Latvian rider Pauls Jonass has had his share of injury problems in 2025, which has meant he has been absent for eight of the seventeen rounds of the MXGP season. A concussion sustained in Sardegna sidelined him from rounds 4-6, before a crash at the German Grand Prix meant Jonass broke his collarbone and shoulder blade – subsequently missing rounds 11-15.

The Kawasaki Racing rider made his return to racing at the Swedish Grand Prix in Uddevalla, notching a strong tenth overall and he followed this up with another solid showing at the most recent MXGP round in Arnhem, finishing ninth. Although these results are not quite up to par for a rider of Jonass’ calibre, it is a strong base to build from heading into the final races of the season.

“I really feel like I missed the first lap intensity” he told Cult Moto. “Because, that’s really high you know, like the guys up front battling with ten guys around you and going flat out, that’s what I have missed a little bit, to make the right decision at the right time. So yeah, for sure it comes down to missing the races but that’s not an excuse, I just need to be better”.

The second Kawasaki has been plagued in recent years, with the previous riders struggling to find real comfortability on the green machine. Despite the lack of races, Jonass has managed some strong results when he has lined up this season – most notably securing two top five overalls in Saint Jean d’Angely and Agueda.

“I would say we have a good base set up, but we are still searching you know. It’s still not perfect but it’s good, I really enjoyed the bike from the first day I jumped on it I was really happy. It’s the small details we need to find and like I said, just missing those races doesn’t help either – when you jump back in to race, then you might search again a little bit for the right set up, but it’s nothing major”.

Something fans may not appreciate when riders return from a string of injuries is the mental challenges it comes with, especially an experienced rider like Jonass who has had his fair share of injuries in his career. With 2025 throwing a concussion and physical bone injury at the former MX2 world champion, he was open and honest about the challenges that come with this.

“I wouldn’t say it is easier, but you never want to hit your head” he affirmed. “That can take a long time, you feel alright but then sometimes you can have some bad days with the head because I have had some bad concussions in the past and it takes its toll. With a bone injury, it heals and more or less it will be fine just get back to strength, but you only get one head and many people still really don’t know what’s happening inside there!”

To listen to the full interview with Pauls, click the link below to the Post-Race podcast from Arnhem!

Image: Pascal Haudiquert