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Mathis Valin's dramatic charge to sixth
Kawasaki Racing Team MX2's Mathis Valin stormed through the pack from 15th to sixth in the second moto at Round 4 of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Riola Sardo on Sardinia.
The French teenager had signaled his speed in the sand dunes when he posted the second-fastest time in warm-up and shot out of the gate in the first moto, only to suffer disappointment when he was forced out of the race after just a few corners. There was further initial frustration in the second moto as a hectic start left him buried in 15th position through the first few turns, but he was soon on the move to reach 10th by Lap 3, and he maintained the momentum to rail around one rival after another, advancing to seventh by halfway and sweeping into sixth on the penultimate lap. A final lap charge saw him come up less than half a second from snatching fifth. He remains seventh in the series standings.
DRT Kawasaki's Kay Karssemakers raced to his third consecutive Top 10 GP finish with seventh overall from 8-7 motos. The Dutch youngster rode clever opening turns in Race 1 to emerge sixth as the pack raced into the dunes and he consolidated his position with a series of sub 1-50 laps before losing the tow to those ahead of him mid-moto for an eventual eighth after decisively withstanding further threats from behind. He emerged an initial fifth in Moto 2 after holding a tight line through Turn 1, but was unceremoniously bundled out of the Top 10 at Turn 2. Undeterred, he regrouped quickly to chase back through the pack for the entire 35 minutes, taking over his eventual seventh on the penultimate lap.
A first lap fall cost Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki's Francisco Garcia his 100% win record in a crash-infested second moto of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship round, but the Spaniard fought back decisively to maintain his podium run as second overall and kept the red plate, extending his lead in the series standings to 50 points. Kawasaki's lead in the Manufacturers' Championship was also extended to 33 points. Overcast skies greeted the riders for the dramatic second moto of the weekend on Sunday morning. The rugged track in the sand dunes did not forgive even the slightest error and Garcia, having quickly moved forward from fifth at Turn 1 to third, fell on the opening lap when the front wheel dug into the soft sand. Remounting on the edge of the Top 20 he was soon on the move again to reach 10th by Lap 4 and, with the moto and overall win out of reach, cleverly avoided the temptation to push beyond the limits to preserve his control of the series. By halfway, he was already assured of the weekend podium and, maintaining the fastest laps in the field during the closing stages, swept into fourth on the final lap to confirm second overall and extend his and Kawasaki's lead in the series standings.
Bud teammate Jake Cannon tried to rail the wall on the outside of Turn 1 after again gating well, but his charge was cut off by the riders inside and he found himself 18th on the run to Turn 2. The Australian was already advancing up the field towards the Top 10 until he was forced out of the race on Lap 2. He is now third in the series standings, five points behind second.
"The first moto was pretty short. I made a good start, but directly on the first lap I had problems and had to stop. We changed to the second bike for Race 2 but I didn't have the same feeling with the clutch at the start. After a few laps, I found my flow and could push. The speed was there and I wasn't far from third at the end; I tried for several laps to find a way past Karlis Reisulis, but I had no tear-offs left."
- Mathis Valin
"It was a good weekend for seventh place; I was consistently fast to the finish in both motos. I made a good start in the first moto and was sixth for 20 minutes before I lost my rhythm for a couple of laps, but I found it again at the end to secure eighth place. I rode a really good first turn in the second moto to come out fifth, but [Guillem] Farres pushed me off the track at Turn 2 and I had to do it all again from outside the Top 10. I fought to the end and found my flow mid-race to finish seventh. We are building every week; it was our first goal to be always Top 10 and we are already there; the next step is to push for Top 5 and I hope I can be on the podium before the end of the season."
- Kay Karssemakers
"I am so annoyed with myself for that stupid mistake on the first lap, but I came back for second overall and kept the red plate. Now we go back to base to train as hard as possible to avoid mistakes and focus on the next race to win again."
- Francisco Garcia
