Pauls Jonass was having a superb 2024 season when it all went wrong and he ended up injured. For the 2025 season, things have changed as he’s made the move to the Factory Kawasaki team to become a full factory rider once again.
The chatty Latvian made his Kawasaki debut at the Hawkstone International event and had a good day finishing 4-5 in the MX1 moto’s before finishing third in the super final. A very solid start to his Kawasaki career. We caught up with PJ to discuss a range of topics which you can read, watch or listen to below…
GateDrop: Pauls, your Kawasaki debut, it does feel like you’ve been riding a Kawasaki for a long time since we’ve seen that first photo of you on the bike, so how does it feel to finally make your debut with the green machine?
Jonass: Yeah, it’s pretty good. You know practicing and racing are two different things and I was just in practice, I felt good, I felt great on the bike. I really liked it, and I was just curious to see how it works in race conditions and I actually got better and better. I haven’t raced for seven months since the crash in Teutschenthal so the first moto was a bit exciting. I was just a bit too stiff, too scared and couldn’t get a flow, couldn’t get a rhythm. The second moto was a bit better and then the super final again was a bit better so moving in the right direction. It was good to get the first gate drop under my belt with the new bike.
GateDrop: How did it feel when you first got on the Kawasaki, obviously before Honda you were with the KTM family pretty much your whole career, how did it feel on this new bike?
Jonass: It was actually good, I was surprised straight away from the first day. I felt really good, and I was really really happy. You know, at the beginning until January we didn’t change a lot. We just put my handlebars on and a few small things just to make me more comfortable but for us we didn’t change too much, we didn’t test too much and I was happy straight away which is always a positive sign.
GateDrop: Just on today I feel like your speed was pretty much good all day but probably you rode the best in the super final so that’s pretty good because out you haven’t raced in seven months, and you were pretty fit out there?
Jonass: For sure, you know like even after the injury… it was a serious injury but straight away we went back to work with the physiotherapy and just like physical training so physically I’m in very good shape. I’m not too worried about that but like I said racing is one thing and I think the rougher the track gets the better I ride because then you can play a bit more and the track slows down which is super fun, which I enjoy.
GateDrop: What’s it like having Romain Febvre as a team mate, obviously you’re a former MX2 world champion but he’s a former MXGP world champion so there must be things you’re able to learn from him… Are you spending much time with him at the practice track?
Jonass: No, we haven’t spent actually too much time together at practice. Like I said we were testing in Sardinia so then we were together a bit but for us, we are each doing our own things. Even with like the bike setup, we have a few similar things but then again some things are completely different. He prefers this and I prefer that so it’s difficult to compare. But it is good, he’s been on Kawasaki for so many years so his base is good. He has won GP’s with that base so I know I can do the same.
GateDrop: Mathis Valin, do you spend much time with him. He can maybe learn a little bit from Romain but he can probably learn from both of you and it’s going to be his rookie season… He was unbelievable here today…
Jonass: We can all learn from him! We were following him in the super final, he was very fast. He’s a really technical rider and he can ride the bike. Even when we were training and testing in Sardinia he was riding really really good. I think I can learn more from him than he from me.
GateDrop: I don’t know about that, you’re being too modest there (laughs). You are still working with Stefan Everts, have you changed anything with him over the winter or is it just business as usual with Stefan?
Jonass: It’s just mostly business as usual you know. Stefan, he sees what I need, and we make some changes following that but for us we just continue building. Unfortunately, last year that injury a bit destroyed our progress but we will try to build up and try to win some GP’s this year.
GateDrop: I have to ask you about your GP win last year with the Standing Construct Honda team, I mean did you really expect that that and it must have felt amazing to win that day?
Jonass: To expect is difficult, you know. At first I was expecting a podium but straight away to get a win was quite amazing you know but mud is mud. This year the goal is to win a dry GP.
GateDrop: What are the expectations for you this year, obviously it’s been a pretty frustrating career for you because I feel like you always start the season quite well and then just when you’re getting there you end up injured so I guess stay injury free, and the results should hopefully come?
Jonass: That’s the main goal just to end up the season healthy but for sure we want to try to battle for the podiums and I will do my best to do that. I’m sure you know with the team behind me and with everyone in my corner we can do that.
GateDrop: Of course you’ve been with this team before but a lot’s changed and I think you were an MXGP rookie the last time so you’re a little bit more experienced and the team’s maybe a little bit more professional as well?
Jonass: I think it’s good for both of us. When I was a rookie that time and they were, not on a level like where they are now. I think it’s good because if I would come in this team like this as a rookie, it would be difficult because there’s a lot of things you need to follow up and you need to know but now when I have experience I can tell what I want and you know we can make the right decisions together.
GateDrop: What’s it like working with Antti Pyrhönen again? He seems pretty led, he lets you work with Stefan and stuff so that’s quite good…. he was obviously a racer himself so he understands…
Jonass: Antti understands and he’s like you said he’s more laid back he’s more chill like back in the days he would if he could… he would do everything. He would fix your bike, do the physical training with you together but now he’s more laid back and he has the right people in the right places. The team is huge now, if you go to workshop there are a lot of people, and everyone has their own work and their own job so Antti can be a bit more relaxed. He’s still going out flat out and you can reach out to him 24/7. He’ll do everything for you.
GateDrop: Perfect PJ, thanks for your time. Good luck and all the best.
