MXoN Qualifier: France top, Switzerland 8th, Germany 12th

The Motocross of Nations qualifying races took place in Ernée in front of an impressive crowd. After the start of the MXGP race, the French fans on the opposite slope had reason to cheer: Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) took the holeshot and took the lead ahead of Spain’s Jorge Prado (KTM) and Slovenia’s Jan Pancar (KTM), who, as in the previous year, shone at the Motocross of Nations. Belgian MXGP rider Lucas Coenen (KTM) crashed in the very first corner and had to begin his chase from the back of the field. In the end, he still managed to finish in 5th place.

MXGP: SMX champion Prado brimming with confidence

Following the Spanish team’s poor draw, Jorge Prado had to start the race from an unfavourable 31st position on the grid. By the time the 15-second board was displayed, the SMX champion had not even taken his place at the gate. Nevertheless, he managed a near-perfect start. Prado briefly went off the track on the first lap, but once he’d found his rhythm, the Spaniard was unstoppable. Halfway through the race, he overtook Febvre and won with a 1.9-second lead over the Frenchman. Jan Pancar, Alberto Forato and Lucas Coenen rounded off the top five. The American Julien Beaumer finished 14th in his first race on a 450cc bike. The Swiss rider Valentin Guillod (Yamaha) came eleventh. DMSB rider Tom Koch (KTM) started in the top 10 but later dropped back to 15th place. The Austrian Michael Kratzer (Honda) crossed the line in 21st place.

MX2: Two crashes for Sacha Coenen

Belgian lightweight Sacha Coenen (KTM) took the holeshot in the MX2 qualifying race and led for four laps. A crash on a downhill section initially dropped him back to second place. Local hero Mathis Valin (Kawasaki) took the lead and won with a 6.2-second lead over South African Camden Mc Lellan (Triumph).

US rider Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) put in a strong performance, fighting his way up from the top 10 to finish third. Swiss MX2 rider Jeremy Seewer (KTM) ultimately benefited from another crash by Sacha Coenen and finished sixth. Austrian EMX125 champion Ricardo Bauer (KTM) secured a respectable 13th place. Valentin Kees (KTM) from Germany didn’t get off to a good start and was initially mid-pack. In the final three laps, he dropped from 14th to 19th place – apparently following a crash.

Open: Herlings dominant, Ludwig best German

Local hero Tom Vialle (Honda) took the holeshot in the third qualifying race of the Open class. Still on the first lap, MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) overtook the Frenchman and took the lead. Vialle held on to second place until the midway point of the race, but then stalled his engine and lost the position to the Belgian Liam Everts (Husqvarna). Vialle’s third place was ultimately counted as the French team’s best result – impressive proof of the host nation’s team spirit.

Favourites clearly in the lead

France fully lived up to its role as favourite in Ernée. The Spanish team are also likely to be even stronger on Sunday, as starting in 31st place in the qualifying races was a real handicap. For Belgium, Sacha Coenen’s tendency to crash remains the biggest uncertainty.

Switzerland in 8th place, Germany 12th

Switzerland achieved a good result with 8th place. The German team qualified directly for the main races in 12th place. Noah Ludwig’s performance was particularly noteworthy. The KTM rider, nominated as a replacement for the injured Maximilian Spies, achieved by far the best result for the DMSB team with 8th place and crossed the line directly behind US multi-champion Cooper Webb (Husqvarna). Austria also secured direct entry into the main races, finishing 19th and thus the last team to qualify.

MXoN Ernée Qualifying Race Results

1. France, 3 points (2-1-3̶)

2. Spain, 5 (1-4-6̶)

3. Belgium, 7 (5-7̶-2)

4. Italy, 8 (4-8̶-4)

5. Latvia, 10 (8̶-5-5)

6. Netherlands, 10 (1̶0̶-9-1)

7. USA, 10 (1̶4̶-3-7)

8. Switzerland, 15 (1̶1̶-6-9)

9. Australia, 16 (6-10-1̶2̶)

10. Great Britain, 19 (9-1̶6̶-10)

11. Estonia, 21 (7-14-1̶7̶)

12. Germany, 23 (15-1̶9̶-8)

13. Denmark, 23 (12-11)

14. Sweden, 25 (1̶3̶-12-13)

15. South Africa, 25 (2̶4̶-2-23)

16. Canada, 26 (1̶6̶-15-11)

17. Slovenia, 27 (3-2̶6̶-24)

18. Brazil, 32 (1̶9̶-18-14)

19. Austria, 33 (2̶1̶-13-20)

20. Finland, 35 (20-2̶2̶-15)

21. Slovakia, 35 (17-2̶7̶-18)

22. Norway, 36 (2̶5̶-17-19)

23. Czech Republic, 38 (22-2̶3̶-16)

24. Japan, 38 (18-20-3̶1̶)

25. Ireland, 42 (2̶3̶-21-21)

26. Lithuania, 46 (2̶7̶-24-22)

27. FIM LATAM, 51 (26-2̶8̶-25)

28. Morocco, 52 (3̶2̶-25-27)

29. Mexico, 55 (29-3̶2̶-26)

30. Croatia, 57 (28-29-3̶0̶)

31. Iceland, 58 (3̶0̶-30-28)

32. Ukraine, 60 (3̶1̶-31-29)