2024 EMX250 champion Mathis Valin is in the midst of his maiden MX2 campaign which has provided some flashes of speed and brilliance alongside the typical teething problems that occur when making the jump up into professional racing. A strong fourth place in the second moto in Argentina looked to foreshadow a string of strong results for the rookie, however, a hand injury sustained at the following round in Spain derailed the Frenchman’s momentum, subsequently forcing him out of three Grands Prix as a result.

“It’s a really big, big gap I would say” he reflected, when asked about the transition from EMX250 to MX2. “Instead of three good riders, we have ten (in MX2) so it is quite hard. Starts need to be perfect every time, and then yeah, no rest, every time we are pushing especially in the first lap, we are pushing quite a lot. So yeah, this I will say is quite hard!”

A factor that many fans may not consider, is the increase of riding across a weekend when stepping up to the main classes, alongside a full 20-round race schedule. An element which Valin voiced as another variable that rookies have to deal with.

“The weekends are long too” he affirmed. “We have to practice on the Saturday, one qualifying race and the Sunday we have warm-up plus two races so yeah it is quite hard, quite tough and then the track is more bumpy because we are riding in the afternoon. So yeah, I would say that everything is different, everything is new we’ll say, but it is not easy for sure.”

Patience in Motocross is a skill that may be overlooked by many, especially the younger racers breaking through – they’ve grown up their whole lives winning, and then the shock factor of racing amongst the fastest racers on the planet whilst learning the ropes can be a frustrating task to overcome. Valin however, has a realistic overview of his aims and is fully aware that his debut MX2 season is aimed more towards learning, opposed to instant success.

“Yeah, we keep building” he said, when asked about his aims for the remainder of the season. “I need to improve my starts because I know if I can start good, I can stay with them. So yeah, like we said, we are learning because it’s a year for learning. We will keep pushing, keep working, keep everything and we’ll see the end of the season, there is seven rounds to go, so it’s quite long.”

After missing three rounds of the MXGP season, Valin currently holds 13th in the championship standings.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview and the full post-race podcast episode!

Images courtesy of Kawasaki Racing