It’s all go in Mantova as Molson Kawasaki rider Gautier Paulin finishes inside the top-10, Stephen Sword is T-boned out of contention and MX1 rider Tom Church has his strongest race of the year so far
Wet weather can’t dampen the Molson Kawasaki team spirit in Mantova, Italy for the fifth round of the Motocross World Championship. With the supercross style Mantova circuit being somewhat wetter than expected, conditions were tough for both the MX1 and MX2 competitors.
After qualifying well in Saturday’s heat race Stephen Sword was all fired up for a great day at the races but close encounters with other riders hold back the #7 Molson Kawasaki rider from reaching his full potential on the day.
Sword’s troubles began at the start of race one and although he eventually pulled through to sixth place it was a long tough race.
“I didn’t get the best of starts in the first race because Tyla Rattray came across a few of us just out of the gate,” said Stephen. “In the first turn I was just behind Cairoli right on the inside and I could see we were passing a lot of people as they went wide and we also had a better line for the next corner. But then Cairoli went down in front of me and so I had to jump out of the rut and got stuck in the bank and lost a few positions there.
"From there I just stuck with it and stayed strong to the end of the race and finished sixth which makes for a good amount of points so I was reasonably happy even though it had been a tough race for me.”
Sword’s teammate Gautier Paulin had an equally tough time of it in moto one. ““Because I had to qualify from the LCQ it meant I had a terrible start gate from 25th pick,” explained the flying Frenchman. “In the first race I didn’t get a bad start, I was around 12th and I passed some riders to move into the top 10. I had a little problem with the front brake but I was able to still ride well and I was chasing Van Horebeek until I broke my right footpeg and crashed over a jump. It was a strange race for me with so many problems but I was still able to finish 11th and I was quite happy with my riding too.”
With the track drying quickly for moto two both Molson riders once more didn’t get the best of starts but were soon headed forward. “I got a better start in the second moto but got caught up with a couple of people in turn one and I hit a soft spot as well which cost me some drive,” said Sword. “I felt pretty good in the first few laps and I was coming through quite well. I made a pass right around the outside of Rui Goncalves and then in the next corner he just hit me flat out in the side. It was totally uncalled for but I suppose that’s just racing. After that my bike was totally bent – the handlebars, the subframe, everything!
“I thought I’d try and stay out there and see if I could pull back into the points but I crashed after getting cross-rutted – it was so hard to ride with the bike being as bent as it was. I’m looking forward to Mallory Park now because I need to regain a lot of points.”
Even with a terrible start Paulin’s race was going much better than Sword’s however. “In the second race I had a very bad start again – maybe 29th position on the first lap. I was coming through the pack okay, my physical fitness was good, my riding was not so good and I was making a lot of small mistakes but still I finished ninth which is good so I am happy.”
The Molson Kawasaki team’s MX1 satellite rider Tom Church rode incredibly well all day long even though the result sheets don’t necessarily show it. After crashing at the start of moto one, Church put in a massive amount of effort to charge to 18th place by the end of the race and consistently set faster lap times than riders many places ahead of him.
Moto two went better for Church results wise and he was able to pull through the field to a well-earned 13th place finish on his KX450F after taking time to get a feel for the tricky conditions.
“I had a good day today. I finished both races in the points and that’s the first time I’ve done that all year at the GPs. In the first race I got tangled up in a first lap crash with some other riders but was able to straighten out my bike and still ride through the pack for 18th place which might not sound so good but I know it was a good ride from so far back.
“The second race I didn’t get such a good start but was able to come through to 13th and score some good points. Today’s ride gives me a lot of confidence which is something I was lacking after the last few races where things haven’t gone so well for me.”
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship takes place in Molson Kawasaki’s home country of Great Britain at Mallory Park on June 1 where both Church and Sword can expect lots of vocal encouragement from their local air horn toting fans.
