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DEEP RUTS AND TIMID STRUTS

The 14th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was held in Lommel, Belgium. The circuit is considered to be one if the toughest tracks in the race calendar due to it’s sandy layout and ruts, frequently measuring up to 1 meter in depth.

Pauls kicked off his weekend by being just outside the Top10 during the qualifying race. The 20 minutes and 2 laps were quite hard for the Latvian, who made some costly mistakes and got thrown back in the pack, eventually winding up in 14th position.

On Sunday, after coming out of the starting lane inside the pack of the first ten riders during the first final race, the athlete lost his speed halfway through and fell back a couple of positions. Jonass described his performance frankly : ” It was tough on Sunday – conditions were a lot warmer than on Saturday and the track got a lot bumpier. The first race went by well. Even though I made a few mistakes that made me drop down from 5th to 7th place, things went well overall.”

“In the second moto I got a good start again, but then ended up stalling the bike in one of the corners. It took a while to get going again. It’s a shame because this is definitely one of my favourite GPs and I know I have the speed to do well here,” he revealed afterwards. Indeed, the second MXGP race of the day brought highs and lows as Pauls was riding very well, at one point even being in the 4th place; however, Lommel was having none of his success – after getting stuck in one of the corners of the track the Latvian had to work his way up all over again, pushing his physical and mental abilities to the limit. Jonass finished 11th, a spot not satisfactory neither for the athlete nor his team and fans.

“Looking at the positives, my lap times were good and stayed swift right till the end. I need to work a little on my physical fitness as the weight of the 450 and the added speed around here takes a lot more from one than the MX2 bike. Overall, I am happy with how I rode and am now looking forward to the next round in Italy,” Jonass ended cheerfully, despite falling to the 10th spot in the championship overall standings.

In two weeks time, the elite of motocross will gather at Imola, Italy, for the 15th round of the season of 2019.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

TRUSTING THE PROCESS

Loket, one of the most scenic, yet dangerous tracks in the MXGP calendar, brought mediocre results for the Latvian motocross pilot Pauls Jonass, who finished 6-7 for a 6th place overall.

Saturday came with lots of struggle, as Pauls had a very unfortunate start, having to fight his way up from the 21st position. He quickly managed to pass most of the riders, and found himself inside the Top10 relatively early into the race. The Latvian finished the qualifying race being 9th just ahead of his teammate Arminas Jasikonis.

Sunday started off quite well for the young athlete. Pauls managed to place himself among the first eight riders during the first lap, and step up a position soon after. After a few more laps, Pauls had passed another rival and was running 6th behind his teammate; however, this time the Lithuanian turned out to be faster, and Jonass finished in the 6th place.

Second heat turned out quite uneventful for those on the Latvian’s camp – Pauls was just outside the Top10 after the gate dropped, but managed to gradually climb up the pack as the race went by. He managed to hang on to 7th position when the checkered flag came about, earning just enough points to place 6th in the GP overall classification.

The athlete later admitted: ” I guess I can say it was a decent GP for me; certainly not the worst, but also not the best. I earned a couple of good championship points, and sixth is a good overall result. Starts are so important here and I didn’t get the best of starts in either race; however, I felt good in the first race and managed to make a few passes and, yeah, sixth was a good result. My pace wasn’t quite what I needed in the second moto. I felt okay, but I didn’t want to push too hard and take risks. Riding here is very different on a 450cc, but I enjoyed the GP. There aren’t too many races to go now, so the focus is to keep working and try and improve my position in the championship.”

The next round of the FIM World Motocross Championship will be held in the dreadful sand of Lommel, Belgium, on August 4.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

ADVERTISING SPACE

The second round held on the exotic islands of Indonesia brought highs and lows as the Latvian racer Pauls Jonass flew through the weekend just as swiftly as he passed through that unfortunate banner…

After a week of goofing around with his team instead of opting to go on a luxurious trip to one of the nearby isles, Pauls felt well-rested and was ready to get the racing mode on. Saturday’s qualification kicked off well, Jonass being in the front of the pack and staying there the whole moto. The Latvian crossed the finish line in 4th place, a solid result to build on the following day.

On Sunday, the odds were seemingly in Jonass’ favour. After an almost-holeshot episode in the 1st moto, he quickly settled into the 2nd position and closely followed the race leader Gajser, never letting him out of the sight; however, an unlucky mistake cost him the whole race and, quite possibly, a podium. The Latvian’s motorcycle rear wheel slid on the slippery surface of the track, causing Pauls to lose control over his motorcycle and running into the advertisements placed in the corner of the track. He drove through the banners and tried to return to the track, but one of the banner had been caught up in the front wheel. Many valuable minutes were spent trying to remove it, and the young athlete rejoined the moto being dead last. When crossing the finish line, Pauls earned the 17th position. Unfortunately, the race committee decided to erase his points and opt for and DNF instead.

The 2nd race started off similarly, Pauls being in front of the pack. He once again tried to read and copy the lines from the front-runner and, by avoiding the mistake made in the previous race, came through in the 2nd position at the end of the race. Afterwards, the Latvian admitted that “there were many positives from this GP, but I know that I should have had an overall podium result. Great starts, good speed, a really strong second moto, just my mistake in the first race that undid a lot of good work from me and the team”. 

Jonass continued, saying: “It was my mistake that I went off the track, but bad luck that I got some old banners stuck in my rear wheel. The race had been going really well to that point. I got a great start and felt really comfortable in second. Thankfully, I was able to come back with a strong second place result in the final moto, which is a great way to finish these two GPs in Indonesia. Overall, I feel that I have made some good progress – I’ve started to put the pieces together. My fitness is good now, I’ve improved on my starts and I’m able to race at the front for the full moto. I’m really looking forward to the final races of the championship. I want to put it all together and do my best to get strong results from the final six GPs”.

The next MXGP round will e held in two weeks time, the paddock returning to the familiar circuits of Europe.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Undoubtedly, one of the most exotic destinations included in the calendar of FIM FIM World Motocross Championship this year is the world’s largest island country Indonesia, hosting not one, but two rounds. Pauls managed to adjust to the change of the time zones and the humid conditions quite well, finishing 8-7 for a 7th place in the GP classification.

Saturday’s qualification kicked off badly for the Latvian, suffering from a fall in the second corner right after the gate dropped. Pauls Managed to get up, and, despite having hit his shoulder quite hard and being dead-last, decided to continue the race. He managed to catch up with the rest of the pack, fighting hard and well, his determination placing him in the 13th position when finishing the race.

Sunday brought even more humidity and heat, nothing unusual taking into account the climate zone the track in located in. After a decent start being in the middle of the pack, Pauls struggled to find the right rhythm and still felt the ache in his shoulder that carried over from the crash on Saturday. Trying to find the right lines, he ended up in the 8th place, earning a handful of points that eventually catapulted him into the 8th position in the championship overall standings.

Second moto, being mellow and quite uneventful except for the fall of the race leader Gajser in one of the first laps, was analogue to the previous race. The young athlete avoided any large missteps and placed himself in the Top7 of the fastest riders. The stability of Pauls racing proved that he can easily call himself a definite Top10 rider in the MXGP class; however, lots of work still needs to be done, especially regarding the starts.

“The crash on Saturday set the tune for the rest of the weekend as I struggled with tons of pain on both motos the following day. Aside from that, I think that the result is decent and we came through with at least a handful of points and managed to jump to the No.8 spot in the overall standings. Hopefully, the shoulder will heal up during the week so that we can show what I’m actually capable of in these humid conditions,” said the athlete.

The next venue for the MXGP championship will be Semarang, another Indonesian location which will surely bring tons of exciting racing and ethnic vibes in the paddock.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

BEHIND THE WIND TURBINE

Despite June 22 and 23 being a weekend full of celebrations due to summer solstice, for the Latvia motocross racer Pauls Jonass this meant once again lining up for the 10th round of FIM World Motocross Championship, which happened in Teutschenthal, Germany.

During the qualification race Pauls earned 8th place after leading a solid, steady moto. Despite not being able to tackle the Top5, the athlete was satisfied with his performance in the sneaky track. It is worth noting that after the impressive crash that Pauls had earlier during the free practice caused no real damage. The self-proclaimed freestyle rider admitted afterwards that he had only hit his tight a little, but had not sustained any other injuries.

On Sunday during the 1st moto it was visible that a long and strenuous workday was ahead of the racers. After a successful start, Pauls left the holeshot line being 6th. Unfortunately, like in so many previous races, the young athlete got arm pump as the clock was closing to the 10 minute mark, which resulted in Jonass having to slow down the pace he had uptaken. Pauls finished in the 10th place, the position being adequate for the racing performance he had shown during the race without any huge mistakes.

The start of the 2nd race as well as the race itself was one of the best runs of Jonass’ career in the MXGP class. Seconds after crossing the starting gate, Pauls managed to sit behind the race leader Tim Gajser and not let him too far out of his sight, being able to follow the Slovenian closely and pick up the better ruts. The Latvian did not lose his rhythm and finished strong, managing to come out of the MXGP of Germany with a 4th overall, losing only 1 point to the 3rd place.

“I think that we were able to get through two solid motos. I am especially delighted about the second race, during which I was fit enough to keep close to the leader and miss out on any silly mistakes. It is a pity that I was not able to pick up that 1 point which would have put me on the podium: however, there is a chance that the sight of me being closer to the front of the pack becomes more and more relevant,” says the Latvian. 

After a cheerful weekend like this, there is a bit of time to dwell on the positive memories. In two weeks time, the elite of motocross will pack their bags and sail to the exotic Indonesia for the 11th and 12th round of the MXGP.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

BLOODY SUNDAY

For many motocross fans in Latvia, June 15 and 16 were dates full of joy and excitement – circuit “Zelta Zirgs” hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship, bringing world-class athletes, the Latvian hero Pauls Jonass included, to the renown track. Despite Jonass not being able to surprise his followers with a podium finish, he ended his home GP going 17-6 for a 12th place overall.

Pauls showed impressive speed during Saturday’s qualification, leading half of the race in front of his home crowd. Unfortunately, after around 10 minutes in, the arm-pump kicked in and Jonass slowly drifted back, getting passed by various competitors. “Sadly, my arms got quite tired and I couldn’t keep up the pace that we had picked up,” admitted the athlete. 

The Latvian started off the 1st final heat from the back of the pack after crashing in one of the first corners. After a few laps, another crash came about, which led to Pauls desperately trying to pass the relatively weaker racers just to get closer to the Top10. Shortly before the final laps, Jonass made a costly mistake at the far end of the track, hitting his head against the handlebars and rupturing his eyelid. A terrible sight could by seen by every spectator – the maroon and white jersey of Jonass was splashed with blood for head to toes. After finished 17th, Pauls received the needed medical inspection and had stitches placed on his wound.

Before even getting dressed for race 2, the young athlete had to seriously consider whether he could participate or not due to various health concerns. After receiving an approval from the medical team, Pauls went on to grabbing a decent start, being amongst the Top10 riders at the beginning of the race. Fighting his way up, the youngster ended up finishing 6th in his home MXGP.

After the eventful day the Latvian expressed his disappointment regarding the performance during the first moto. “I do not think that it was the pressure of a home race that caused me to make so many mistakes. Despite being more anxious than usual, I believe that it was the track which tricked my whit it’s seemingly sandy, yet slick surface and different bumps and ruts,” Pauls dwellls when asked about his thoughts on his performance at the MXGP of Latvia.

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will be held in a weeks time in Germany. See you there!

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

On the coast of the Black Sea lies Orylonok, the track where the 8th stage of FIM Motocross World Championship was held on June 8 and 9. The circuit is known to be one of the fastest and most dangerous stops on the calendar, athletes often reaching unbelievable speed which sporadically results in dramatic crashes. This weekend was no exception. Fortunately, the Latvian Pauls Jonass made little to no mistakes which allowed the youngster to place 7 amongst the MXGP crew.

During the qualification race on Saturday, Pauls was in 8th position for a while, then climbed up to the No.7 spot, but afterwards got passed by a couple of competitors and finished 10th. After the race the athlete admitted to having “raced quite carefully to avoid any unnecessary mistakes and trying to pick the best lines for the races on Sunday”.

On Sunday, when the air temperature reached 3o dergees Celsius, the first of the final motos was started off seemingly hopelessly for Pauls as he struggled to get a good start. Nonetheless, in his own unique manner, the Latvian managed to be amongst the Top10 riders, where he stayed throughout the whole moto, finishing 7th. Jonass started the second final heat more skillfully, being amongst the Top5 guys in the first lap, and, despite being passed afew times during the race, he still ended up finishing 6th.

“I am pleased with my performance today, when after two solid motos we came through in 7th place for the GP overall. I felt good, which is why even the heat couldn’t bring me down,” he says laconically, adding that he is more than ready for the upcoming MXGP in Latvia.

“I reckon that I will be able to surprise my supporters and fans in a good way this weekend, when I will, of course, try to fight for the highest places on the podium as well as earning more points for the overall standings,” tells the athlete, being in the No.11 spot in the championship overall standings at the moment.

As noted, the next round of FIM Motocross World Championship will be held in Kegums, Latvia, on June 15 and 16. The local support will be crucial for Pauls, so see you all on the weekend!

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo


CAN YOU FRANCE?*

The 7th round of the FIM World Motocross Championship took place in the historic circuit of Saint Jean d’Angely in the west of France. The famously cheerful French fans were once again hungry for some world-class racing, so the guys delivered what turned out to be one of the most intense races of the season.

Pauls came to the track on Friday evening amped and ready to get behind the bars the following days. Despite the excitement that was carried along from the previous weekends, the qualifying race on Saturday started off being anything but successful as Pauls struggled to find his rhythm and after a crash ended up in the 26th position at the end of the moto. Disappointed and frustrated after the race, the young athlete admitted to hoping for a better start the following day.

Sunday brought nothing but sweat and frustration when a DNF fell upon the Latvian and his Huqvarna squad. Following a decent start, Jonass was able to place himself amongst the Top 15 riders for most of the Race 1; however, three laps before the checkered flag, Pauls sensed something wighting down the wheels of his machine and pulled over into the pitlane for a check-up. Despite nothing being found wrong, it seemed almost impossible to catch up with the rest of the racers, so Pauls spent the last three laps of the race looking on from the mechanics zone.

Second race seemed to be a recap of the earlier one with Pauls fighting in the middle of the racing crew. Déjà-vuing his way through the pack, the athlete found himself crossing the finish line in the 20th position. After the emotions had settled, Pauls revealed that, despite feeling well the whole weekend, he just couldn’t make peace with the quite unsuccessful starts at the beginning of both motos and the track itself. 

“It is a shame that we have to leave this awesome circuit with just 1 point to add to the overall standings. The crash I had during Saturday’s free practice definitely impacted my performance; however, it was just a combination of unlucky circumstances that lead to me DNFing in the first race and almost falling out of the Top 20 during the second one. We have some things to dwell upon, most of which will be fixed when the next GP comes around. I feel frustrated for letting my fans down, but my team and I are motivated to turn things around in the upcoming stages of the FIM World Motocross Championship,” Jonass revealed.

The 8th stop in the FIM World Motocross Championship calendar will be in Orylonok, Russia, in less than two weeks time.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

STABILITY AND PORTUGAL

On May 18 and 19, the 6th stage of the FIM World Motocross Championship was held in the sunlit and renown track of Agueda in Portugal. 

At the beginning of the weekend, Pauls admitted to feeling good and once again being ready to ride amongst the world’s best motocross riders. “Last weekend, the spot on the podium definitely gave me some extra confidence. Although it was a surprise to both me and the team, and the fans, I think the hard work I have invested is beginning to pay off. I know that we are on the right path, so we just have to continue working hard,” said Jonass. It should be noted that the Portuguese track is one of Pauls’ favorite stops in the 2019 season calendar, so the athlete was in a good mood before the racing even began.

The Saturday qualifying race stated off quite unsuccessfully, with Pauls touching handlebars with teammate Arminas Jasikonis’ bike and almost crashing in the middle of the pack. Although there was no fall, the Latvian had to start the race from 17th position, which made the fight for the best possible start gate pick for the next day very difficult. At the end of the moto, Jonass was able to break into the top ten and finished in 9th place.

As it turned out later, the dismantled stability was decisive throughout the next race day. Pauls left the first turn of the starting lane being 9th, where the athlete also spent most of his time, afterwards passing two of his rivals and finishing 7th at the end of the first race. In a similar scenario, the 2nd final race took place, where Jonass spent 30 minutes being in the 7th position, which allowed the athlete to earn 6th position in the overall GP ranking. In the World Championship’s overall classification, Pauls has risen to 8th place with 137 points, with just 16 points short of his closest competitor.

“I’m pleased with what I have done this weekend. Although I was not able to get close to the race leaders or fight for the first three spots, we are happy to have had two stable races. At the moment, my weak point seems to be the starts, which often results in me being at the back of the pack and having to start the moto from there. This, of course, makes it more difficult to focus, and therefore I start to make mistakes. We will definitely continue to place great emphasis on practicing and polishing the starts,” admits the athlete.

The next FIM World Motocross Championship stage will be held ​​on May 25 and 26 in France.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

STABILITY AND PORTUGAL

On May 18 and 19, the 6th stage of the FIM World Motocross Championship was held in the sunlit and renown track of Agueda in Portugal. 

At the beginning of the weekend, Pauls admitted to feeling good and once again ready to ride amongst the world’s best motocross riders. “Last weekend, the spot on the podium definitely gave extra confidence in myself. Although it was a surprise to both me and the team, and the fans, I think the hard work I have invested is beginning to pay off. I know that we are on the right path, so we just have to continue working hard,” said Jonass. It should be noted that the Portuguese track is one of Pauls’ favorite stops in the 2019 season calendar, so the athlete was in a good mood before the racing even began.

The Saturday qualifying race stated off quite unsuccessfully, with Pauls touching handlebars with teammate Arminas Jasikonis’ bike and almost crashing in the middle of the pack. Although there was no fall, the Latvian had to start the race from 17th position, which made the fight for the best possible start gate pick for the next day difficult. At the end of the moto, Jonass was able to break into the top ten and finished in 9th place.

As it turned out later, the dismantled stability was decisive throughout the next race day, when Pauls left the first turn of the starting lane being 9th, where the athlete also spent most of his time, afterwards passing two of his rivals and finishing 7th at the end of the first race. In a similar scenario, the 2nd final race took place, where Jonass spent 30 minutes being in the 7th position, which allowed the athlete to earn 6th position in the overall GP ranking. In the World Championship’s overall classification, Pauls has risen to 8th place with 137 points, with just 16 points short of his closest competitor.

“I’m pleased with what I have done this weekend. Although I was not able to get close to the race leaders or fight for the first three spots, we are happy to have had two stable races. At the moment, my weak point seems to be the starts, which often results in me being at the back of the pack and having to start the moto from there. This, of course, makes it more difficult to focus, and therefore I start to make mistakes. We will definitely continue to place great emphasis on practicing and polishing the starts,” admits the athlete.

The next FIM World Motocross Championship stage will be held ​​on May 25 and 26 in France.

Written by Nikola Serge

Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

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