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Kawasaki Racing Team MX2’s Mathis Valin Shines with Fourth Overall at Agueda MXGP
Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 rider Mathis Valin made an impressive return to racing with a strong fourth overall finish at Round 7 of the MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship in Agueda, Portugal.
Torrential rainstorms turned the track into a muddy challenge, forcing a one-hour delay as the Infront track crew worked tirelessly to create a rideable surface. Despite the treacherous conditions and starting from 10th on the gate, Valin made a strong move around the outside in turn one to emerge ninth in the opening moto. Within two laps, he had climbed to seventh and continued pushing forward. He held fourth by mid-race but slipped back to sixth after running wide into soft dirt on the penultimate lap.
A similar start in race two again saw Valin in ninth early on, but a stellar opening lap propelled him into fifth. He mounted pressure on the rider ahead and eventually took over fourth, though he was soon overtaken and crossed the line fifth—securing fourth overall for the weekend.
Mathis Valin:
“I wasn’t expecting results like this in my first race back from injury, so I’m really happy with fourth overall. I was running fourth in the first moto but crashed with two laps to go. Restarting cost me time, but sixth was still solid. The track was really rough, and with less recovery time between motos, it was a physically demanding weekend. I was stoked with fifth in the second race. The team has improved the engine, and I’ve worked on my technique, so our starts were strong all weekend—even with a low gate pick. Resting my wrist was the right decision; now I’m pain-free. I’ve reflected a lot on the first part of the season—I had the speed but made too many mistakes. Today, I showed I’ve learned to be more patient and consistent.”