On Track Off Road No.184

privateer and is also competing
on British shores again in
’19. Former British Champion
Graeme Irwin may have been
forced to end his career due to
complications with a scaphoid
problem but the world championship-winning
brand is still
not short on plenty of top ten
MXGP presence.
4) IS THIS GAUTIER
PAULIN’S LAST ROLL
AT GLORY?
There is an aura of mystery
at Wilvo Yamaha. One of the
best and most resourceful
satellite teams in the paddock
is primed for a third term in
‘blue’ but while expectations
remain high their possibilities
are unknown. A rider of
Gautier Paulin’s quality and
dedication should lead to
strong results as they chase
their second Grand Prix victory
but an arguably bigger
question mark lies over the
Frenchman’s friend and equally
technical teammate Arnaud
Tonus. The Swiss’ moto success
at his home round (in a
rookie 450 season) in 2017
helped towards another shot
in 2019. Tonus’ fortunes that
weekend of the summer at
Frauenfeld virtually summed
up his career – skill and speed
to win but then an injury in
the second moto knocking all
that momentum away. Arnaud
hasn’t posted Grand Prix
points since the final round of
2017 so Paulin will not have
an unmotivated fellow racer in
the awning.
And what of the Motocross
of Nations talisman himself?
2019 sees Gautier poised
under the heaviest guillotine
blade of judgement yet. Factory
support at Kawasaki, Honda
and Husqvarna produced
excellent highlights but also
problems with championshipconsistency.
It feels like Gautier
has been labouring under
the cloud of being one of
the best motocrossers of the
modern era not to win a title
for several years but let’s not
forget his age (29 in March),
experience and the real
chance that his decision to
6 QUESTIONS FOR 2019 MXGP