Arnaud Tonus: “I just needed time”
Five podiums in a row have catapulted 27-year-old Arnaud Tonus (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) from twelfth place in the MXGP World Championship to fourth place. After a After a gloomy 2018 in which he barely drove, the sympathetic Swiss is back!
Tonus missed the entire 2018 MXGP World Championship due to a shoulder injury. That injury was actually yet another in a series of health problems. In 2014, Arnaud had emerged as an MX2 title candidate. The next two seasons - as an American employee for the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team - turned out to be a failure.
2019 is a special year for both the ex-GP winner and his team. During the last GP, both Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha riders reached the podium. For Gautier Paulin it was his second podium of the season. The two teammates are also in a shared fourth place with the same number of points. “Germany was tough because I had to go deep after a difficult qualifying. But I had two consistent competitions there, being on the podium together with Gautier (Paulin) made it all the more special. The atmosphere within the team is great, that's why Teutschenthal was such a special moment for everyone.”
Tonus, however, had anything but a dream start this season. During the opener in Argentina he went off spectacularly. In Matterley Basin he was brutally beaten in the second series. The home race of the Dutch Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha team in Valkenswaard also did not go without a hitch for “Nono”.
The turning point came in Trentino, where Tonus rode to his first MXGP series victory in 2017. “That fourth place in Arco di Trento was certainly a breakthrough. Finally I was able to finish two decent series. I just needed competition rhythm to feel free on the bike. It's also about building your self-confidence. I knew I needed time for that. Until then I was riding too stiff and I wasn't myself. If it clicks, you will also drive more efficiently.”
The smooth collaboration with Gautier Paulin did not happen by chance. The two have been friends for some time. Although Arnaud had already gained the necessary rhythm on the YZ450, the adjustment was greater for “GP21”. Paulin started at Wilvo on his fourth brand in the premier class. As a result, the Frenchman needed more hours to achieve the correct set-up.
“Gautier is a rider with a lot of self-confidence. It's part of his mentality,” Arnaud explains. “For him it was his first year back on Yamaha. It was logical that he had to adjust some things while I already had a basis with the engine.”
When Tonus received a contract extension for 2019, many outsiders raised eyebrows. Especially because a strong team like Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha also had many alternatives. However, “AT4” has justified the trust placed in him with his excellent results. “That's right, I've been through a lot and it's cool that I'm here,” Arnaud said in Portugal where he achieved his first podium of 2019.
“I can't thank Louis (Vosters, the team boss of Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) enough and the people at Yamaha who stuck by me. And that during the toughest period of my career. Being back at the top is really great. I'm just very grateful and happy.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler / Tom Jacobs
Photos: Eva Szabadfi/Yamaha Racing
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