Interview: Mathis Valin discusses the step up to MX2, Factory KRT and more

Images: Nigel McKinstry | Interview: Andy McKinstry

Young French talent Mathis Valin is steadily finding his form in his rookie MX2 World Championship season. After a strong pre-season, injury threatened to derail his early progress, but the Kawasaki Racing Team rider is now showing signs of why he was so highly rated coming out of EMX250. At Matterley Basin, Valin battled with some of the class’s best – a clear sign that he’s moving in the right direction. We caught up with Valin to discuss his recovery, adapting to the MX2 intensity, working with experienced figures like Thierry van den Bosch and Antti Pyrhönen, and the challenges of racing with a brand-new factory machine in Kawasaki’s debut MX2 campaign.

GateDrop: Mathis, ninth overall here at Matterley Basin, I mean you’ve been getting better after the injury, solid progress would you say?

Valin: Yeah, it’s getting better and better. From the injury I have no pain anymore, so this is the good point and we’re getting closer and closer every time, every GP. This weekend was very good, I mean I was fighting with the top guys like Adamo and De Wolf, so very proud about it. We keep focused and we keep on training.

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GateDrop: What did you think of the track? I mean yesterday it was bone dry, fast, flat out, today more ruts, probably more technical. Did you like it both days or what was your thoughts?

Valin: Yesterday honestly I didn’t like it.

GateDrop: And you’re French? (laughs)…

Valin: Yeah but I don’t especially like hard pack like how it was yesterday, it was really dusty and when we were behind it was really crazy. It was quite hard and today they prepared a bit better the track, so it was a bit better. It was hard to pass again on this track but I prefer to struggle to pass the guys than having it like yesterday, so yeah it was good.

GateDrop: We’re 12 rounds into the season now, obviously you missed a few with the injury, but how have you adapted to the MX2 World Championship? This is your first season, but it’s quite different compared to EMX?

Valin: Yeah it’s very different, especially the beginning of the race, it is so intense compared to the EMX250. You have everyone going really fast and trying to make passes so you need to take the rhythm and have a good start because the top 10 in MX2 this year is really close. You can finish 2nd or 10th because everyone is close, so the start matters and having a good rhythm, but race by race is getting better and yeah it’s good.

Image: Nigel McKinstry

GateDrop: And your coach Thierry van den Bosch, an ex Supermoto guy, I think he did a bit of Motocross too, what’s it like working with him? I think you started with him at BUD didn’t you? So you must obviously like him to keep him for this year, and how does he help you?

Valin: He helps me good every weekend and he has a good experience for sure. He had the title in the MX2 World Championship with Maxime Renaux. He has a good experience and we work a lot on my position because it’s not the best for the moment. He he helped me a lot for like staying in line during the weekend, what is good, what is not good and everything. It’s pretty much the experience, I’m a bit in Lommel and a bit with him in Hossegor, so we manage like that and we have a good compromise.

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GateDrop: Team manager Antti Pyrhönen, obviously he used to also race at a pretty high level, what’s it like working with him as well?

Valin: He also has good experience too and we work a lot on the bike because for sure for them it’s quite a big gap to join MX2 to have a good model. They just started like not even one year ago, so to have a good bike compared to the KTM who have been here for 10, 20 years maybe more. It’s quite difficult but we have a good work and the bike starts to be really good, so I’m very very happy about it. We make good work I think for the moment and we need to improve for sure.

GateDrop: I was going to ask you about the bike, obviously because it’s the first year in MX2 for KRT, I mean how different is it compared to the Bud Kawasaki for an example? I guess there’s probably more power?

Valin: Yeah, really a lot more power, it’s completely different and for sure it’s a factory bike. I would say everything is different, just the chassis is the same but yeah everything is different and to work like this is good for the experience because I need to say what I want, what I like and everything. For me it’s quite hard, it was quite hard at the beginning but now I start to feel more stuff and it’s going in a good direction.

Image: Nigel McKinstry

GateDrop: On the results, I mean you probably want more but at the same time you’re battling with Adamo and De Wolf, these guys are world champions so at the same time you must be pretty pleased you’re battling with these guys even if you do want more?

Valin: For sure we want more, everyone wants more, even if you win you want more so yeah I would say I want more but very happy about it. I don’t remember but it wasn’t that long ago the guys took me in one lap so to be able to fight with them, we are in a good way and we’ll see for the rest of the season.

GateDrop: At the start of the season and pre-season you were really really fast, how far off do you think you are of getting that speed back again?

Valin: I don’t know. At the beginning I was really really fast, very excited too, I wanted to win but it’s not like that in MX2, you cannot win directly when you come so I made a lot of mistakes. The injury has made me more calm but now it’s going better and better, I take much confidence every race and it’s going better.