World MX: The French Grand Prix Brings A Refreshing Change

Wow, after the British Grand Prix a fortnight ago, this round has got to be one of the most exciting rounds yet this year. The weather forecast on Friday was sketchy to say the least, and when flight BA 7987 turned south for France, it certainly looked like most of the Grands Prix this year bar one so far - rain. With some tailwind, the Boeing 737 turned south west ten minutes early, descended through the broken cloud cover and neatly into the capital of Aquitaine.

Of course, having done this trip before, I was dreading the Bordeaux Périphérie, the ring road that connects the airport to the Pont de L'Aquitaine, Bordeaux's gateway to the north of the Gironde river. But, I needn't have worried, the traffic flowed very easily, only slowing down for the massive suspension bridge itself where a speed limit of 43 mph is strictly enforced. Bordeaux of course is the epicentre of the southern wine regions, and as you drive north on the A 10 towards the Cognac region and the famous seaside town of La Rochelle, you can see why. The chalky soil is everywhere, and it is here, on the side of a chalk soil valley, almost in spitting distance from the motorway, that the Moto-Club Angérien calls home. Nearby Saint Jean d'Angély is a town with much history and it lends its name to the track that hosts the seventh round of the World Motocross Championship. Along for the ride is the third round of the five-round Women's World Championship, as well as the Trophée KTM.

With the paddock in the championship growing every year, what was once parking for the logistics trucks and the media has been turned into the ever more crowded living area. Suzuki and Kawasaki are sequestered on the one side, while the other three manufacturers cluster around the other in a complicated arrangement that involves their energy drink sponsors. Another thing that's changed from the previous year is the weather. 2007 was brutal with forty-three degrees in the shade at the technical control point at the bottom of the paddock, this year it's at least fifteen degrees cooler, something that everyone very much appreciates.

Of course, Saturday is all about qualifying, and with this being France, what better way to celebrate than to have four Frenchmen in the top ten in the MX2 class, two of whom rounding out the top three. Molson Kawasaki's Gautier Paulin enters the top three for the first time this year, but that's where his weekend ends because he ends on the ground in his qualifier in the first lap, fracturing his collarbone in the process. Red Bull De Carli Yamaha's Antonio Cairoli is first, of course. Second is NGS Honda's Marvin Musquin, and KTM HDI MX Team's Anthony Boissiere third. The second qualifier is exclusively English. Red Bull KTM's Tommy Searle ends the race in the lead, with just under three seconds on Molson Kawasaki's Stephen Sword and just over six seconds over his own team mate Tyla Rattray.

The Women's Championship qualifying practice is up immediately after, in which it is Pfeil Kawasaki's Maria Franke from Germany who rings up the fastest time on the circuit, while fellow Kawasaki rider, France's Livia Lancelot for GPKR Team Kawasaki, is second. Honda-mounted Ashley Fiolek is third. The MX1 qualifying practice is two-thirds Belgian, Teka Suzuki's Steve Ramon on pole and his team mate Ken de Dycker in third. Wedged in the middle is Kawasaki Racing's Tanel Leok. Unfortunately for Monster CAS Honda, Billy MacKenzie injures himself in his second lap, cracking his shoulder blade and sitting out the weekend.

Sunday morning starts with the usual warm-up sessions, but afterwards Youthstream and FFM, the French federation, call a press meeting. The meeting reveals the plans of the federation and its participation in the world championship. After having signed an agreement in 2003 which expires at the end of this year, Youthstream and FFM have agreed to cooperate for a further seven, which includes two Motocross of Nations events in 2011 and 2015. Much handshaking and contract signing occurs before everyone disperses again to consider the latest rumour – Monster CAS Honda's Mike Brown deciding to return to the US. Of course, nothing is official just yet, with both the team and Brown trying one last time to make things work.

At ten minutes past the hour, the women all line up for their first race of the day. Although Lancelot is the first one into the first corner and running out front, KTM Deutschland's Steffi Laier soon reels the Frenchwoman in to pass her for the lead. Behind De Beers Yamaha's Katherine Prumm in third and Maria Franke in fourth, Fiolek has a real battle on her hands. After crashing in the first lap, she restarts in last. But she makes some incredible inroads; she leapfrogs positions each lap to end in eleventh as Laier and Lancelot cross the finish line the last time.

The first MX2 race has an interesting start. Rattray and 3C Racing Yamaha's Manual Monni tangle at the end of the start straight. While Monni gets away without going down, Rattray's wheel digs in and he eats dirt – quite literally. Cairoli cannot avoid the downed bike and goes down as well, while Rattray is run over by several riders. The two rivals restart in last and second-last, and while Rattray gets going again quickly, Cairoli struggles to keep going. The bike clearly has sustained damage, sufficient damage to force Cairoli to pull in. Although he returns later in the race, it does not make a difference. Rattray makes up one position a lap to end the last three in sixth, the top five too far ahead.

With his two biggest rivals out of contention, Searle grasps the opportunity by the horns. Even though Team KTM UK's Shaun Simpson is the leader of the pack, Searle wants to make good on the previous round. He wants to win this Grand Prix. Simpson has to make way for the boy from Kent, and soon after Simpson makes a mistake to fall away completely. In third throughout all this, Jeremy Tarroux, for Silver Action KTM, advances to second, followed by Boissiere. Ricci Racing Yamaha's Nicholas Aubin comes from tenth to advance on Inotec Suzuki's Xavier Boog in fourth. The top five becomes very crowded and tight and it comes down to the last corners and that last downhill into the finish jump. This is what drives the French crowd crazy – Four out of five riders in the top five French, and some of them in this position for the first time.

The first MX1 race brings back some of the best racing of 2007. The toughest man on the circuit returns to shine and glitter in black. Although Ramon takes the lead for several laps before crashing out, it is Monster Rinaldi Yamaha's Josh Coppins who makes good on his promise to one of his fans at the Mallory Park Grand Prix. The battle between Coppins and GPKR Kawasaki's Sébastien Pourcel is just awesome to watch. Pourcel wins the race in the end, with Coppins just yards behind him. Silver Action KTM's Jonathan Barragán, Honda Martin Racing's Julien Bill and Kawasaki Racing's Tanel Leok attempt challenges; it is Barragán who ends in third. Ramon returns to eleventh.

The second women's race is once again Steffi Laier's. Again Lancelot is out of the first corner in the lead, but her mistake is a chance for Laier and Prumm to get ahead. Fiolek, this time keeping it all nicely together in fourth, makes her own move on Lancelot in the closing seconds of the race, followed closely by Maria Franke. The day overall is Laier on the top step. Prumm and Lancelot take the second and third places on the podium. Prumm takes the red plate too, which of course means a much bigger champagne shower from both Laier and Lancelot.

Tommy Searle has everything riding on his second race in the MX2 class. This time Rattray and Cairoli do not go down, and this time it is the race for the top spot by all three. Searle, Simpson, Cairoli, Rattray – It is a swap back and forth for the first few laps before everyone settles into a rhythm. It is Rattray and Searle who make things interesting. Rattray tries and tries and tries again, but he doesn't succeed in unseating Searle from the leader's position. His last try is after the final corner, and it is just a yard or two that separates the two across the finish line. In distant third is Cairoli and, in even more distant fourth, Simpson. The remainder of the top ten is – French. Again the French crowd loves every second of this.

The furore around the podium is incredible. Searle's entourage and Boissiere's family are just beside themselves. This is Boissiere's second podium ever in third, Searle gets the win. Rattray, his first race result and his runner-up position added together, is second. With this, Searle takes the lead in the championship too.

The final race of the day is a total freight train. Pourcel is the leader from start to finish, followed by Ramon and Coppins. This time it is Coppins and Ramon who duel it out, a duel that Coppins wins with only three laps to go. Martin Honda's Marc de Reuver also pulls a surprise out of the bag again, sitting in fourth throughout the entire race, while the surprise showing this weekend, AMA Pro Steve Boniface, runs in fifth all the way to the end. Although Barragán finishes the race in sixth, he is third overall on the day. Coppins and Pourcel end in second and first respectively. Championship leader David Philippaerts loses the majority of his twenty-eight point lead after a very disappointing performance. He still takes home the red plate though.

There is the inevitable analysis at the end of the day – The rumour surrounding Brown and Monster CAS Honda turns out to be true as the press release wings itself to the world first thing on Monday morning. It is over between them, and, to make things more interesting, a release towards the end of the week lists Steve Boniface as an initial replacement at the German Grand Prix at Teutschenthal. With the French Grand Prix over, the halfway point of the championship has been reached. From here it is all about the stretch to the end as the year itself also rolls round towards the height of summer.

Saint Jean d'Angély can be reached by air from London via Bordeaux (BOD, 100 mi), La Rochelle (LRH, 45 mi) or Poitiers (PIS, 70 mi) with Ryanair or British Airways. Stay at the Ibis or Campanile Hotels in Saintes (13 mi) or the Hotel Sweet Hotel in Saint Jean d'Angély.

Results:

Championship Standings:

www.motoclub-angerien.com
www.motocrossmx1.com

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