Last weekend, the 3rd stage of the MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship was held in Valkenswaard, a favourite amongst the many Dutch circuits . Pauls came through in 11th place, also securing the same position in the World Championship overall classification with 55 points.

In Saturday’s time practice, Jonass managed to show a great performance that led the Latvian to be the sixth athlete picking the gate before the qualifying race. Considering the relatively unfortunate start of the following moto, the youngster had to work hard to fight for a spot in the Top10. After a 20-minute and 2-lap race, Jonass finished 16th. “I really liked the track and how it was prepared. While finding the best trajectories at the end of the race became increasingly difficult, I think the organisers did a great job.” said Jonass.

The first race on Sunday started off in a similar manner to that on Saturday afternoon when Pauls failed to get a head-start amongst the top ten riders, resulting in a struggle while fighting for higher positions. As the athlete admitted after the race, his strength was gone after the first half of the moto. “I’m really dissatisfied with my performance. Unfortunately, after the first 20 minutes I was done physically, so the next part of the race was a game of survival. I decided not to risk anything, and if I felt that any other rider was about to pass me, I chose not to fight in hopes to avoid unnecessary mistakes and getting injured. ”

The start of the second moto was more optimistic, and during the first half of the race Pauls could be found amongst the fastest athletes in 7th place. “Although the second heat was better than the first one, I still couldn’t go full speed due to the lack of fitness. At the moment, it is clear that I should focus more on the physical fitness aspects of my preparation and training, so that situations like this occur as rarely as possible. ”

Jonass took 11th and 14th positions in races, ending the MXGP of The Netherlands in No11 spot. “I’m disappointed in myself. Of course, I wanted to please both the team and my faithful fans, but I hope I can do it in one of the next stages. I’m determined to work even harder and prove that, despite the fact that this is my first season in the MXGP class, I deserve to be in the Top10 of the best riders.” says the dedicated athlete.

The 4th stage of the MXGP race series is expected to be held next weekend at the picturesque Pietramurata track in Trentino, Italy.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo