The addition of exciting teenager Paulin, recently crowned as the 2007 European Champion, is a coup for the British team.

The seventeen year old Frenchman surged onto the Grand Prix scene with some impressive wild-card outing this year. He was running inside the top three at Namur for the Grand Prix of Belgium until halted by a mechanical problem, and cut through the pack to reach a career-best of fourth at Moneyglass Demesne in Northern Ireland.

“I’m very excited about joining Molson Kawasaki,” Paulin said, who will enter his first full season of GP racing in 2008. “It is a factory team and the important thing for me is that they can provide me with everything I need to be able to progress and get the results I want. I already know some of the team and I am looking forward to working with them. I know I still have many things to learn but I want to do my best and show my potential next year.”

“Having Gautier in the team is a great addition. He has showed that he has a lot of natural talent and is capable of making results; as seen by his European Championship this season,” offered Team Manager Lisa Church. “We will work hard with him and he strengthens our team further alongside Stephen and Gareth and Tom now who is happy with his new challenge in MX1. We will be full factory in 2008 and this is like a dream come true for our team. I am really happy that our hard work has been recognised and we will keep on pushing for maximum results.”

“We are really please with our line-up in MX2 now,” remarked Kawasaki Europe’s Racing Co-ordinator Steve Guttridge. “We have a very strong selection of riders in MX1 and we wanted the same on the KX250F as MX2 is an important class for us. To have signed another young talent like Gautier on a two year deal gives us a good future in the category. I made a special point of watching him in Ireland and his talent is easily apparent. He is not afraid of ‘hanging it out’ and rides fluidly; not unlike Christophe Pourcel. We heard a lot of positive things about his attitude and the way he likes to work with the bike so we are very optimistic.”

Paulin will be part of Kawasaki Europe’s factory testing programme and join fellow select Team Green riders in Japan in October. He will not be racing the 2008 Maxxis British Championship and Swanepoel is, as yet, unconfirmed but with Sword and Church again set for action on UK shores Molson is already well represented in the competitive national series.

Swanepoel will have surgery on Thursday (tomorrow) to fix his damaged wrist and his broken foot sustained last Sunday. The South African will be fully fit for the start of the pre-season internationals. Sword is making a positive comeback from the foot he broke at Namur and should be able to start riding soon.