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MXGP World Championship

Viewpoint: Pauls Jonass

Pauls Jonass on his Turkish speed.

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Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass has been a revelation in the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, but everything that he had done at the first seven rounds pales in comparison to the way that he rode at the Grand Prix of Turkey. Jonass was undoubtedly the fastest guy on track at Afyonkarahisar and that has not been the case since he moved onto the 450F.

Jonass discusses his speed, crash onto the concrete and future in this exclusive MX Vice interview from Turkey. Jonass will be back with the Standing Construct GASGAS effort in 2022, despite some reshuffling in the Austrian organisation. The fact that he has made it his mission to stay with Tim Mathys’ effort is a testament to the way in which the Standing Construct squad is run.

MX Vice: Look, we need to go back to Sunday first of all.

Pauls Jonass: Yeah, that was obviously the best MXGP race ever for me. That is 100%. I did not expect to be that fast. I knew that I could ride good, but I actually broke one rib in Latvia. I did not even know! I went riding after Latvia on Tuesday or Wednesday and it was alright. I woke up on Thursday morning and was like, “Oh, that is a lot of pain.” I wanted to go cycling and could not cycle. I went to do an x-ray; they checked the x-ray and nothing was broken.

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Ray Archer

I said, “Okay then. I will go riding on Friday.” Friday was good and then I went riding on Saturday. I just wanted to take the tape to tape my fingers. I turned backwards and like, “Woah! What is going on now?” I said to my mechanic, “Okay. Now we will got Belgium and take some days off.” I went to check and it was just a broken rib. I had to take two weeks off the bike, but I did a lot of physical training and I think that showed on Sunday.

Maybe not today, because I did not flow with the track. Like you said, the first moto on Sunday was really good. Maybe not the first laps, as I struggled a little bit and made some bad choices with the lines in the first laps, but once I got in a flow I caught everyone in front and finished just behind Jorge [Prado], which was good. The speed was also good in the second moto until I did a superman and some tricks for the fans.

We need to actually talk about that as well. What happened? I did not see it. I just saw that you had destroyed an Alpinestars banner, but it looked like you got missed your brake and got whiskey throttle at the same time.

I actually did not miss my brake. I just got a kicker from the rear. It was not actually that bad, but I lost the front at the same time. I lost my balance a little bit and said, “Okay. I will not make the corner anymore.” I did not want to brake too hard and go over the bars, so I gave it a little bit throttle to land a little safer. Once I hit the banners I saw there was a metal fence in front, so I let the bike go and landed on the concrete.

It was quite painful. I feel better than expected today. My heel was hurting a bit, and then my ass and elbow were scratched. That was no problem at all though. I went to the medical centre every single day and they treated me well. It was better than expected, but it was still a bit painful to ride with the heel today. When I touched the insides of the corners on the left side, then it was a bit painful. It was good for the rest.

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Ray Archer

It did not impact you too much today?

No, when riding it did not hurt. I got arm pump in the first moto, which was unfortunate, and then in the second moto I did not get a flow. It was all up to me, you know? There was nothing wrong with the bike or anything. I just did not find the confidence with the track today. It was harder than Sunday and slicker too. Normally I like those slick conditions, but I did not get a flow with the hard ruts today.

There is a big sign up there that says this is the best motocross track in the world and a few guys have joked that you put it there, because this place has been good to you. You had a podium with Husqvarna and then you were balls fast on Sunday. Do you actually like this place?

No, I actually like this place. I would not say it is the best motocross track in the world, but I would say that it has the best facilites. It is so nice. The hotel is just here – you walk to the track in the morning and can sleep longer. Everywhere is concrete and the fences are proper fences. In front of the start gate, there are the stones and it is just so nice. You always have dirty shoes when you come to motocross, but if you do not go on the track then you can come with proper shoes. I see your white shoes are still clean! It is good in that way, you know? They could make some changes to the track, which would be good. It is tough though, because the track is hard. It is quite one-lined. They watered it way more on Sunday than this morning, so there were deeper lines. The track was faster today and really, really hard-pack.

Can we talk about what you are doing next year? It is done, right? You know what you are doing. 

Yeah, I am staying with Standing Construct and the team. I am so happy here and do not want to change anything. The guys work really hard and the team is great. I could not be happier, because it is like a family. They support me in the good and bad times. Like I said, it is like a family. I enjoy coming to the races to be together with them.

From what I hear, next year is going to be exactly the same. Nothing is going to change from now. Same team, same engine, same bike and everything.

About that… We are still not 100% sure. We are still going to see. We will see. No one knows exactly what is going to happen, but I am 100% sure that we are going to have one of the best bikes out there.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: Ray Archer

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MX Vice Podcasts

Between The Races Podcast: Adam Sterry – MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina Recap and Spain Preview

Listen now.

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The Between The Races podcast returns with Adam Sterry, Ed Stratmann and Brad Wheeler, as they review the 2024 MXGP season opener and look ahead to Spain.

The Between The Races podcast is always available to listen to on Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and Google Play. Thanks to Fly Racing, Monster Energy, Fox Racing, Parts Europe, Scott, Bell Helmets, Acerbis, AS3 Performance, Kawasaki UK, KTM UK, O’Neal and Even Strokes for supporting the show. If you would like to become a part of the show, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Lead Image: Triumph Racing/Ray Archer

Love what we do? Please read this article as we try to raise £30,000.

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British MX Nationals

Thank you. It’s been a hell of a ride.

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Since buying back MX Vice in November 2019, it has been challenging. One of those crystal balls would have been handy for navigating some problematic situations. Who would have thought COVID-19 would be a thing?

Those who follow MX Vice know we started from nothing but an idea. A fan who loved the sport created a Facebook page, website, and social media presence that would become disruptive. It has made numerous talented media people who were allowed to run with it for over thirteen years. Being in the UK/Europe has always been difficult; I’ve always believed that if we were a US media company, we would have been embraced and appreciated for our work ethic and the content we produce. We always cast one eye over the US in Europe, and you can’t blame the top European riders for doing the same.

MX Vice has always tried to give people a voice, especially the riders who are not in the limelight and the teams that put so much into the sport. We love people’s passion and sacrifice to improve and challenge themselves. That, for me, was the natural pull, not the money but the passion and sacrifice. We all know we would not be in motocross if it were about the money. I always considered MX Vice the media version of Steve Dixon’s team in MXGP (which I have a huge amount of respect for), where we have always tried to challenge without the factory budgets.

We knew it would be tough this year with so many businesses and brands cutting marketing budgets and reducing costs; this was never going to be good for us. We have just had two incredible months of stats, with January and February bringing in over 1 million people to the website, which is quite bittersweet. As much as the funds are low, so is my energy and health. COVID impacted me more than I could ever envisaged. My health has deteriorated ever since I caught COVID; my immune system is not in a great place, and when I try and work to the standard I set myself, my body breaks on me, and it takes me days to recover. Ed Stratmann has been a revelation since he took the editorial reigns and has pushed MX Vice to new heights, which is incredible given the lack of resources he has had to work with and support from myself. I have been missing from the podcast show to reduce my time, as I am now self-employed and working for two companies to pay the bills.

Every journey ends, and that’s not what we want. Over the past 13 years, we have given it everything, leaving no stone unturned. We’re proud of how we have disrupted, challenged decisions, held organisations accountable, and illuminated incredible stories.

We will have an auction for signed shirts donated by riders, podcast equipment, and memorabilia to pay off the invoices of some contributors. If, however, you want to see MX Vice continue, you can donate here: https://ko-fi.com/mxvice or purchase a shirt or memorabilia. If we meet our target of £25,000, which is currently outstanding to run this year, then Ed and I will continue. However, we fully expect this won’t happen due to the large sum required.

It’s hard out there at the moment. Take care of your health and family, and never lose your passion for the most fantastic sport in the world.

Burf.

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Features

Lit Kit Gallery: MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina

The best from round 1.

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Check out some of the freshest fits, helmets and more from the MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina. Lead Image: Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum.

Photo credits: Red Bull KTM – Ray Archer / Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum / Yamaha MXGP – Full Spectrum + Eva Szabadfi / JM Honda / Kawasaki MXGP / Fantic MXGP / Yamaha MX2 – Full Spectrum / HRC MXGP / GasGas – Juan Pablo Acevedo


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