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Top 10 finishes for Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE

Round 6 of the Red Bull Pro Nationals saw the Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE team return to Hawkstone Park with a fresh new rider line up, in the shape of two French riders, Jason Clermont and Cyrille Coulon.

The Saturday morning practice and qualifying sessions were to be hard work as both riders got used to the bike. After changing a few things the riders went out for the qualifying session where Cyrille finished 12th fastest in MX, with Jason just behind in 13th place.

The first race of the weekend saw both riders struggle off the start and have to work hard to move forward. Jason produced a number of solid laps and was soon inside the top 10. Unfortunately Cyrille suffered a crash and had to stop to get the bike straightened but then returned to the track to finish the race in 15th place. Jason continued to ride well as he finished in 9th place.

Sunday saw the first of two more races and once again both riders struggled with the concrete start and had to work hard early on in the race. As the race went on both riders were moving forward and would finish with Jason in 8th place and Cyrille in 10th.

The last race of the day looked to be the best of the whole weekend, with both riders making mid pack starts and quickly moving forward towards the front. With both riders looking strong and Jason in the top 5, things were all set for a good result when Jason crashed going over the bars ending up off the track and then struggled to get back onto the track but undeterred he got back on the bike and finished the race. Cyrille was having a good battle with Jamie Law and at the finish Cyrille came across the line in 7th place with Jason working his way back to 10th
At the end of the day both riders came away with solid top 10 overall finishes on a track that neither rider had experience of. Jason finished the weekend in 8th overall with Cyrille just behind in 9th.

Also competing this weekend was youth rider Ben James in the rookies class. After qualifying in 31st, he went on to finish 25th and suffer a DNF on the Saturday. Sunday would see Ben finish 31st and 26th for 31st overall for the weekend.

Jason Clermont – it’s been a really good weekend, it was hard in the beginning to just jump on a bike I hadn’t been on before and on a new track that I haven’t ridden so I struggled a little bit to start off with but got stronger as the weekend went on. We also changed a lot on the bike throughout the weekend and feel much better now. The bike is very good and I hope to do much better at the next two races and I am looking forward to that.

Cyrille Coulon – It’s been a long time since I last raced outdoor Motocross as I normally compete in Supercross events in France. I have also been off the bike for a long time due to injury so to come back in the sand was hard. The weekend started hard with a new bike to learn and a new track, but each time I went out on the bike I felt better and better. In the last race I got a good start and rode well. It’s been a fun weekend and I would like to thank the team and the sponsors.

Ben James – This weekend was very hard I struggled with starts and it is very hard to come through, the track was really rough and physical but by the last race I was getting to grips with it and felt a lot better. I felt that I could push forward, it was good experience and I enjoyed the last race.

Steve James – This weekend has been a breath of fresh air and it’s the first time all year I have been able to go home happy. We have had three race finishes for both riders each. We have had no bike issues or rider problems and had a really positive atmosphere all weekend.

The two French riders did a great job, they turned up on the Saturday morning and neither rider had tested the bike before, plus they had never ridden Hawkstone before so they had to do all the testing in free practise and qualifying to get the suspension sorted etc, plus try to learn the track at the same time. It was no picnic for them and I think on Saturday evening they were beginning to wander what they had let themselves in for but come Sunday morning they were both very positive and determined to give it a good go and that’s just what they did.

As the weekend went on they both got stronger and stronger, on a track they had no knowledge of. This is one of the toughest tracks in this country and in Europe for that matter and today it is probably the roughest I’ve ever seen it, so to get 8th and 9th overall was fantastic. Full respect to both Cyrille and Jason as they never once moaned or complained about anything or made any excuses.

They just got on with it and did an awesome job for me, the team and all our sponsors and I think that we now have something to work towards for the next round at Culham in 3 weeks. It’s been really productive and I am looking forward to the next race, Ben our youth rider struggled a bit to begin with this weekend. This year is his first year in the Rookies and a learning year but he ended the weekend well and learnt a lot from riding such a demanding track, plus I think having Jason and Cyrille under the Awning made him realise if you have a positive outlook, work hard and don’t give in you can achieve a lot more.