While Jordi Tixier is successfully recovering from surgery, the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team will line up French Maxime Desprey alongside Clement Desalle for the next two rounds of the FIM MXGP World Championship.
It’s never easy to find a rider available for a ride during the season, but the Team Green family combined their resources in the past few weeks and are pleased to announce that Frenchman Maxime Desprey will deputise for Jordi Tixier for the upcoming two rounds of the MXGP. Twenty-four years old and native from Burgundy, Maxime has already a long relationship with Kawasaki as he fought for the European title on a KX250 in 2012 and enters his third season as member of team Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki. Several times French Champion and currently fifth in the French Elite MX1 after three rounds, only five points from the second position, Max has a double program this season; he races for Monster Bud Racing Kawasaki in France and for Gebben Van Venrooy Kawasaki in the European rounds of the FIM World Championship. So Max will switch on the KX450F-SR in Arco di Trento and Valkenswaard, while Steven Lenoir racing in UK with HR Kawasaki will ride for Gebben Van Venrooy Kawasaki in Valkenswaard.
Maxime Desprey: “First of all I’d like to thank Kawasaki and Monster Energy KRT to give me this great opportunity, but also Bud Racing and team Gebben Racing who understood that it was a great chance for me to show what I can do. Of course I’m very happy with this opportunity, I have already tested the bike and I can’t wait to be in Arco di Trento this weekend.”
Francois Lemariey: “KRT has a strong competitive ethic and we searched hard for a rider to deputise for Jordi Tixier. We are working with Jordi on his comeback plan, while giving Maxime a chance to shine in MXGP with our full support. We all want to see our two bikes behind the gate; Maxime has a strong experience of GP racing and he’s used to race the 450 Kawasaki, so he was the best possible choice.”
Steve Guttridge: “Kawasaki and Team Green are a platform for aspiring young riders, and we are now about to see Maxime step up to KRT MXGP premier class to deputise for Jordi, while our satellite teams have worked with us to enable young Kawasaki riders to reach their dreams of a GP ride. I’d like to extend a special thanks to our team owners, Stephane Dasse of Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki, Emile Gebben and Van Venrooy of Gebben Kawasaki, Paul Hobbs of HR Kawasaki and, of course, Francois Lemariey of KRT who worked tirelessly to create this arrangement.”