KRT aims for motorcycle debut in January for Julien Lieber
Monster Energy Kawasaki should have both riders on their factory KX450Fs in the next 7 to 8 weeks. That is the prognosis if Julien Lieber's recovery after his knee operation continues to evolve positively.
Team manager Francois Lemariey is moderately optimistic about Lieber's rehabilitation. The 23-year-old Belgian injured himself in the very last GP of the season. It was also his last MX2 appearance.
“He has started some physical training again and will be back on the bike from mid-January,” says Lemariey. “The knee injury was quite serious and we definitely want to take all the time so that everything is okay. The operation went well. The intention is to start in mid-January and then build up during the season. It will certainly be tight, but Julien and Clément are getting along well. That makes a difference."
The choice of Lieber as second driver next to Clement Desalle was a surprise. In 2018, Julien will make his debut in the MXGP. His comeback also looks favorable for Desalle. The MX panda suffered a back injury during the Assen GP. “Clément started riding just over two weeks ago. Everything is going well and he is hungry to ride,” said Lemariey. “We are now preparing for winter training and then we will go to Spain to continue working in good weather conditions. Testing for 2018 has also only just started.”
Desalle closed 2017 with two Grand Prix victories. At one point he was even Tony Cairoli's closest challenger at the top of the championship. Although he had to miss the last round in Villars sous Ecot, he achieved a total of five podiums. The experienced Belgian finished fourth in the final standings. Clément enters 2018 as his third season on the KX450F. It will also be the first year of his new two-year contract that he signed this summer.
“Clément feels good on the bike. I think it's more the team that wants to try some new things to make the bike better,” says Lemariey about the testing plans for Desalle. “We always try to improve the basics. But in that respect it is already good. Yet we continue to work on small improvements, including on the frame, for the starts... Everything revolves around details, but in the end they are often decisive. We know that the other manufacturers are also working hard. It is not because we are dissatisfied with 2017 that we continue with development, we just keep pushing.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler
Photos: CDS, Pascal Haudiquert
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