Kawasaki Racing Team MX2's Mathis Valin was denied a maiden GP moto victory in the Swiss round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Frauenfeld when the rear chain was derailed in a bottomless rut as he led the first moto by more than ten seconds.

Story and Images Pascal Haudiquert

"For sure I made the job in the first moto; I took the holeshot, found my flow and had the pace. I pulled a gap and was controlling the race but as I came out of a corner the chain jumped and that was that. It didn't only happen to me; there were several more in MXGP. It is what it is; this is a mechanical sport and these things can happen. In the second moto I spun on the wet mesh, and it was hard to pass here for everybody. Of course I am disappointed to miss my first GP moto win, but there were many positives this weekend; I proved that I could lead a race and we can take holeshots. So, we keep looking forward; we have two weeks to work before the next GP."

On the Saturday Valin finishing a hard charging fifth in Qualifying for the third round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship; only a slip on the opening lap after he had holeshot cost the French teenager a shot at the win.

"We did the job from the beginning today with the holeshot, but then I crashed at the second corner. After that I came back really fast; I found a really good rhythm and speed, so we are ready for tomorrow. The track was a little better with the rain, and I think there could be more rain tonight. We will see; I just hope it doesn't snow!"

Sixth in Timed Practice he gated perfectly in Qualifying and held an ideal line through turn one to take the holeshot, but his joy was short-lived when he slipped off in a greasy rut at turn two as light rain started to fall.

Rejoining the race at the back of the field he was already twelfth within a single lap and, matching the lap times of the leaders despite racing through traffic, he picked off one opponent after another with a series of exhilarating passes.

Two quick passes on a single lap on lap ten saw him take over fifth and he kept charging to take the chequered flag in the wheel tracks of the defending champion after pulling back six seconds on the #1 plate-holder through the final four laps.

The French teenager had launched his KX250-SR to a clear holeshot and was riding a perfectly controlled race to extend his lead each lap. Overnight sleet and showers throughout the morning had softened the ground and the axle-deep ruts which formed in the turns were to prove his downfall as he became the first of several prominent victims in one particular long left-hander when the wall of the rut derailed the chain and caused his retirement.

The organization scraped the surface effectively during the interval before the second moto, though conditions were still sticky as the sun broke through the clouds. After spinning on the wet mesh at the gate, he was ninth out of the first turn and faced a long chase as overtaking inevitably proved awkward, but the teenager pushed for the entire thirty-five minutes.

By lap four he was sixth and four laps from the finish swept into fifth, which is where he finished, just two seconds shy of third. The unfortunate first moto zero scoreline has put him temporarily back to seventh in the series standings.