The MXGP of Lommel ended with the victory of the young Spaniard Jorge Prado during the 15th sage of the FIM Motocross World Championship last Sunday. Last year’s champion Jonass ended up being 5th, and the points gap between the two riders has increased to 28.

Pauls admits that during this GP the luck obviously wasn’t on his his side. “On Saturday everything went smoothly, I had a good race and earned the 2nd spot for Sunday’s gate pick. On Sunday, during the first moto I was trying to follow my teammate Jorge closely to pass him on one of the last laps, but one of the lappers got in the way, so I lost my rhythm and fell. The mistake cost me a couple of spots and I ended up in the 4th position,” says Jonass.

“The second race started off unsuccessfully. The rider next to me somehow jumped over the starting gate with his bike and kind of messed up my whole focus, which is why I couldn’t react accordingly and had to start the race from the back of the pack. I had never experienced something like this, to be honest. It sometimes happens that guys run into the gate, but nobody had jumped over before. After this incident, I made a mistake and fell, ending up 6th in the second moto and 5th overall.”

Despite Prado having gained an even greater points advantage over Pauls, the Latvian admits that he is still full of spirits and doesn’t even think of giving up. “Yes, the points gap is bigger now, but there are still 5 GPs to go, a lot can change. I feel good – I have the speed and the physical strength, it’s just that this time the good luck wasn’t on my side. I will continue to train hard and prepare myself for the upcoming races to be able to pull off my best performances. The goal is to finish this season the way I started it.”

The last two stages of the Motocross World Championship were held in the country of Indonesia. Latvian Pauls Jonass finished 5th in the first one of the rounds; however, he was able to regroup and fought back to earn the 2nd place at the MXGP of Asia. After both of the stages Pauls is still the leader of the championship despite the fact that both he and his teammate  Jorge Prado has the same amount of points.

“You could tell by looking at the points table that these two rounds were not my most successful ones” starts Pauls. “During the first round in Indonesia the track was very soft with deep ruts – the type of circuit that I do not find too appealing for me. In the first moto I managed to come through second, a position that I was quite pleased with. During the second race the start was good and everything else seemed to be fine, but after four laps I completely lost my rhytm and begin struggling a lot. This cost me a few positions, and I ended up crossing the finish line in the 7th place. I was quite disappointed in myself.”

“I liked the second track in Indonesia – I had both the speed and the physical ability to compete for the top spots on the podium. You could clearly see that during the first moto that I won. Sadly, bad luck was literally just around the corner as I crashed shortly after the start where the track was very wet and slick. The moment my bike was on the solid part of that turn, the front wheel went sliding and I fell down. After this episode, I was forced to fight my way up from the back of the pack; I managed to climb to the 6th position which gave me a 2nd place overall. Unfortunately, I had some back luck this time, which is a shame since I was feeling very well both physically and mentally.”

There are only 7 stages of the championship separating the riders from the end of the season. “Prado and I are now starting from scratch again. Nothing has been lost yet, the main battles are still in front of us. The next couple of GPs will be held in tracks that I dig, so training hard and giving my best I what I intend to do now.”

Latvian motocross racer Pauls Jonass earned a third place finish last weekend in the sandy track of Ottobiano in Italy during the 11th stage of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The pints advantage over his teammate Jorge Prado has shrunken to just 9 points.

Whan asked about the last weekend, Pauls admitted that the speed he showed on the track was good, but he had some other things to worry about as well. “Unfortunately, the Italian GP didn’t turn out as good as I expected it to be. Yes, a third place finish is not too bad; however, it is not what we wanted to achieve before the start. Sadly, the starts were not as good as I anticipated. After I had passed the crowd that I was behind, my closest rivals were already way ahead and I could not catch up due to the lack of time. The speed was good, but I just couldn’t find the right rythm. Some other issues were also present – during the first moto my hand started to feel numb which is why I couldn’t really hold the bike. In the second moto during the last 10 minutes the blisters on my hands burst, so the last few laps I was holding back tears as the pain was so bad” Pauls tells us.

The Latvian admits that Prado seems to be in a very good physical condition which is why he needs to put in the additional work to surpass his teammate. “My teammate Prado is in a very good form and is riding really well. He is a very serious rival, that’s why I have a lot of space for improvement to be able to secure my spot at the top of the overall points standings. We’ll keep working hard to increase the points gap in Indonesia and to be on the highest step of the podium once again. At the moment, we are focusing on the riding part of my  trainings because I’m physically fit enough,” adds Pauls by saying that he needs to increase the intensity of the riding practices.

“There are still 450 points “on the table” which is why the real fight is still ahead. Nothing is over!” he grins mischievously.

At the FIM Motocross World Championship in France Pauls Jonass finished in the fifth position which allowed his closest rival Jorge Prado to approach the Latvian in the championship overall standings.

Despite the fact that Jonass enjoys a good mud race, this time he had to be enough with the fourth position after the first moto. After grabbing the holeshot in the second race and falling shortly after that, Pauls reached the finish line in the sixth place which summed up to ending up fifth in the GP of France. After half of the stages of the season Pauls is now 16 points ahead of his teammate Jorge Prado.

“On Saturday everything went well, I was happy with my riding. On the night from Saturday to Sunday there was a storm so the track flooded and really muddy. In the first moto I had a bad start since the starting line was not prime, and also had a little run-in with Prado. After that, I think I was third or fourth, but the racing was jerky – I wasn’t feeling myself which is why I definitely was not satisfied with the race” admits the racer.

“In the second moto after a long time I got a holeshot; however, a few corners later I crashed, and this resulted in having to start the race from the very end. I continued to persist and fought my way up to the sixth position. Of course, to catch up with the rest of the fast guys I had to risk it a bit more than usually. I ended the race in sixth position, but because of the crash I wasn’t really expecting a much higher place. Overall I have to admit that I am not happy with how the French GP went for me. We have to continue working and hope for the best.”

Jonass points out that the season is still only halfway done so a lot can change in the remaining 10 rounds. “I already had a practice on Monday morning. You have to work hard to be on the top. The fight is hard and the season long, which is why the the most important battles are yet to come. There is no room for errors. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the point standings, but, of course, it is a lot more soothing to know that there are a bit more than a dozen of them between Jorge and I.”

At the 9th stage of the FIM Motocross World Championship stage in Matterley Basin, Great Britain, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team pilot Pauls Jonass emerged victorious in both races. By doing so, he extended his lead over his teammate Jorge Prado in the championship point standings.

“In the first race I had a decent start being behind Prado. I passed him in the third corner and led the rest of the moto despite the fact that Jorge was closely following me the whole time. The second race started off similarly to the first one; however, I made a couple of mistakes that let Prado run off a bit. Nonetheless, later on I caught up and smoothly passed him. This was a very important victory – I just couldn’t let him beat me again” laughingly admits Jonass, who celebrated his last overall win at the GP of Russia while Prado had won three of the last six rounds.

After the next round half of the season will have passed. Pauls says that as of now, he is quite satisfied with how the season is going. “I am pretty happy with the results. There were a couple of GPs where I definitely wasn’t in my best shape and could’ve finished in a higher position. There is a battle going on between Jorge and I while TKO is already more than 100 points behind. Despite this, I cannot relax or lose focus. The most important thing now is to gain points after every single race.”

After being asked about his fitness, Pauls admitted that he’s feeling great.  “I’m very fit now; I had a bit of a downtime at the Italian and Portugese GPs, but now everything’s fine. The next two rounds are back-to-back, but I like that it doesn’t get boring during the weekends” he laughs.

The Latvian was blown away by the fans who had gathered to cheer him on at the famous circuit. “It was amazing to see so many Latvian flags weaving around the track. It felt like there were more of those than the British ones” he grins.

The eighth stage of the FIM Motocross World Championship was held yesterday at the German track in Teutschenthal, where Pauls Jonass gained the second place in the MX2 classification.

Jorge Prado turned out to be the fastest guy in the qualifying race while Pauls was second. In the first moto Jonass managed to stay unbeaten cashing in his ninth race win; however, in the second moto Prado couldn’t be stopped and came through to win the MXGP of Germany. After this GP, Pauls still remains 22 points ahead of his teammate in the overall classification.

“Overall this was a good weekend for me because I neither won nor lost points. Of course, we’re always trying to win but this time Jorge was better. I won the first moto which was great; at the beginning of the second race Prado was able to run away form the rest of the guys while I got a little stuck behind Henri Jacobi. When I had passed him, Prado had already extended the gap to 6 seconds. Unfortunately, this time I couldn’t catch up and reduce the gap. Overall we earned the same amount of points but he won the second race and the GP overall. I am quite satisfied since this track is not one of my favorite ones” admits Jonass.

Pauls also told us that the riding was easier this time because there was no pressure of being the home-town hero like it was in Kegums. “The emotions had settled after Kegums so I had a clear mind this time. I love my fans and seeing them all around the track but it’s a lot to handle on weekends like that one. Still, I am beyond grateful for their support.”

The next MX2 stage is in two weeks time, during which Pauls and his team will follow their training schedule and prepare for the next competition. “I have a weekend off now after which I’ll be busy three weekends in a row. I like the tracks in Great Britain, France, and Italy so I’m looking forward to the upcoming races. We’ll be putting in some extra work over the next two weeks so that I’m prepared for Matterley Basin. I’m feeling great physically and mentaly so everything’s alright.”

On Sunday at the motocross track “Zelta Zirgs” in Kegums, Latvia, the seventh round of the MXGP World Motocross championship was held. The local hero Pauls Jonass earned third place;despite the fact that he was aiming higher than that, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team athlete was mildly satisfied with his performance.

“I felt good on Sunday morning despite the unlucky qualifying race. I had thought it through and acknowledged my errors. I guess you could say that I was ready for a battle” admits Pauls.

“In the first moto I managed to get a holeshot and the rest of the race went on really well too; I secured the second place behind Thomas Kjer Olsen and had a good feeling about the second moto. Unfortunately, I got squeezed in before the first turn and had to fight my way up from the twentieth position. During the last minutes the feeling was there and I had found my rythm so I didn’t struggle that much. Even though I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders this past weekend, I still felt quite well and did my best.”

Pauls admits that even despite the fact that he did not emerge victorious at his home GP once again, he still managed to gain the very valuable championship points and extend the lead over his closest rival. “Of course I am happy that I got to be on the podium. Yes, I wanted to win here in front of my fans but hey, there’s always the nest year” laughs Jonass who is now 22 points ahead of his teammate Jorge Prado.

When asked about the heat Pauls admitted that it did not bother him that much since a slight breeze was also omnipresent. At the end of the conversation he expresses the gratitude towards the fans:” I could see and hear them all over the track, especially during the second moto whan I had to fight from the very end of the pack. Thanks a lot to everyone who was out there, it was very cool!” finished Pauls, who is now preparing for the upcoming MXGP of Germany.

Pauls Jonass won the sixth stage of the Motocross World Championship on Tuesday in the track of Orylonok, Russia, securing his spot as the overall points classification leader.

Pauls was the fastest on both days winning qualification race and the final motos. Thanks to this, he has now extended the lead over his teammate Jorge Prado and is 20 points ahead.

“I’m glad I was able to have two solid days of racing. I felt really well after the practice so I knew that the races should go my way as well. I managed to get the holeshot in the qualification race on Monday and to control the whole moto. At the beginning of the first moto I was in second position but managed to pass Prado quite quickly at the end of the first lap and lead the rest of the race. In the second moto I was leading the pack again but lost focus a bit, which led to Jorge catching up on me at the very last lap. Nonetheless, I saved that position and won the race again.” comments Pauls.

The racer admits that he was at a low when it came to physical fitness over the last couple of rounds. “I’m feeling great now. Italy and Portugal was quite unlucky for me since I was physically weaker; however, I put in a lot of work before this race and it obviously paid off.”

Before the MXGP of Latvia, which will take place in Kegums on May 12 and 13, Pauls will also participate in a Latvian Motocross championship stage happening on May 6 in Aizpute.

“I will continue to work following my training program so that I can successfully take par tin the competition in Aizpute and afterwards have a quality home GP. This stage of the championship is always special since I can race in front of my fans and feel the support in all parts of the racs and off of it as well. I haven’t won this GP though which is why we’ll put in the extra work to make it happen this year.”

At the fourth round of the MXGP World Championship, which took place in Italy, “Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team” athlete Pauls Jonass earned fourth place in the first moto but fell back and finished ninth during the second one, gaining fifth position in the round overall. This was by far his worst performance but despite the difficulties Pauls is still at the top of the points standings in the MX2 class.

“The weekend started off well, I was the fastest during free practice. Sadly, during qualification race I had a pretty bad start and after that I crashed as well so I had to fight my way through from the very back of the pack; I finished in the fifteenth position. Unfortunately I could not pass that many riders because the track was quite narrow so there was not much space for anything really,” says Pauls, looking back at his Saturday performance.

“On Sunday I also couldn’t manage to get good starts. I finished the first race in the fourth position which was not too bad but then, during the second moto, (Henry) Jacobi and I collided and both fell which led up to finishing ninth. It is a pity that this was an unlucky round; however, have to point out both Jorge Prado and Thomas Covington who very very fast this weekend.”

Despite this being Pauls’ worst performance of the season, he is still at the top of the championship points standings, towering his closest rival Prado by 28 points.

“I managed to hold on to the red plate which is the most important thing but, of course, I always want to win and extend the lead as much as possible. Sometimes you have to accept defeat and learn from it. Despite the fact that I’m always working very hard during my training sessions, this will give me an extra boost of motivation to push even harder to show everyone during the next GP that what happened in Italy was just an unlucky coincidence,” he finishes.

As on now, Pauls is back in Belgium where he’ll be practicing until it’s time to leave for the fifth GP of the season, taking place in Agueda, Portugal.