CLS Kawasaki Preps for 2012

CORONA, Calif.,- Christophe and Sébastien Pourcel, Tommy Searle and Joel Roelants are set to head up Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit for the MX1 and MX2 classes of the FIM Motocross World Championship series in 2012.

Christophe and Sébastien Pourcel will lead the way for Team CLS, in search of the MX1 world title.  The veteran French brothers will look to build on the success achieved last season, as CLS embarks on its second year in the MX1 division.  During the team’s first season in 2011, lead rider Ben Townley was sidelined early in the year by injuries, ultimately giving Christophe Pourcel the opportunity to join the team mid-summer.

A loyal Kawasaki rider throughout his career, with both MX2 World and U.S. Supercross Lites titles to his credit, Christophe’s moto victories at each of the last three GP’s proved that he’s in top form and a genuine candidate for more success with the team next season. In addition, his appearance at the 2011 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in France helped his home country earn their second-place finish. In their short time together, Christophe and Team CLS have already established a winning relationship, and the Frenchman knows that all the ingredients are there to get the best results. Under the guidance of MX1 Team Manager Yann Lozano, Christophe will lead the team’s assault in MX1, flanked by his brother, Sébastien, who has now fully recovered from a pre-season back injury.

Sébastien, who has already won several GPs for Kawasaki in the MX1 class, returned to the saddle of a motocross bike just a few weeks ago, and immediately meshed with the Kawasaki KX450F, confirming the opinion of his doctors that he is once again ready to ride. Sébastien, racing alongside his brother for the first time since 2007, now has the entire winter to rebuild from his long break from racing, and he is already mentally prepared for the challenges he will face.

Tommy Searle will be joined by Joel Roelants in 2012, to head up Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s effort in search of the MX2 title. Searle is coming off a third-place finish in 2011 MX2 championship, which included one overall win. He capped of the season by leading Great Britain to a fourth-place effort at the 2011 Motocross of Nations in France.

Roelants is considered one of the strongest MX2 World Championship riders, and 2012 will mark his final season in the class due to FIM’s age limit rule. The 22-year-old Belgian has been on the MX2 podium several times during the past few seasons, and decided to team up with Team CLS for his final foray in the class.  In addition to the MX2 World Championship, Roelants will also enter the Dutch National Motocross Series, and will join the team in preparations for the 2012 season on the Kawasaki KX250.

Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit was formed during the 2009 Motocross of Nations in Italy.  Team Owner Jean Jacques Luisetti had a meeting with Pro Circuit owner, Mitch Payton, at the event, and the pair formed a deal.  Before long, Monster Energy and Kawasaki were on board with the project, helping bring the team to fruition.

In 2010, the debut season for Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit, a two-rider effort set forth in the MX2 class, with Steven Frossard and Jeremy Van Horebeek. Frossard went on to finish the season third in the MX2 World Championship, while Van Horebeek finished in ninth place.

In 2011, the team enlisted two riders again in MX2 competition, with Tommy Searle and Max Anstie, while also making the move into the premier MX1 class with Ben Townley. Searle replicated the team’s previous success with another third-place result in MX2 World Championship, as Antsie completed the season in sixth. Townley’s season was cut short due to injury, allowing Christophe to join the team at the end of 2011.  Despite joining the team late in the season, Christophe won three motos, two qualifying races and had two podium finishes in four GPs.

For the upcoming 2012 season, the team will be competing for both the MX1 and MX2 FIM Motocross World Championships.

“We want to be as close as possible to the Pro Circuit image,” claimed Luisetti. “We are proud to represent Pro Circuit in the World Championship and to bring those bikes on the podiums!”