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Mathis Valin Battles Through Adversity in Switzerland
Kawasaki Racing Team MX2's Mathis Valin was denied a maiden GP moto victory in the Swiss round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Frauenfeld when the rear chain was derailed in a bottomless rut as he led the first moto by more than 10 seconds.
The French teenager had launched his KX250SR to a clear holeshot and was riding a perfectly-controlled race to extend his lead each lap. Overnight sleet and showers throughout the morning had softened the ground, and the axle-deep ruts which formed in the turns were to prove his downfall as he became the first of several prominent victims in one particular long left-hander when the wall of the rut derailed the chain and caused his retirement. The organization scraped the surface effectively during the interval before the second moto, though conditions were still sticky as the sun broke through the clouds. After spinning on the wet mesh at the gate, he was ninth out of the first turn and faced a long chase as overtaking inevitably proved awkward, but the teenager pushed for the entire 35 minutes. By Lap 4, he was sixth and four laps from the finish, swept into fifth, which is where he finished, just two seconds shy of third. The unfortunate first moto zero scoreline has put him temporarily back to seventh in the series standings.
"For sure, I made the job in the first moto; I took the holeshot, found my flow, and had the pace. I pulled a gap and was controlling the race, but as I came out of a corner, the chain jumped, and that was that. It didn't only happen to me; there were several more in MXGP. It is what it is. This is a mechanical sport, and these things can happen. In the second moto, I spun on the wet mesh, and it was hard to pass here for everybody. Of course, I am disappointed to miss my first GP moto win, but there were many positives this weekend; I proved that I can lead a race, and we can get holeshots. So we keep looking forward; we have two weeks to work before the next GP."
- Mathis Valin
