Bow with Bud Racing in French MX & SX Championship
Ex-Factory rider and French national champion Xavier Boog will return to competition on the Bud Racing Kawasaki in 2015. The 26-year-old will mainly focus on the national and supercross championships in France. There will be a Grand Prix here and there, but the main focus will be on winning the prestigious beach race of Le Touguet on February 1.
Boog seriously injured his C7, T3 and T4 vertebrae during his home Grand Prix in St Jean D'Angely in June. At one point there was some doubt whether he would still be able to ride at a high level after eight seasons as a worthy GP rider. However, Boog has recovered well and has therefore been able to secure a place on the French Bud team to ride the KX450F next year. “I can drive again without pain… but sometimes I still feel some discomfort afterwards or during the night. The most important thing is that I can get back on the bike.” He said as an attentive spectator during the Paris-Lille Supercross last weekend.
Boog remembers well the crash that took place on the fast descent in St Jean, just two weeks before Joel Roelants fell in Maggiora and was not so lucky with the damage he suffered. Although the accidents were completely different, Boog's neck brace did help somewhat. “I think because the neck brace was also broken, it helped me somewhat. I hit a small bump while braking and was thrown over the handlebars. I've had a few falls in my career and some of them were tough, but this one was the worst. It was like diving into the pool and hitting your head at the bottom.”
“I knew from the beginning that I would be able to drive back, because I could feel everything from the beginning.” He added. “I was a bit scared when I got back on the bike for the first time. It was the first time that I injured my back and it is something different than an arm or leg. But after two or three weeks my focus was back on the track.”
The Frenchman's goal is to get back to the same level so that he can perhaps be available again for some MXGP team in 2016. The contract with Bud also means that he is back on the Kawasaki, the bike with which he took a series victory during the MXGP in Brazil three years ago. But first comes a big challenge with the Enduropale of Le Touquet. “I have a good agreement with Bud to compete in the National Championship and some GPs.” he clarifies. “I hope it will be a good year and I am happy to be back on the Kawasaki. I think the first year on the Factory bike was the best of my career. I've been riding for a month now and things are going really well. Of course the goal is to become French champion, both in Motocross and Supercross. But first I'll start with Le Touquet. I know what I want to achieve there, but it won't be easy because there are many specialists for this competition. In any case, I am happy that I have a new goal again.”
Text: Adam Wheeler – OTOR
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