Jonass finishes fifth in Australia, ends season ninth overall

Latvian motocross rider Pauls Jonass delivered a solid performance at the final round of the motocross world championship in Australia, finishing fifth in both MXGP class races. The result gave him fifth place overall for the round for the third consecutive Grand Prix, and by season's end he had climbed to ninth place in the world championship standings.

Jonass said he had been building his speed throughout the weekend and getting closer to the leading four riders. He noted that what pleased him most was his form at the end of the season, having posted four top-five results in the last five world championship rounds. He added that while the world championship season has concluded, the Motocross of Nations still lies ahead, where Latvia will field a strong team including two young riders.

Season results and future plans

This season Jonass finished in the top ten in ten rounds, with his best result coming in mid-August in Sweden, where he placed fourth in the combined result of both races, including a second-place finish in the first race — his best single-race result of the season. Unofficial information suggests Jonass will continue racing for the Kawasaki factory team next year, although other teams have also expressed interest in the experienced former MX2 world champion.

Jonass's teammate Romain Febvre claimed his 11th podium of the season in Australia and had already secured second place overall behind Jeffrey Herlings. This marked Febvre's final world championship race for Kawasaki after seven years together, as the Frenchman will race for the Ducati factory team next season. Febvre said he fought hard until the end but found Herlings difficult to beat this year, expressing pride in earning his fourth career runner-up finish given his age. He too has the Motocross of Nations ahead, where he will race for France alongside Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux.