Winner of the MX1 qualifying race on Saturday, Vuillemin struggled on Sunday with his starts; around 15th in the opening race he came back 2nd at mid-distance and battled for the win during the final laps but couldn’t find a place to pass Marvin Musquin.

Again reaching 2nd spot by the second half of the next heat, he was closing the gap to Greg Aranda when he crashed and was forced to accept another 2nd position. The last race was the hardest, due to the setting sun and some dusty sections.

Running 2nd behind Mickael Pichon in the opening laps, David was close to passing the former world champion when he slipped off and lost six places. Recovering to finish 4th he took overall honours in the MX1 class, beating Aranda who lost the victory after a crash in the last race.

Stopped by a pile-up in the first corner, Greg had a tough opening moto, coming back from last to 7th. Learning some lines from Mickael Pichon early in the second heat he dominated the race, and was on his way to another win in the last moto when he lost grip on loose stones.

3rd by the end of the day he missed the top step of the podium by 3 points but offered to Kawasaki another strong 1-2 result.

Although he lacked two strong starts Gautier Paulin was the strongest MX2 Kawasaki rider in Pernes.

The young Frenchman came back forcibly to 6th and 7th overall before saving his best performance for the last race of the day. Starting within the top ten Paulin rose to 4th overall, and then lost two positions in the last laps when the racing conditions became worst with rising dust.

Injured last week during the final race in Sommières, Steven Frossard was unable to ride at his usual level and finished the opening race in 5th before retiring in the other motos.

Third rider of Team Green involved in the event, Loic Rombaut, enjoyed his best event so far, collecting a strong 6th position in the second heat. 17th in the opening race he then recorded 11th place in the last moto for another positive showing.

The French Elite will now move to Brittany for the third race of the season, next weekend in Romagné.

David Vuillemin: ‘It was a good event, even if I didn’t win a moto this weekend, except in qualification. I made a wrong choice of tyre for the first heat, the track dried out faster than I expected and it was not possible to pass Musquin for the win.

2nd was OK for me, then I made another average start and came back to second, not too far from Greg but I lost the front wheel in a small rut and crashed during the race to finish 2nd.

The third race seemed better for me, I passed Musquin for second place but then I crashed pretty hard and was lucky to be unhurt! I came back to 4th and proved all day long that my speed and my physical condition are good, two weeks prior to the first GP.

We did a lot of testing during the weekend; for example I selected a different rear tyre in each race, but I have to work on my starts, which are the main problem at the moment.’

Gregory Aranda: ‘I’m frustrated to miss the MX1 win by just a few points, especially as I lost them after my crash during the last race. There was a pile-up at the start of the first mot; I didn’t crash but I was slowed by the crash and lost too much time.

I then came back quickly to 7th position and couldn’t improve on this due to arm pump; it’s the first time that we have raced on such a hard layout. The second moto was better; I followed Pichon for a few laps and looked at his lines, and then I passed him for the win.

In the third heat I was leading when I crashed in a small corner, my front wheel slid on some stones and then I was unable to find the good rhythm.’

Gautier Paulin: ‘I’m pleased to collect my first podium of the season here, the track changed a lot on Sunday due to the nice weather. The club did a good job with the watering in the night, and the ground came drier in each race with some dust in the last one, which was pretty dangerous with the sun.

For the first two races I chose an inside position on the gate, but twice the 450 riders pushed me out and I had to come back from far behind to collect a 6th and then a 7th place. I changed my place on the line for the last moto and I had a good jump but then the powerful 450s pulled ahead. However it was a good experience, I made fewer mistakes through the event and after three days of testing and two days of racing I’m not tired; that proves that my winter training program was good.’

Steven Frossard: ‘It was a tough weekend for me as I had trouble with my arm after the crash sustained last weekend in Sommières. I couldn’t train during the week and here I had difficulty to control the bike. I was unable to hold my handlebar like normal. I could finish in the top five of the first race as the track was quite soft, but then it became harder and worse for me.

I was afraid to crash as I had no power in my right arm, so I retired in the second moto and during the last heat a stone whacked my arm. I will have further medical checks on Monday with professor Dufour in Aix en Provence, I want to be fit and ready in two weeks time for the opening GP in Italy.’

French Championship results

Heat 1: 1.Musquin ; 2.Vuillemin ; 3.Pichon ; 4.Boissière ; 5.Frossard ; 6.Paulin ; 7.Aranda ; 17.Rombaut

Heat 2: 1.Aranda ; 2.Vuillemin ; 3.Musquin ; 4.Pichon ; 5.Tonus ; 6.Rombaut ; 7.Paulin

Heat 3: 1.Musquin ; 2.Pichon ; 3.Aranda ; 4.Vuillemin ; 5.Soubeyras ; 6.Paulin ; 11.Rombaut

Overall: 1.Musquin, 70 ; 2.Vuillemin, 62 ; 3.Pichon, 60 ; 4.Aranda, 59 ; 5.Paulin, 44 ; 10.Rombaut, 29 ; 17.Frossard, 16

Championship MX1: 1.Vuillemin, 130 ; 2.Aranda, 126 ; 3.Coulon, 71 ; 4.Renet, 65 ; 5.Pichon, 50 Championship MX2: 1.Musquin, 108 ; 2.Boissière, 101 ; 3.Paulin, 75 ; 4.Soubeyras, 65 ; 7.Frossard, 52 ; 9.Rombaut, 44