Lacapelle Marival – Start of the French Championship Copy

At Lacapelle Marival, we love welcoming riders from all over Europe, and even beyond. Thanks to the relaxation of the rules in the French Elite Championship, no fewer than ten nations will be represented on February 15-16, 2025, for the season opener.

To rejuvenate this Elite Championship, which has hosted many rounds at Lacapelle Marival, the Federation has allowed clubs to invite some foreign riders. However, these riders will not score points unless they compete in the entire championship. As of now, two teams have confirmed their participation throughout the championship with foreign riders: the Honda SR team with Norwegian Kevin Horgmo and Italian Alberto Forato (both riding MX1) and the Kawasaki Bud Racing team with Australian Jake Cannon and Spaniard Francisco Garcia (riding MX2).

Maxime Desprey Defends His Title

Although not all riders have confirmed their entry yet (deadline February 12), we already know that in the premier MX1 class, defending champion Maxime Desprey will be putting his title on the line. Desprey returns for another season with the GSM Yamaha team, now partnered with Bogdan Krajewski. Once again, the title battle is expected to be a duel between the Yamaha Blue team and Honda Red! There will be plenty of outsiders, but aside from the Northerner Nicolas Dercourt, who will represent Suzuki, some regular championship contenders have yet to register. In the MX2 class, reigning champion Mathis Valin will not defend his title, but he will be present at Lacapelle Marival, along with around ten other Grand Prix riders, to prepare for his season. As a result, Mathys Boisrame, his main rival last season, is the big favorite in this class, now riding a KTM. Thibault Maupin, Paolo Maschio, Adrien Petit, and Tom Brunet are also listed as potential challengers in this category, alongside Cannon and Garcia.

An 'Elite Master' Event

As you can see, this Elite event will have a bit of a Motocross Master feel, thanks to the list of 'wild card' riders invited by the club. The Kawasaki KRT, Yamaha MXGP, Yamaha MX2, and VHR Yamaha teams will be participating, featuring some of the heavyweights of the World Championship. On the French side, our top four riders will be in action: Romain Febvre (450 Kawasaki), Maxime Renaux (450 Yamaha), Thibault Bénistant (250 Yamaha), and Mathis Valin (250 Kawasaki). Add their respective teammates—Latvian Pauls Jonass (450 Kawasaki), Belgian Jago Geerts (450 Yamaha), South African Calvin Vlaanderen (450 Yamaha), and Dutchman Rick Elzinga (250 Yamaha)—along with Latvian Janis Reisulis (250 Yamaha) and Dutch Ivano Van Erp (250 Yamaha) from the VHR team, coached by Pierre Alexandre Renet, who knows Lacapelle well after winning the 2009 MX3 Grand Prix there.

With three weeks to go before the event, no fewer than 153 riders have registered in one of the four categories (Espoirs, Juniors, MX2, and MX1), and the final count is expected to be close to 200 riders in the paddock, which will be open to all.

The program is packed, with practice sessions starting at 8:00 AM on Saturday for the Espoirs and Juniors categories, and the same time on Sunday for the MX2 class. Note that the Espoirs will have their practice sessions and races on Saturday, Junior qualifying will take place on Saturday, but the Junior races will be on Sunday, when the MX1 and MX2 riders will hit the track with their practice sessions in the morning and races in the afternoon.

For those who prefer to avoid waiting at the gates, tickets are already available for purchase on the club's website: https://www.motoclub-lacapelle.com.

Ticket Prices:

€35 for the adult weekend pass

€15 for Saturday only

€20 for a weekend pass for those aged 12 to under 16

VIP tickets are also available.

Photocredits Full Spectrum Media