European champion and Molson Kawasaki rider Gautier Paulin got off to the perfect start on the KX250F-SR with victory at Sugo for the final round of the Japanese Championship last weekend.
The French teenager won both motos at the Grand Prix venue close to the city of Sendai and ended a positive week of testing on the factory bikes by capturing his first chequered flag for the British squad, with whom he has a two year deal.
Paulin – widely ranked as the most exciting youth prospect, after several exciting MX2 world championship appearances during 2007 – had travelled to Japan accompanied by team-mate Tom Church to begin work on the race materials for 2008. The Sugo event, and the subsequent results, nicely wrapped their period of close co-operation with Kawasaki staff.
Church finished twelfth and third in the two motos. He had been leading with Paulin in the first outing but a small crash dropped him down the order. Paulin fought hard with recently crowned champion, Hiroaki Arai, also on a KX, but then led from start to finish in the second moto. 25 year old Church will campaign a KX450F in the 2008 FIM World Championship and Maxxis British series but was lending his experience to the continued development of the KX250F-SR in Japan.
After a reception at the factory in Akashi on Monday, the riders headed back to Europe today (Tuesday) and Paulin will now prepare for high-profile supercross appearances at Bercy, Paris and Marseille.
Race 1
1. G. Paulin, Kawasaki
2. H. Arai, Kawasaki
3. T. Kojima, Yamaha
4. Y. Ozaki, Yamaha
5. M. Watanabe, Yamaha
6. S. Inoue, Kawasaki
7. T. Kato, Kawasaki
12. T. Church, Kawasaki
17. T. Mihara, Kawasaki
Race 2
1. G. Paulin, Kawasaki
2. T. Kugimura, Yamaha
3. T. Church, Kawasaki
4. H. Arai, Kawasaki
5. Y. Ozaki, Yamaha
10. S. Inoue, Kawasaki
11. T. Mihara, Kawasaki
14. T. Kato, Kawasaki
Championship Standing
1. H. Arai, Kawasaki, 458 points
2. M. Hirata, Honda, 360 points
3. T. Kugimura, Yamaha, 354 points
4. T. Kojima, Yamaha, 353 points
5. Y. Ozaki, Yamaha, 325 points
6. S. Inoue, Kawasaki, 269 points
10. J. Suda, Kawasaki, 179 points
14. T. Mihara, Kawasaki, 103 points
