After Romain Febvre has been little alone to represent Kawasaki in GP lately, chaining the podiums of MXGP while dominating the Dutch Masters, now Pauls Jonass and Mathis Valin make their return from injury this weekend in Portugal. Good news on the Greens side!
If it is always difficult for a pilot to miss races after an injury, it has at least benefit from giving them time to recover. Himself a former pilot, Antti Pyrhonen preferred to leave his pilots at rest so that they recover from their injuries. “” A few years ago, I might not have reasoned like this, but with the experience I know that it is a mistake to let injured drivers roll, because the risk of injuring yourself again is too big and driving in pain is never pleasant ” Recently told us the boss of Kawasaki Racing Team. The reasoning would undoubtedly have been different if we were at the end of the season and one of the pilots played a world title, but this station wagon will have allowed Mathis and Pauls to recover from their injuries when there are no less than 14 GP on the program!
Mathis : « It was great to finally be back on the motorcycle, and it was an incredible feeling to ride painless! I enjoyed myself, as before the fall, I would say. This little break was an opportunity to take stock and analyze the start of the season, and I feel ready to take up the great prices in great shape. I did some tests recently with the team and everything went perfectly, so I’m ready for Agueda. »
Pauls : « I am really impatient to resume competition. Moreover, recovery after the fall in Sardinia has gone better than expected. We have done excellent training in recent weeks and the feeling is good. I can’t wait to come back behind the grid, start rebuilding step by step, and continuing on this momentum throughout this long season to target podiums. »
As was already the case in Hawkstone Park, Stefan Everts was alongside Pauls Jonass whom he has advised since the KTM (Pic@pH) time
Romain : « Last weekend went very well with a double at Dutch Masters. It was a good day. I took two excellent departures. This is a point on which we have worked hard lately. We have found good settings and we must now repeat this during the Grand Prix, because it is an essential element of each race. I feel really good at the moment, physically and with the motorcycle, and the goal is to continue like that throughout the season! »
Antti : « We are delighted to have a whole team again. We started the season by obtaining good results in the two categories, but unfortunately, during the muddy GP of Cozar, Mathis made a small error and damaged the wrist ligaments. He courageously ran his GP at home in Saint-Jean despite the pain, but after that, it was clear that he could not chain the GPs. During this absence, he focused on his recovery, working hard and training physically, and he was now able to resume motorcycle training. Pauls had a big fall during the training session in Sardinia. It was a shame because he had had a very regular season until then, but, just like Mathis, it was clear that he could not chain three GPs. We took the time necessary for him to recover and he now benefited from a good training. It is very important for both to find the rate of racing little by little. Both worked a lot all winter and miss these races was a little frustrating, so we are really happy with their return. We have not set specific objectives for Mathis and Pauls this weekend so that they can ride at a rate that suits them, but at least now they can continue this long season and get the rewards of all their hard work.
