Frenchman Gautier Paulin has really shown good speed again in 2013 and after four rounds of the FIM MX1 World championship he holds down fourth place in the series points, just a single point behind Clement Desalle and seven points behind second placed rider Ken De Dycker.Kawasaki mounted Paulin is better known as a hard pack rider, proving that with wins in the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in 2012 and his magnificent moto victories in the 2009 and 2011 MXoN in Italy and France. Around the hard and slick Arco di Trento circuit he looks comfortable and finished top three behind red hot Antonio Cairoli and Ken de Dycker.
Next weekend in Sevlievo, Bulgaria you can be sure that Paulin will be looking to move into second place in the FIM World MX1 Championships points and his podium in Italy last weekend will help him make that goal a reality.
“I was happy to be on the podium in Italy for sure,” Paulin said. “I was feeling good, I am strong, and like my bike and I am enjoying riding it, which helps me a lot with my results. I was second in the first moto, but I made a mistake and Antonio was too fast for me. In the second moto I had a bad start, but I came back and I was getting hit by a lot of stones and that was pretty painful. I did my best in Italy. I came back well in the second moto. I was just trying to make good lap times in that race.”
As previously mentioned Bulgaria is a place Paulin enjoys riding and he knows that like previous years it won’t be easy with the Red Bull KTM Factory riders Antonio Cairoli and Ken De Dycker in really good form.
“I won in Bulgaria in 2012, but it is a different circuit each year and it is never easy in the MX1 class, never the same type of surface. Antonio and Ken are riding really well at the moment, so that makes it tough. I am going to train really hard for Bulgaria, because I also want to win. Antonio is winning everything at the moment, but I also want to win some GPs.”
In 2011 Paulin finished fourth in the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in the MX2 class, and his victory in last year’s MX1 GP of Bulgaria will give him a lot of confidence. The big question is can he find that little bit of speed to race with Cairoli and De Dycker, or will consistency be his major goal as he tries to climb into second place in the series points? All will be answered on Sunday