Interview: Kevin Brumann on Matterley Basin and working with Nagl
The first round of the EMX125 championships threw up a few surprises which it does tend to do and one of the surprises at Matterley Basin was young Swiss rider, Kevin Brumann who looked superb.
Despite not getting amazing starts, Brumann still went 2-2 around the tough, technical hard pack track at Matterley Basin. The STC/IXS Yamaha rider has clearly put in a strong winter and reaped the rewards at round one, he’ll now look to ride with the same level as the EMX125 series continues.
We caught up with Brumann to discuss round one of EMX125 and much more.
Gatedrop: Kevin, a superb weekend for you at the opening round of the EMX125 championship ending up second overall. Can you talk me through your races?
Brumann: I had a good start in the free practice, I felt very good. The track was slippery and sketchy but it was quite good. For timed practice, I changed the bike from the practice bike to the race bike and I had a really good time, I was first in my group. In the first race on Saturday afternoon, I didn’t have the best start in tenth but I was able to come back to second. I was quite happy and I focused on recovering for the next race on Sunday. I had a pretty good start in the second race in fifth, I quickly got into second and then on the second lap I passed Everts. After 15 minutes I got arm pump so I let him through because he was faster and I didn’t want to block him. In the end I’m really happy with second place, we are looking forward to the next weekend now.
Gatedrop: How did it feel leading a race at this level? You obviously rode last year but as a rookie the results weren’t amazing and to lead at round one this year, how did that feel?
Brumann: It’s crazy. When you are leading a European Championship, pfft it feels awesome. I can’t be happier about that.
Gatedrop: How did you enjoy the track? It was pretty wet for the first race but it was near perfect for the second race!
Brumann: It was really good today (Sunday), you had grip, can go fast in the corners and jump everything. It was a lot more fun than yesterday (Saturday), I still liked it but it was hard to ride for everyone.
Gatedrop: Coming into round one what expectations did you have?
Brumann: I was hoping to get top ten, I didn’t expect that I would get a podium. Now we stay focused and will keep training hard for the rest of the season.
Gatedrop: Did you surprise yourself this weekend then and will your expectations change now after the podium at round one?
Brumann: Yeah, I am really surprised. I didn’t expect to get second in both races but now I know what I can do so we will keep pushing.
Gatedrop: Over the winter, was there anything specifically you worked on to improve?
Brumann: I trained a lot on my starts and with the feeling, I put a lot of hours in on the bike. It was a good winter and I am training now with Max Nagl, he’s a really good trainer and I like him very much. He’s so good, calm and can help a lot.
Gatedrop: I didn’t actually know you were working with Nagl, is it just the training side he helps or does he help you on the bike as well with the riding technique?
Brumann: He’s both, he’s my technical trainer. He helps me with everything and anything he can do, it’s perfect working with him.
Interview: Andy McKinstry
Pic: Nigel McKinstry
