Valkenswaard Report - Kawasaki Racing Team

A good result during the qualification race was always going to be necessary to challenge for victory in the points-scoring races and a series of mishaps kept all of the Kawasaki riders out of the top ten during the 20 minute sprint.

After two turbulent points-scoring races David Guarneri of Kawasaki Bud Racing was the highest scorer of the Kawasaki quartet with a hard-fought 19 points. The Italian had arrived at the Dutch sand circuit in pain from a hefty midweek crash and needed painkillers before each race; he gritted his teeth to finish 12th and 11th to end the day ninth in the championship.

After his magnificent podium performance at the opening GP Jonathan Barragan of the Kawasaki Racing Team was expected to consolidate his championship challenge but the Spaniard never settled all weekend and in the end had to concentrate on damage limitation as he chased through the pack from troubled opening laps to score 18 points and retain a top seven ranking in the series.

Great things had been expected in the Dutch GP from Jonathan's Kawasaki Racing Team colleague Xavier Boog, but the Frenchman was pushed off the track at the first corner of the qualification heat and, his bike damaged in the incident, he was forced to line up for the GP from the outside gate, a severe handicap at the Dutch track. Xavier never gave up to salvage 11 points as the need to pass slower riders continually interrupted his rhythm.

Ben Townley of the Kawasaki CLS Team had only made a last-minute decision to return to GP action a few days before the race as his recovery from a serious concussion earlier in the year appeared to be progressing faster than expected. But the Dutch track proved even more brutal than in previous years following a long dry period and after a tough first race for 19th position the New Zealander and his team decided to sit out race two rather than risk endangering his recovery process.

The Kawasaki riders now look ahead to the US GP at Glen Helen in California in three weeks time when Gregory Aranda of Kawasaki Bud Racing will rejoin his colleagues on the championship trail following a successful knee operation.


Davide Guarneri: "I crashed this week during a practice session in Belgium, and my ribs were painful. After the first practice session the doctor taped them up and it was much better, but my qualifying race was tough as I was involved in a crash at the start. I finished 22nd, so I had a bad choice of gate for the GP and inevitably had two bad starts today. I finished twelfth and eleventh and that’s not too bad in the circumstances. That’s not fantastic but the championship is long, it’s important to be consistent and those points could make all the difference at the end of the year; I needed to take painkiller before each race, but I was tired and had a lot of pain during the last few laps of the second moto.”


Jonathan Barragan: "I simply never find a good rhythm this weekend; that was not good for my confidence and made it difficult to be really focused on my riding. In the first race I crashed in the second corner and faced a tough ride to come back from last place to thirteenth. But my speed was good, better than in the second race; I was tired after that tough first race and couldn’t do better than tenth. For sure it’s not what I was expecting but it’s important to score points in both races even when you're having a bad day. I’m looking forward to the next GP in the USA; I went training there during the winter; it’s a nice track and I like it.”


Xavier Boog: "When your weekend didn’t start well, it’s always makes the entire GP difficult, but I was expecting better than a 17th and a 14th position. In the qualifying race I had a good start but in the first corner I was pushed to the outside and went over the green fence; a few seconds later I crashed and damaged the bike, so I had the last gate on the grid. It was impossible to have a good start from this gate, and I was never able to build a good rhythm as I was continually catching up slower riders as I worked my way forward. I’m frustrated but I want to thank the team; for the last two weeks they worked so hard in the sand, and I think that we have one of the best bikes in the MX1 class.”


Ben Townley: "Two weeks ago I never expected to be at this race as I am still recovering from a heavy concussion earlier this year but last weekend I raced in the UK, and I was happy enough how my riding was progressing that I decided together with the team to come here to Valkenswaard to race. But the track was much rougher than I could have imagined. I rode carefully during the first race but still I was tired at the finish. We had to be realistic and decided not to race the second moto, but it was a good decision to come here; I know where I am at the moment, and together with the team can work out our programme for the next few weeks.


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