Mathis Valin takes the KX250 to the podium at the German Grand Prix.

MXGP: First victory for Mathis Valin in MX2 with Kawasaki

The torrential rain of midday had eased off for the first MX2 race, but the ground was still heavy when the young Frenchman and his KX250-SR tackled the first corner at the front of the pack. They were narrowly beaten to the holeshot but immediately moved into second place with a good lead over third, which they gradually extended to cross the line just five seconds behind the winner, but with a twenty-eight-second lead over third. A light rain returned at the start of Race 2, but repairs carried out by the track staff ensured that the surface did not deteriorate as badly as before. Once again, Valin narrowly missed out on the holeshot, and on the fourth lap the young Kawasaki rider began to put pressure on the leader, forcing him into a mistake. Once in the lead, he defended his advantage with maturity, avoiding risks on the slippery surface and maintaining lap times that prevented his pursuer from challenging his lead. The 2-1 finishes in the two races secured the first GP victory of their careers for both the young rider and the KX250-SR project, in their second year of competition, and further strengthened their position, taking them to sixth place in the Championship. Below are the rider’s comments.

Mathis Valin:

"Finally, my first GP victory! I’d been waiting for this moment for several weeks, but after my shoulder injury it took some time. After two consecutive podium finishes, it’s a fantastic feeling to finally step onto the top step, both for me and for the team! The track was really tricky today. On TV, people probably didn’t realise just how deep the potholes were; they were similar to those in Switzerland two months ago. I already had a good feeling in the first race and was able to chase Sascha the whole time for second place. In the second race, I started putting pressure on him and he crashed. When I took the lead, I knew I had to ride very technically, and I managed it! I made a few small mistakes, but that was inevitable; it was the first time in a while that I’d been leading a Sunday race, but I stayed calm and now I want to do it again as soon as possible! We’ve worked hard with the team and obviously we’ll keep doing so because the aim is to get on the podium every week. I feel good on the bike, I’m consistent at the start and all the team members are doing a great job.”