Feature Story
Rider Feature:
Kawasaki Racing Team:
FIM Motocross World Championship Q&A
As the 2024 Kawasaki Racing Team gears up for the upcoming FIM Motocross World Championship season, anticipation is high with Romain Febvre returning to lead the charge alongside newcomer Jeremy Seewer. With seasoned expertise and promising talent, the team is poised for a dynamic campaign ahead. Febvre's experience coupled with Seewer's fresh perspective promises an exciting blend of skill and strategy. As the days draw closer to the season's commencement, the Kawasaki Racing Team is diligently fine-tuning their 2024 KX™450SR machines, already capturing a moto win, moto podium and overall podium finish this past weekend in Italy.
Jeremy Seewer
1) How does 2024 feel so far? A new bike, a new team, a new adventure for you? Yes of course; you can’t start from zero on so many occasions in your career with a new bike that you need to get used to, with new people around you, with everything new but it’s been a good journey so far. There have been some ups-and-downs, which is normal, but I’m enjoying it and I’m happy! 2) What is your plan for this 2024 season? I’m not planning too far ahead; at the moment I’m just focused on setting my bike up and doing some pre-season races without any pressure. I'm just trying to enjoy it, to go through this normal process, fixing the evolution on the bike and then looking forward to the first races. 3) Physically, do you feel ready? Did you have a good off-season? Yes! Physically I had a really good winter; I kept working on that and tried to improve; trying to work harder but also to regroup better and I don't think I have ever previously been in such good shape. That's super positive.
Romain Febvre
1) Do you feel completely at home in Green as you enter your fifth season with the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP? Yes, for sure ... and everything is going perfectly. This winter we only had to concentrate on some small adjustments to the bike so it was much easier than last year when we had to understand a completely new bike. And of course it makes everything much easier when you have already been working with the same people for a couple of years. 2) Last year you spent a lot of time testing; could you focus more on your training and physical preparation this winter? I had a very good winter preparation and, even though I haven't peaked yet because the season will be long, I’m very happy with my physical condition. We didn't need to spend too long with testing as we already knew the bike, but every year there’s some new parts to test; we always need to keep on top of development as the level is very high in MXGP but I would say that the main novelty this year was the chassis as we now use the production one. We started testing straight away at the end of last season, and we soon found the best settings. 3) 2023 was one of your best seasons. Are you confident coming into 2024? As always it is most important not to get injured during the season; last year I had the concussion in Spain and missed that GP, but apart from that I had no other injuries. It’s important because you can continue to progress from race-to-race and stay consistent. You keep your rhythm, you can train physically, and from race-to-race you improve your results. That’s what I did last year; I had the speed and it was a really good season so everything is in place for another great campaign.
Austin Forkner
"I went from being down in the first turn at Anaheim 1 last year, blowing my knee out to holeshotting, winning my heat and main event this year. Me, along with my Monster Energy®/Pro CIrcuit/Kawasaki team kept working and never gave up. Taking home the red plate and the win at the first race of the year, this is awesome. If this is not a rebound, I don't know what is. Let's go!"
STATISTICS
2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship Results: 4 Top 10 Finishes 3 Top 5 Finishes 1 Top 3 Finish
2022 Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Results: 9 Top 10 Finishes 6 Top 5 Finishes 1 Top 3 Finish 4th Overall Points Finisher
2021 Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Results: 9 Top 10 Finishes 8 Top 5 Finishes 3 Podiums 2nd Overall Points Finisher
Mark Gomez
“After entering multiple classes my goal was to just make it on the podium in Huntington. I charged hard and started to fatigue after the motos, but coming home with back to back wins in 2 classes made it all worth the pain. It was a big weekend that made me dig deep to finish through, but I did it because riding my Kawasaki SXR 160 is my absolute favorite thing to do.”
“ Krystian Janik
I finished last year out really strong with Championships in Schoolboy 2, and 250B at Mini O's, so I'm really aiming to carry that success into 2023. I've spent the last few months working on improving the areas where I felt I could be better and I've made a solid amount of progress. Looking to RCSX, my goal is to go out there and execute what I've been working on at the practice track because I know if I do that then I'll be finishing at the front.
“Carson Wood
I look forward to these first few spring races every year, it's so exciting to come out and show everyone all the hard work that we put in during the winter time. I'm really excited to be with Kawasaki Team Green this year. I joined the team in November last year and after only two weeks on the Kawasaki KX™85, I won a few championships and two Olympiad awards at Mini O's so that was really encouraging. Now that I've had a few more months of training and testing on the bike, I'm super optimistic about what we can achieve this year and a strong showing at the RCSX will give us a chance to start the year on top.
Snodgrass Prepares for Title Defense
After 12 rounds of action-packed off-road racing, Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy®/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass secured the 2022 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) XC2 250 Pro Class Championship. The championship capped an incredible year of racing for Snodgrass who entered the 2022 season with a career-best third-place finish in the GNCC Championship. Building on his success from the previous year, Snodgrass went on to claim his first GNCC victory at Round 4, with additional wins coming at Rounds 6 and 12.
The 2022 GNCC XC2 250 Pro Class title marked the inaugural GNCC championship for the Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy®/Kawasaki race team and added Snodgrass’ name to the growing list of Aussies who have found success in GNCC racing. The No. 178 KX™250X rider has had his sights on the championship trophy ever since and looks to carry his momentum into Round 1 at Big Buck on February 18th.
“Lyndon Snodgrass
I’m stoked to see my teammates kick off the 2023 racing season with wins in two very competitive enduro races. Watching them succeed has me extra motivated to start my XC2 GNCC title defense this weekend. The Babbitt's Online/Monster Energy®/Kawasaki Team Green™ squad has a proven record of success in GNCC racing and I feel more prepared than ever to continue Kawasaki's winning legacy in 2023.
“
Grant Baylor
"Things have been going really well since joining the Babbitt's Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green crew. We've had a good season of preparation through the winter and feel ready to compete at the front of the pack. I've had a quick adjustment to the Kawasaki KX450X and I'm looking forward to going racing in just a couple weeks."
“
Robby Bell, Team Manager
"I'm really looking forward to the upcoming season. Zach has been back on the bike for a few months and he's looking fast and fit. It'll be so great to have the No.100 back under the tent. And after a very successful season in 2022, I'm quite excited to see what Tyler will be capable of this year. Our guys are armed with the 2023 Kawasaki KX450X, which has proven to be an incredibly competitive platform in the pro class. That foundation, along with all of the amazingly supportive companies that are backing our effort have me feeling confident we'll make 2023 a truly rewarding campaign."
“
Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager
“2016 was a very succesful year for us. We achieved all the objectives within our reach. Our riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes topped the first two positions in the overall classification and Kawasaki obtained the Manufacturers’ title for the second consecutive year in the World Superbike Championship. Still, after that nearly perfect season, we were straight back to work to challenge again in 2017.
Question
Robby Bell's primary focus in 2023 will be managing the Chaparral Motorsports/Precision Concepts/Kawasaki racing effort and helping the riders achieve their very best throughout the racing season. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Bell will also compete in the Pro Class at most WORCS and NGPC rounds to dice it up and have some fun in what can be a very stacked class, with many former Pro Class winners participating.
Notable Achievements:
• 3-time WORCS champion
• 3-time SCORE champion
• 3-time Baja 1000 winner
• 3-time Lake Elsinore GP winner
• 4-time Best in the Desert champion
• 2012 NGPC (then WCGP) champion
“
Jonathan Rea
“It was such an incredible journey that 2020 season. My gratitude to WorldSBK, Dorna, all the circuits and organizers to even get racing through the year. In the middle of what everyone had experienced in 2020, sport always comes second – but we managed to race. I missed the fans in attendance and all my traveling support from back home in Northern Ireland; I wish they could have been there but we were happy to be racing nonetheless. That championship was for all of them and my Kawasaki Racing Team, for continuing to push forward. We started behind, like the year prior but never gave up. It was a hell of a journey and something to truly be proud of for all of us."
Robby Bell
#32
Robby's primary focus will be managing the effort and helping the riders achieve their very best in 2023. But he'll also get out in the vet pro class at most WORCS and NGPC rounds to dice it up and have some fun in what can be a very stacked class, with many former pro-class winners participating. Notable Achievements:
• 3-time WORCS champion
• 3-time SCORE champion
• 3-time Baja 1000 winner
• 3-time Lake Elsinore GP winner
• 4-time Best in the Desert champion
• 2012 NGPC (then WCGP) champion
“
Jonathan Rea
"It has been an incredible partnership, we have enjoyed so much success together that it is almost a natural progression to continue our agreement for the years ahead. I am looking forward to continue making memories and representing an incredible manufacturer and brand. My team is my racing family. I love everyone inside the team like my own family and relationships like that count for a lot in racing. Huge credit goes to every single person in the staff, from Provec Racing, all the engineers in Japan, and everyone in the Kawasaki family."
“
Jo Shimoda
"It is an honor to be selected for Team Japan and represent the Japanese people at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) race. I earned my first overall win at Red Bud earlier this year so I hope I can have similar success against the other MX2 competitors and make everyone back home proud."
‟
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate”
FullName
Description for the name
