Paulin Performs in Front of Home Fans
With the international motocross season now firmly underway, young French star, Gautier Paulin got to perform in front of thousands of his fans on the hillside circuit of Valence this past weekend. The Bud Kawasaki racer joined a star studded MX2 line up to show exactly who was on form heading up towards the first Grand Prix of the season.
From the moment heat 1 started, super smooth Paulin showed his amazing speed on board his KX250F as he carved his way around the hard pack French circuit. Whilst racing through the pack, and in 6th position, Gautier suffered a rear brake failure which inevitably put the young Frenchman out of contention.
Heat 2 blasted off with a frenzy of elite riders bumping elbows. Gautier was caught up in the mix and was down in mid pack after exiting turn one. He put on an amazing charge as he sped his way through the pack, catching and passing riders at every opportunity. An exciting battle ensued with fellow countryman Nicholas Aubin however Paulin got the better of his compatriot and then put his sights on Xavier Boog has he pushed his way up to 5th position to the delight of the cheering fans.
For the final spectacle of the day, the top MX1 and MX2 riders would come together for a 25 min “Super Final”.
On the lesser powered 250cc machine the “Flying Frenchman” showed just how fast he is as he mixed it up with the fastest MX1 riders in the world, all on board their 450cc machines.
At the end of the “Super Final” Gautier ended up an amazing 11th overall and the 2nd highest placed 250cc machine.
Gautier spoke to us at the end of the day: “Today was awesome! I was fast on the bike and my fitness is good. I am really looking forward to the Grand Prix season this year, I think we are going to have some really close races in the MX2 class.”
The first round of the French MX championship will be Paulin’s next event on the 8 March.
Image: Pascal Haudiquert
Overall Results MX2
1.Teillet 2/3/12
2.Simpson 12/1/6
3.Goncalves 4/2/13
4.Tonus 7/4/16
5.Leuret 6/8/14
6.Aubin 3/6/DNF
7.Roelants 5/10/DNF
8.Paulin DNF/5/11
9.Verbruggen 8/9/20
10.Musquin 1/DNF/DNS
