Latvian racer, Pauls Jonass has been one of the mainstays of the Grand Prix scene. Now more than a decade in the sport, the 28-year-old signed with his fourth factory team for 2024 and his fifth team in his time in the sport.
Now with the Kawasaki factory team under the watchful eye of Antti Pyrhonen, Jonass is expecting his experience to help him get on the podium on a regular occurrence this year and he hopes the change from a privateer team last year, to a factory team in 2025 will make the difference.
“I am slowly turning into a veteran in the GPs. It is crazy when I look back, because I was with Antti (team manager) before, when we were with the Husqvarna factory and that was 2019 and 2020 and that is already five years ago. We came to Sardinian for our training camp and the last time I was here was with Antti and the Husqvarna team. It doesn’t feel like six years have gone by.”
His relationship with Pyrhonen has been as much a friendship as a working relationship, and they know each other well. They also know that both are working as hard as possible to get the most out of the season and that is something that makes Jonass excited.
“Antti has actually changed a lot and also the team. You cannot compare the team to when I was with Husqvarna and Antti has also changed, and both in a positive way. He has more experience now and the team is much bigger than it was back in the day. I have always had a good connection and friendship with Antti, so I am happy to be back working with him again. I think now I am smarter, and I have always been the guy who likes to work a lot and sometimes too much, so I have gotten smarter in that, and I try and listen to my body a bit more. I also try and stay calmer, and I have also gotten better in switching the mind off when I am not training and I am not over thinking stuff, you know. I do my work now and then I try and switch off, so I don’t get burnt out.”
While Jeremy Seewer complained that the Kawasaki was difficult to turn last year, Jonass feels that is turns a lot better than some of his previous bikes and while they are now in Sardinia testing, he feels the bike will be a big advantage against some of his rivals.
“The first time on went on the Kawasaki, it felt good, because with the Honda, I was struggling a lot, you know and we eventually figured it out and the results showed, but I was always struggling with the balance of the Honda. As I told you, I like the rear low and the front high, well, the Honda is known for being evenly balanced and that isn’t what I like. That isn’t how my riding style works, and it wasn’t an easy adjustment. So far on the Kawasaki, I feel good on the bike. It is always in training or practice, and we will see how it goes once we go racing.”
So, with a couple of months before the opening round of the 2025 MXGP championship in Argentina, Jonass and his Kawasaki team will be putting in the laps in Sardinia and other circuits, to make sure that when they arrive at Cordoba in Argentina, they are ready to fight for podium finishes.
Photo Credit: Fullspectrum
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