“I am very happy with my team and hoe I have adapted to my new Gas Gas EC 300, and I enjoy the training and competition”
The Gas Gas rider reviews the results of his first period with his new team. With a double victory in class in the first national rounds, the last of which he also won ‘scratch’. Excellent results are an indication for the Madrid rider to maintain this positive path as he heads into the first round of the World Championship: the GP of Chile. The show begins!
The Gas Gas Factory riders are already in Talca studying the special tests of the first round of the World Enduro Championship. The GP of Chile – April 18th and 19th – which will kick-off the 2015 Enduro World Championship and we took the opportunity to speak with one of our riders before this most anticipated event. The Spaniard has made a good start this season. He won the “San Silvestre madrileña” race earlier this year, the Sonseca MX and the MX International of Crevillente. With those wins, he also added a double victory in E3 at the first two rounds of the Spanish National Enduro Championship in Puerto Lumbreras and Vinaròs, also winning the classification ‘scratch’ in the latter of the two. Accompanying these results, he now has his turn in the Enduro World Championship.
After only three months with Gas Gas the results were not long in coming.
“Yes, the truth is that I started very well in the Spanish Enduro Championship, winning two consecutive victories in category E3, and Scratch victory in the last race in Vinaròs. I am very happy with this, with the team, and how I adapted to this new bike, because I had many years without riding a two-stroke, practically since 2004, and this has been great. The truth is that this Gas Gas EC 300 has surprised me, I have so much fun with her while training and competing.”
And now we have the World Championship, which this year starts in South America, with the first race being held in Chile on the 18th and 19th of April.
“Let’s see what happens in the World Championship, so far we have started well in the Championship of Spain, winning, and I would like to continue in this line of good results in the World Championship, but we must not forget that here it is another level, much higher, here we have all the best riders.”
In the Gas Gas Factory Pons Team and the brand have welcomed with open arms, do you feel loved?
“From the beginning I felt very comfortable with this team and this factory. They are very nice people and alsothe fact that here, it makes us understand everything much better, everything much more fluent than in a foreign team. They make our work as riders always easier, and frankly, everything is going very well. I like it.”
Your return and adaptation to the two-stroke has been meteoric, do you enjoy it when you ride?
“Yes, as I mentioned before, this is a bike that surprised me. It has an excellent base and is very attractive forenduro, as it is very easy to ride, light, with great power. I feel very comfortable with it in tight and extreme terrain, areas in which I am no expert because I come from motocross. However, with this bike everything is easier, and this helps me overcome everything more easily.”
You started on a good foot in Spain. You won your category in Puerto Lumbreras and a month later the Scratch in Vinaròs.This is promising!
“I am very happy, I repeat. Everything is going perfectly, but now begins the world championship. The season is very long. We must go step by step. We know that in the world championship we have very strong rivals, the truth is that we still must find out at what level we all are. In Spain, for the terrain and special tests they have made, the races have gone very well, but the world championship is different, it is always more demanding. I wish to enter the world championship as well as in the beginning of the national! But we mustkeep our feet on the ground, in the world championship, there are the best riders and it is not easy to get results.”
Speaking of results; What goals have you set for 2015?
“Striving to be among the top five, I think that would be great for us. Being in the ‘top five’ in every race means we’ve had a very good season in a very balanced level in a very strong category. In Enduro 3 is a group of very strong riders and any failure can make you go from fighting for the podium to a fall to a tenth place finish. In the world championship you have to be consistent. This is my second year in the enduro sport and I know I need to improve in this regard if I want to fight to be among the top of the championship.”
Jonathan, thank you very much, good luck to you and all the Gas Gas team in Talca. To them!