Yamaha Riders Fired Up For The French Grand Prix

Fresh off of his first podium finish in 2018, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre has high hopes of keeping his YZ450FM on the box at the tenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, that is set to take place on his home soil in Saint Jean d’Angely, France, this weekend.  Teammate, Jeremy Van Horebeek goes into the French Grand Prix hoping to turn his season around with a top-five finish.

Success comes to those who simply refuse to give up. Romain Febvre is one of those riders with the heart of a true champion. The twenty-six-year-old is still carrying some hefty injuries from his crashes at the MXGP rounds of Latvia and Germany, where he did damage to the ligaments in his arm and ankle. Despite walking with a serious limp, he remarkably took his YZ450FM to a podium finish at the MXGP of Great Britain.

In 2015, the Frenchman also stood on the third step of the podium at the British Grand Prix before going to France where he took his first ever Grand Prix victory inside the premier class. That result spurred on a run of race wins. In that year he accumulated a total of fifteen race victories and eight Grand Prix wins, and was crowned World Champion.

Febvre moved up into fourth place in the MXGP Championship Standings last weekend, and now trails Clement Desalle by 23-points. He hopes to put in another stunning ride for the abundance of French fans that will come out to support him.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek will be out for redemption following a crash on the opening lap of the final race at Matterley Basin in England. The Belgian was unhurt in the incident but was already suffering from fatigue as a result of being unwell over the days leading in. Going into the MXGP of France, he will have had a further five days rest and should be fit to race on Sunday.

Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer is hot on the heels of Van Horebeek in the championship chase. The Swiss rider, and best-placed rookie, is currently ninth place, only 9-points shy of Van Horebeek. As a rider that runs the pace of the top-five but is yet to finish inside, Seewer remains the dark horse this season but hopes to shine a light on what he is capable of in Saint Jean d’Angely this weekend, a venue that he has been looking forward to racing at all year long.

With the weather forecast looking grim, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson is excited for what the French GP will entail. The Scot is one of the most technically gifted riders on the line and will appreciate a dumping of water on the track as it tends to slow the pace and makes the circuit more challenging. Regardless of the conditions, the ultimate goal this weekend is to stay safe and to post two consistent results.

In MX2, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson is closing in on third place in the Championship Classification. The Briton, who has been a consistent podium threat, is now only 9-points behind Thomas Kjer-Olsen. Meanwhile, fellow Kemea Yamaha YZ250F riders Jago Geerts and Anthony Rodriguez have their sights set on the top-ten.

Joining the premier classes this weekend, the ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha Official EMX250 team will be in attendance for the sixth round of the EMX250 championship where Roan van de Moosdijk and Nicholas Lapucci will be eager to bounce-back from the disappointment of last weekend.

The MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team are gearing up for their home Grand Prix which will mark the fifth round of the EMX125 Championship where their own French star is currently second place in classification. It will be a massive weekend for the French based team as they line up for the first time this season with all three riders. Rick Elzinga broke both of his arms in the pre-season, but has made a full recovery and will join Benistant and Jörgen-Matthias Talviku on the gate inside the EMX125 class at the French Grand Prix in Saint Jean d’Angely.

St. Jean d’Angely is situated around one hour north of Bordeaux on the west coast of France. It first made its first appearance on the Motocross Grand Prix calendar back in 1984 and has been a common location for the MXGP of France ever since.