For the third Grand Prix in succession CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki racer Arnaud Tonus will keep ownership of the red plate as MX2 series leader in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The stylish Swiss rode through shine-and-rain in a freaky climate at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria to finish as runner-up and lift his third podium trophy on the bounce. He wasn’t the only Monster athlete getting wet with champagne as Gautier Paulin erased some of the sour memories of his mechanical failure in Italy last week to also put his muddy boots on the second step of the box.
The huge sign that dwarfs one of the hilltops at Sevlievo reads ‘The best motocross track in the world’. It is a subjective statement but many of the Grand Prix stars that gathered at the impressive circuit for the Bulgarian stop on the 2014 calendar would agree with terms like ‘roughest’, ‘rutted’ or simply ‘gnarly’. Midweek rainfall had battered the soil and turned a relentless hard-pack into a slew of hardened ruts; terrain to test balls as much as brains with a hefty amount of commitment needed. The rain arrived again on Sunday and washed Sevlievo into a torrent of puddles and even deeper holes and channels, meaning a GP of ‘two halves’.
Tonus went 2-2 on the distinctive green Kawasaki but his attacking confidence and rhythm around the curves was the real standout part of his performance. He swept past four riders to lead the first race but a small slip let in world champion Jeffrey Herlings to take the chequered flag. In the second moto he trailed his Dutch rival and applied pressure in the closing stages but couldn’t force a move.
“The track was really tough and it was easy to make a mistake,” Arnaud offered-up. “It was a good battle with Jeffrey and I was pushing hard and doing my best to beat him; it just didn’t happen today but the speed was good enough. It was fun racing and there is a lot more to come.”
Over in the 450s Gautier Paulin convincingly won the opening thrust of the MXGP class. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was uncatchable as he sprinted clear of Tony Cairoli. The French ace was held back by a mediocre start in the second outing but fourth position in the pouring rain was enough for the second slot.
“I’m really happy with my riding and especially because it was hard to concentrate with a small neck injury I picked up during the week,” ‘21’ said. “Anyway I won the first moto and I’m really proud of this because I was riding so nice and so smooth. In the second moto it was a completely different track! It was a good weekend in the end.”
One of the closest tussles of the day came between Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Jorge Zaragoza and Pauls Jonass for the chequered flag in the second European EMX250 race – the Grand Prix feeder series was opening its 2014 campaign for the first of eight rounds as part of the support card in Bulgaria. The flamboyant Spaniard duked it out with the Latvian, and also the persistent Michele Cervellin over thirteen laps and ended up with overall victory for the first time.
The harsh scale of fortune in this sport was highlighted for the Monster Energy crew this weekend. Alessandro Lupino hobbled to Sevlievo on crutches after breaking a ligament in his right knee and is now looking like missing a significant part of the season as he considers the best options for surgery. Meanwhile, back in the UK, team-mate Tommy Searle started riding his CLS Kawasaki for the first time since an operation to fix a broken wrist in the wake of his massive crash at the Grand Prix of Thailand. The Brit could be back in world championship action by the time of the sixth round of the series at Valkenswaard in Holland on May 4th.