MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI MX2 RACING TEAM
The Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team enters the 2015 FIM World MX2 Motocross World Championship with defending champion Jordi Tixier and title challengers Dylan Ferrandis and Thomas Covington.
The name of Kawasaki's officially-supported team in the MX2 world series has been amended this year to reflect the input of Kawasaki Motors Europe, Kawasaki Japan and team title sponsor Monster Energy. The CLS team was initially established by Jean Jacques Luisetti to provide a platform for promising young French riders to enter the world stage, but KME soon recognised the competence of the team, which was promoted to the status of Kawasaki's offficial MX2 team in 2009 and moved its operations to the Netherlands one year later.
The team immediately secured its first GP victory and FIM World Championship medal with Steven Frossard that year and has built on those achievements as it secured further medals in the next two seasons with Tommy Searle.
When Searle was forced to move to the MXGP class in 2013 because of the FIM age restriction ruling for competitors in MX2, the team sought fresh talent and signed Arnaud Tonus from Switzerland, adding French youngster Dylan Ferrandis and US teenager Thomas Covington last term. All three recorded significant success last summer and both Ferrandis and Covington remain on the payroll this summer while Tonus, who led the world championship for many rounds last year before injury intervened, will contest the US championship in a move carefully orchestrated by the worldwide Kawasaki network.
Any fears that the loss of Tonus would weaken the team were quickly dismissed as team owner Luisetti moved decisively to secure the signature of Jordi Tixier, the elegant French rider who would eventually clinch the title in a dramatic final round showdown.
Tixier made an impressive debut for the team at the high-profile Lille Supercross in November and is ready to defend his title with the Number 1 plate on his Kawasaki after a successful winter of testing with the team.
The continued intense involvement of Kawasaki Motors Europe and title sponsor Monster Energy plus technical support from Kawasaki Japan ensures that CLS, with team manager Harrie van Hout in charge of all technical and logisticial affairs, enters 2015 confident that the team will once more return regularly to Victory Lane and mount a serious challenge for the MX2 World title.
TEAM RIDERS
Riding Number:
1
Class:
MX2
Date of birth:
2 November 1992
Place of birth:
D’Huisson Longueville
Hometown:
D’Huisson Longueville
Riding Number:
122
Class:
MX2
Date of birth:
31 May 1994
Place of birth:
Avignon
Hometown:
Hossegor
Riding Number:
64
Class:
MX2
Date of birth:
23 January 1996
Place of birth:
Alabama
Hometown: