2019 MXGP Of Germany | GoPro Onboard & Analysis
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2019 MXGP OF GERMANY | COMPLETE COVERAGE
An intense three-race run in the 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship schedule concluded with the 2019 MXGP of Germany, the tenth round of the series. The track at Teutschenthal is one of the more unique and difficult layouts of the international schedule, with elements of dense dirt, deep ruts, brutal roost and chop are all packed into a rather small valley. GoPro put a HERO7 camera to the top of Gautier Paulin’s helmet during the weekend’s MXGP Qualifying Moto and MXGP Moto Two, then uploaded the footage for us to watch and learn from. Here are a few things we noticed from the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP rider’s moto.
GAUTIER PAULIN | MXGP QUALIFYING MOTO
The first 25-seconds after the gate drop are incredibly hectic, as the full field flies into the fast first turn, over the iconic scrub single, and land in a turn of massive ruts and bumps. With a number of riders on factory-supported bikes, Yamaha has become a front-runner in the MXGP series over the last few weeks and their clout is evident in the opening lap when Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus, Romain Febvre, and Paulin were all in the mix.
The MXGP Qualifying Moto is always one of the last races on Saturday and this video is a great look at how rough the courses get after MXGP, MX2, and EMX classes all put in their sessions over a single day. Paulin’s riding style is well suited for the conditions, as he managed to finesse the YZ450F through the technical turns and rutted straightaways; he did not over-rev the engine, but instead coasted over braking bumps and into corners, rolled on the throttle, and plotted new lines over the imperfections. Paulin is a rather tall rider and his size is an asset when it comes to putting the bike where he wants when things are going good or bad. An example of his size helping him in what was shaping up to be a bad situation is at the 3:10 mark when he was kicked to the left over a rather large jump and guided the bike away from the edge of the track in the air, while one instance in a good situation was at the 5:10 when he raised the front wheel over a roller and stayed low instead of jumping into the rough part of the corner.
GAUTIER PAULIN | MXGP MOTO TWO
Paulin was blocked at the start of MXGP Moto Two by Glenn Coldenhoff, but instead of letting it break his momentum, Paulin used it as a chance to set up for a tighter line through the first turn and passed Coldenhoff and a few other riders. Following another rider through rutted turns comes at the risk of getting caught up in their mistake, something that Paulin narrowly avoided when Seewer went down at the exit of turn two. It’s apparent that Paulin and others noticed on the sighting lap how heavy-handed the track crew was with the hose between races, because he and others stayed out of the slop and puddles in the opening and didn’t do the same triple step-up jump due to the slick, wet outside line in the corner that came after the landing.
The middle portion of the video showed how Paulin settled into a controlled, comfortable pace when he needed to, but the final minutes show how intense of a push that Paulin, Max Anstie, and Arnaud Tonus put in to hold their spot at the checkered flag. Paulin managed to make a move on Anstie and snatched fourth place away on the final lap, a key pass for his overall finish.
Let’s get more of this Euro stuff! I know it’s hard not being there but any info that keeps us Americans up to date on that side of the pond is much appreciated!