Kawasaki Racing Team swept to a double win in Qualifying for the Czech round of the FIM World Motocross Championship at Loket with Romain Febvre victorious in MXGP and Mathis Valin taking a career-first victory at GP level in MX2.
Febvre had already been in scintillating form in a rain-affected Timed Practice as he set the fastest lap time by more than two seconds and in the MXGP Qualifying race he swept to a clear holeshot from his chosen position mid-gate. Another rider had a more advantageous line heading into turn two but the Frenchman remained cool, evaluated his rival’s lines and made an immaculate inside pass to retake the lead on lap two. He immediately moved clear to build a seven-second advantage for most of the race before coasting across the line for his second Qualifying victory of the season.
Romain Febvre: “Fortunately it stopped raining just before Qualifying but the track was still really muddy and the start counts for even more in these conditions. I finally got the start but Glenn had the inside at turn two and I didn’t want to take any risks. I wanted to save my goggles on the first lap but on lap two I managed to pass him downhill and could pull a gap as security. We needed that start as we head into the final third of the season and hopefully I can repeat tomorrow.”
Valin was equally supreme in MX2 to claim his personal maiden GP victory and also the first for the Kawasaki KX250-SR in its debut season. Fourth im Timed Practice with a stunning lap right at the end of the session, the teenager claimed a clear holeshot, a couple of bike lengths clear of the pack, and was never challenged. Showing great maturity he posted a consistent series of fastest laps to take the chequered flag six-and-a-half seconds clear.
Mathis Valin: “I was feeling great all day and earnt a good gate-pick with fourth in Timed Practice in the dry. Then the rain came and the track was completely different but I took the holeshot and could lead all the way. I was enjoying it, having fun, and it’s a great feeling to win my first race at GP level. The entire team has been working so hard the last few weeks, particularly on the starts, and it paid off today. Now I need to stay focused for tomorrow.”
Antti Pyrhönen (KRT team manager): “Today was a truly great day for the whole team and for sure we have enjoyed this 1-1 for Kawasaki, but we keep our feet on the ground because tomorrow is always a new day. We knew that we needed to work on the starts so we have been working particularly hard on those in the two weeks since Finland and we saw the result today with the holeshot in both classes. It was a bench mark for us to see Mathis taking his first win and also the first for the new KX250-SR. He has come through tough times after his injury but hard work pays off and this victory will help him build his confidence even further.”
