Sixth in Timed Practice he gated perfectly in Qualifying and held an ideal line through turn one to take the holeshot but his joy was short-lived when he slipped off in a greasy rut at turn two as light rain started to fall. Rejoining the race at the back of the field he was already twelfth within a single lap and, matching the lap times of the leaders despite racing through traffic, he picked off one opponent after another with a series of exhilarating passes. Two quick passes on a single lap on lap ten saw him take over fifth and he kept charging to take the chequered flag in the wheeltracks of the defending champion after pulling back six seconds on the #1 plate-holder through the final four laps.
 
Mathis Valin: "We did the job from the beginning today with the holeshot, but then I crashed at the second corner. After that I came back really fast; I found a really good rhythm and speed so we are ready for tomorrow. The track was a little better with the rain and I think there could be more rain tonight. We will see; I just hope it doesn't snow!"
 
Romain Febvre showed excellent speed in the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship but the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP leader was restricted to seventh in Qualifying one week after his heavy crash in Spain. The Frenchman posted second-fastest lap in Timed Practice but started outside the top-ten in the Qualifying race after banging bars with his gate neighbours. Within half a lap he had pushed forward to sixth and continued to advance to move alongside in a battle for fourth on lap six before a slip on the greasy surface four laps later saw him drop to his eventual seventh.
 
Romain Febvre: "We are still looking for the best set-up for the starts but I could ride a good first few laps even though it was difficult to push hard in the rain. Then I made a mistake; my fault. The track was pretty good for the race though it was really cold and getting so dark at the end."
 
KRT teammate Pauls Jonass bounced back after his disappointing GP in Spain. Tenth in Timed Practice, the Latvian rode a good first turn in Qualifying to emerge seventh before being pushed back to fourteenth when he bobbled at turn six. Comfortable in the slippery conditions he rebounded into the top-ten by lap five and continued to push impressively for an eighth-placed finish.
 
Pauls Jonass: "I got a decent start in Qualifying; then I tipped over in a turn on the first lap and lost a lot of positions but I could ride well to come back to eighth. I felt good on the bike and the rain made the track more technical; now I just need to get good starts again tomorrow and stay on two wheels."
 
DRT Kawasaki's Kay Karssemakers had another impressive ride to qualify twelfth in MX2 Qualifying from a mid-pack start.