Julien Lieber, newcomer in the FIM MXGP World Championship with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, will continue to fly the green flag next season alongside fellow Belgian Clément Desalle.
A knee injury late in the 2017 campaign prevented Julien from testing the factory KX450F-SR Kawasaki for his rookie season in the highly competitive MXGP class until fairly late in the winter but he followed up an impressive debut at the opening round in Argentina with many more top ten placings before injury at the British GP in early June forced him to miss two rounds of the series.
The 24-year-olds results since his return to action have not quite matched his early season form but he has continued to display dedication and, his future now secure for next season, will enter the final quarter of the series fully motivated to end his debut MXGP season on a high note.
Julien Lieber: “I’m very happy to continue with the team next season – they do a great job, carefully analysing rider feedback as we strive to advance together in the same direction.
“There is a good relationship in the team, not only with the mechanics and the management but also with Clément and I can’t wait to test the new bike and start working for next season.
“This first year for me in MXGP has been pretty difficult as I had first to recover from surgery before testing the bike, but I already did some good races earlier in the season and, even if the results are not quite as good since my injury in Great Britain, everyone in the team remains behind me and for sure that will help me to be stronger in the coming races.”
Thierry Chizat Suzzoni: “Since the beginning of the season we’ve been satisfied with the performances of Julien, even if he was unlucky to be injured in Great Britain. But it didn’t change our opinion – we know that his riding style is suited to the 450 class and he will be able to work with us all winter long to develop the new bike.
“There’s a great cooperation between both riders and we all know how important it is to work in a good atmosphere – they share information and advice to deliver the best results to the team and our partners.
“It’s also great to see that we’ll continue working with all our main partners – we have worked with Monster Energy for five years now, and it is a delight to continue this relationship and also with famous brands such as Motorex, Thor, Pro Circuit, Alpine Stars and Dunlop, each of whom will help us to reach another level. Kawasaki has unveiled a brand new KX450 so we face a busy winter to prepare for next season but we have an excellent team and partners to be ready for the next challenge.”
