Paulin back on the podium |
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| Monday, 29 June 2009 10:57 | |||
 For the fifth time this season Bud Kawasaki’s Gautier Paulin claimed a podium result, with thirdplace in the first ever Grand Prix of Latvia while Steven Frossard obtained mixed results. Latvia has been the first independent republic, and former part of the Soviet state, to ever host a Motocross World Championship event. Located fifty kilometers from the capital Riga, the sandy track of Kegums was one of the most difficult that riders had to face so far this season and both races on Sunday were tough on this demanding and technical layout. Well-placed on the gate with a second and a fifth position during Saturday’s qualifying Heat, Steven Frossard and Gautier Paulin both enjoyed the layout and confirmed with strong results their improvement on sandy surfaces. Posting some fast laps early in the first race, Frossard was the main rival for KTM riders Musquin and Gonçalves, who split the lead during the opening circulation. Third, then fourth behind Roczen and again up to third when he passed Gonçalves, Steven lost one slot in the last five minutes and missed the podium with fourth position. Paulin didn’t have such a good start and came back from tenth to fifth after a strong ride. Both Steven and Gautier started the second race in the top five. Arriving to third right behind Gonçalves and Musquin during the first lap, Gautier put some pressure on the leaders but later made a few mistakes and then secured a lonely third position which offered him a podium, the first since Great Britain one month ago. Steven unfortunately crashed in a fast section on the fourth lap, while he was following Paulin. Landing on his head, Steven wasn’t injured but came back in the pits with some pain. Team-mate Loic Rombaut also had a crash on Saturday, but rode safely in both races to add some more points to his card; he is currently twenty sixth in the series standings, while Gautier Paulin and Steven Frossard are second and fifth, respectively 49 and 107 points behind series leader Musquin with five more GPs to go. Gautier Paulin: ‘Already during the first practice session I had a great feeling with the bike and the track; that was a good start for the weekend. Everyone knows that I don’t like to take risks to post a fast lap, and I finished the pre-qualifying session in eleventh position; on Saturday my goal is to qualify among the top five, and that’s what I did. This morning I felt good during the warm-up, but my first start was not so great and I had to push before I came back to fifth; I spent a lot of energy during those twenty five minutes. My second start was much better; I had a good line inside the first corner and passed three riders during the opening lap to follow Rui and Marvin. I stayed close for a couple of laps, but later made a few mistakes when my third position was secured. I had a lot of fun this weekend, and I’m happy for the team and myself to be back on the podium. We’ve improved the bike, suspensions as well as engine; everyone is working hard in the team, they are all behind me and I will fight for the title until the last race.’ Steven Frossard: ‘Yesterday I had a good feeling with the track, I was surprised to ride smoothly and fast without spending too much energy; I had good lines and finished second in the qualifying race. Today was different, I didn’t felt so easy; I had a good start in the first race, but I pushed too hard to keep a good rhythm and I got tired. After another good start I was studying the lines at the beginning of the second race, when I did a mistake after the pit lane. I lost control of the bike and crashed on my head. I had to retire and that’s not good for the championship as I lost points to Gonçalves and Guarneri. I will try to recover those next week in Sweden. On the other hand I’m happy with my riding in sand, I’ve improved my style and have a better feeling; we’re working for three weeks now with Thierry Godfroid and we’ll continue in order to prepare for Lommel and Lierop.’ Loic Rombaut: ‘Once more I scored some points in both races and that’s positive as I had a big crash on Saturday during one of the practice sessions. The track was strange and it took me time to get used to it, and I had pain in my body after the fall. Today I had decent starts and that helped me to score points; I rode safe, didn’t take any risks and scored a few points but now I expect better results in the following races.’ Fred Lavergne (Chief mechanic Team Bud Racing): ‘ It’s nice to be back on the rostrum, we missed it twice with a fourth place in France and Germany. The races were difficult with a rough track, many riders failed and Gautier was strong in both heats. He proved with a good start in the second race that he was able to follow the KTM riders; Musquin is always leading the series, it’s up to us to reverse the situation. I think that Gautier made a new step this weekend, he is more confident and we’re working hard to give him the best material. The track was nice on Saturday, it was rougher Sunday afternoon but the strongest riders were all in front of the pack.’ Philippe Vandevoorde (Manager Team CLS): ‘ We discovered in Latvia a track, let say ‘for men’ and we were happy to see that both Steven and Gregory can ride fast on sandy layout. Steven had a good start in the opening race, but he struggled to find the best lines and he got tired after twenty minutes, losing a podium position. He got another good start in the next race, and took a strong rhythm when he crashed on a rough section. Fortunately he didn’t injured himself, but he had some pain in his lower back and will have some exams on Monday.. Loic had a big crash yesterday, it was necessary for him to take it easy and we told him to have fun on the bike; he scored twice a few points, that was the goal today.’ Article source: Kawasaki Racing Team Photos: Sarah Gutierrez
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