. Well placed on the starting grid, Justin took the Holeshot in the first final and finished 3rd. After another excellent start in the second final, Justin finished in first place after 8 laps. With only one final remaining, Justin had all his chance to finish on the podium, given his previous results. Unfortunately, Justin fell into the whoops on the very first lap and was a bit concussed, ending this final with difficulty in 15th place. 4th overall, just one point off the podium, Justin has everything it takes to excel in future races.

A little less success for our 3 French riders, all three missed their Heat and had a bad gate pick. With starts at the back of the pack and a very short race format, all three were unable to climb back up despite encouraging speed. Cédric Soubeyras finished 18/12/12 of the three finals, and came 14th overall in the 450cc class. As for the SX2 riders, Adrien Escoffier crashed at the first start, damaging his bike. He didn’t finish this final, but came 10th and 12th in the other two, to finish 15th overall. Anthony Bourdon came 14th overall, having completed 15/12/13 in the finals.

Numerous Supercross races await our French riders this summer, who will have plenty of time to prepare before meeting again on September in Singapore for the second round of the WSX Supercross World Championship. As for Justin, he’s going back to the United States to continue his training so he can continue with his excellent speed for the rest of the season.

Back in France with Quentin Prugnières, who was competing the final round of the French Elite Motocross Championship in the MX2 class this weekend. Winner of the first race, Quentin led the entire second race before making a mistake three corners from the finish and finished second. Winner again of the MX2 event two weeks after his first MX2 victory.

Justin Hill: “It was an incredible night with a win in Heat and Superpole. I’m obviously disappointed to make that mistake in the third final which cost me the podium, but there are a lot of positives to take away. Now that I know the championship and the format, I’m ready to get back to training. I’m already looking forward to Singapore.”

Quentin Prugnières: “A good weekend overall, I had good speed all day long. It’s a shame to lose the second race because of a big mistake when I had a 10-second lead. But all in all, it was very positive with two good starts. Now I’m going to continue preparing for the next race in Europe, which takes place on August 12/13 in Sweden.”

Stéphane Dassé: “It’s great to get the WSX championship underway. Justin rode really well and we’re really happy about that. Unfortunately, the others were badly placed on the grid and the start was very important this weekend. It’s a really special format with 3 very short rounds in a row where anything can happen. Everyone knows what to improve and I’m convinced that with better starts, they’re all also capable of fighting at the front. We are also very happy about Quentin that is back in a good rythm and we can’t wait to be at the next races.”

Hossegor, July 3rd 2023

Opening of the French SX TOUR Championship Podium for Anthony Bourdon !

Superb weather, a sold-out stadium and great battles all evening – all the conditions were in place to make the opening of the French SX Tour Championship in Clermont Ferrand a real success. After his victory last weekend in the Elite MX1 French Motocross Championship at Rauville la Place, Anthony Bourdon arrived in Auvergne determined to make the Bud Racing team’s colors shine for this 1st SX of the season in the 450 cm3 class.

Starting the day with the 6th fastest time, Anthony found his rhythm and progressed throughout the evening. With a good start in the semi-final, it didn’t take him long to take 1st place and hold on to it until the chequered flag. In the final, the scenario was identical. Anthony started in the leading pack before settling into the leader’s seat.
A solid performance

Particularly at ease on this demanding track, he put in some solid laps before seeing Josh Hill catch up with him. Despite his best efforts, Anthony succumbed to the American rider’s onslaught to finish 2nd. Victory may have been close, but it’s a fine podium finish and a big points tally to kick-start the season and build confidence a week ahead of the opening round of the World Supercross Championship.

Anthony Bourdon: “It was a good evening overall, as I won my semi-final. In the final, I got off to a good start and took the lead for a while before seeing Hill overtake me with 2 minutes to go. I have mixed feelings. I’m happy to be on the podium but a little disappointed to have broken down physically, because I think victory was possible. It’s still cool to start the season ahead of all the French drivers. We’ll keep on working to get stronger for the next few races“.

Stéphane Dassé: “Anthony is in a good mood after his victory at the Elite last week and his podium here in Clermont-Ferrand. This 2nd place in the 450 cm3 class ahead of some solid SX riders is a nice surprise. The training seems to be paying off. All we have to do now is keep up the good work. »
This Saturday, July 1, the Bud Racing team will be in Birmingham for the opening round of the World Supercross Championship. Anthony Bourdon and Adrien Escoffier will represent the team in the SX2 class, while Justin Hill and Cédric Soubeyras will compete in the SX1 class.

Hossegor, June 26th

An historical double win at the French Elite!

Everyone didn’t really enjoy the wet weather this Sunday in Normandy, for the penultimate round of the French Elite, but both Quentin Prugnières and Anthony Bourdon will keep good memories as they both won their class!

June 18th will remain an historic date for Team Bud Racing Kawasaki, as their two riders won their class at Rauville la Place where once more we had some rain for this round of the Elite. That wasn’t such a problem for Quentin and Anthony, who got top three results in all their motos to win the overall.

Second of his group in the timed practice session just one tenth of a second behind the reigning champion, Quentin didn’t get a great start in the first race as he was outside the top ten after a few corners. Back in fourth position after four laps he rode carefully and avoid any mistake to finish second of this moto; his second start was much better, and once more he did a clever race to finish again in second position and win the overall.

Second of the MX1 timed practice period on a track where he got good results in the past, Anthony Bourdon got two great starts and did both races in the top four; in the first race he made a mistake and lost the second position, but he finished both races in third place to win the overall and to come back in fifth position at the championship.

Quentin Prugnières: “It was tough races on a muddy track with not so many lines, so it was difficult to pass. I fought as best as I could, I could avoid big mistakes and stay on my wheels to get a win. That’s really motivating for the rest of season.”

Anthony Bourdon: “It’s my first win on a 450, on a track that has often been succesful for me. Today it was important to avoid mistakes on this track, I like riding in the mud and I did it, I’m really happy with this win.”

Hossegor, June 19th 2023