Paulin breaks his back in Lommel
Gautier Paulin was brought in for the renewed HRC Honda project in 2015 for a lot of money and the associated high expectations. But unfortunately it turned out not to be love at first sight and the chemistry between the HRC Honda and the Frenchman did not materialize. Apart from the brilliant performance in Valkenswaard, the tall Paulin fell short of expectations. However, in 2015 he was one of the few who were spared from injuries and partly because of this he was still able to be crowned vice world champion at the end of the World Cup. This is little consolation and 2016 had to be the year of the former BMX champion.
In the winter months, Gautier Paulin went to America to work with the renowned trainer, Aldon Baker. He prepared for the World Cup season among other top players such as Marvin Musquin, Ryan Dungey and Jason Anderson. But that season started off on a low note in Losail, Qatar. He did not get further than a tenth place in the first moto, then in the second moto he had a technical 'did not finish'. Things did not go much better in Thailand with a seventh and ninth place in the series. To make matters worse, he also had to watch how Rookie Tim Gasjer, also on Honda, performed well in these two Grand Prix's.
Determined to do better in Valkenswaard, Gautier Paulin was in Lommel last Saturday. However, that's where things went wrong. After one of the jumps, the Frenchman landed in a pile of loose sand, causing him to be thrown headfirst from the motorcycle. He also had the bad luck that the motorcycle fell on him after this tumble. After an examination by Dr. Claes turned out to have suffered a stable spinal fracture and there was also a rib injury. Not much is known about the inactivity of GP21 for the time being.
NEWS:
I had a bad crash in Lommel while testing Saturday. I have a broken rib and vertabra.
J'ai lourdement chuté à Lommel Samedi durant des essais. Result: côte et vertèbre cassées.
Placed by Gautier Paulin op Tuesday 15 March 2016
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven
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