Cycle News Staff | October 6, 2023
The 2023 running of the Motocross of Nations takes place in Ernee, France. At the end of the weekend, Team France takes the overall championship in front of a record-setting crowd on home soil. Australia and Italy round out the overall podium. Scroll through to see how it happened.
2023 Motocross of Nations Sunday Results
Race 1 MXGP / MX2
The first race of the day put the MXGP and MX2 riders head to head with Jorge Prado taking the holeshot and early lead. Romain Febvre slotted into second as the two checked out from the rest of the field.
Prado led early on with Febvre right in tow. Photos: Alex Kelly
RJ Hampshire and Jett Lawrence both hit the deck on lap one which started them outside the top 20.
Prado and Febvre battled late into the race.
Febvre took over the lead on lap six but Prado stayed close for the middle portion of the race. With three laps to go, Prado reclaimed the lead with Febvre right in tow. The two duked it out for the remaining laps as Febvre scrubbed his way into the lead with two laps left. Febvre claimed the win and put Team France into the overall lead. Prado crossed second.
Febvre took the win in race one.
Ken Roczen battled his way to third after fighting with Jeremy Seewer and Aaron Plessinger during the race. Roczen stalled the bike mid-moto but fired it back up to land on the podium. Seewer passed Plessinger on the final lap as the two took fourth and fifth, respectively.
Roczen battled his way to third.
Jett Lawrence clawed his way to sixth after crashing on lap one, while RJ Hampshire took 16th. Tom Vialle was the top finishing MX2 rider in eighth.
Jett Lawrence (7) crashed on lap one but still finished sixth. Hunter Lawrence (8) finished 10th.
Plessinger ran as high as third but finished fifth. Team USA currently sits fourth overall
Race 1 MXGP / MX2 (Top 10)
| 1. |
Romain Febvre |
(Kaw) |
Fra |
| 2. |
Jorge Prado |
(GG) |
Spa |
| 3. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
Ger |
| 4. |
Jeremy Seewer |
(Yam) |
Swi |
| 5. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
USA |
| 6. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
| 7. |
Tim Gajser |
(Hon) |
Slo |
| 8. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
Fra |
| 9. |
Jago Geerts |
(Yam) |
Bel |
| 10. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
Race 2 MX2 / MX Open
Race two saw the MX2 riders go head to head against the MX Open. Ruben Fernandez grabbed the start and the early lead ahead of France’s Maxime Renaux. The French rider ran down Fernandez around the half way mark but went off track over the big uphill quad. He regrouped and passed for the lead one lap later.
Fernandez and Renaux battled for the lead in race 2.
Fernandez hit the deck shortly after which allowed Renaux to run away with the win. Tom Vialle moved into second making him the top MX2 rider and putting France first and second. They are the number one team in the overall rankings.
Vialle raced up to second to make it a France 1-2. He’s the overall MX2 rider today.
Liam Everts and Andrea Adamo battled for nearly the entire race. Everts raced a 350 in the open class and held off the 250 of Adamo. Hunter Lawrence crossed fifth after a mid-race crash.
Liam Everts held off KTM teammate Adamo for third aboard a 350.
Tough race for the Americans as RJ Hampshire finished 10th after being outside the top 20. Christian Craig started sixth but dropped to 16th. Team USA sits fifth overall going into the final motos.
Hampshire rounded out the top 10.
Race 2 MX2 / MX Open (Top 10)
| 1. |
Maxime Renaux |
(Yam) |
Fra |
| 2. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
Fra |
| 3. |
Liam Everts |
(KTM) |
Bel |
| 4. |
Andrea Adamo |
(KTM) |
Ita |
| 5. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
| 6. |
Valentin Guillod |
(Hon) |
Swi |
| 7. |
Ruben Fernandez |
(Hon) |
Spa |
| 8. |
Andrea Bonacrosi |
(Yam) |
Ita |
| 9. |
Kay De Wolf |
(Hus) |
Ned |
| 10. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
USA |
Race 3 MXGP / MX Open
The final gate drop put the big bikes on track with the MXGP and Open Class riders. Ken Roczen kicked things off with the start just ahead of Jett Lawrence and Maxime Renaux.
Roczen led Lawrence early on.
Roczen and Lawrence gapped the field with the German leading until lap seven. Lawrence closed in and made the pass en route to taking the moto win by seven seconds. With his victory, Team Australia takes second in the team results.
But Lawrence eventually went on to win.
Roczen stayed close to finish second in the moto, carrying Team Germany to fourth overall.
Maxime Renaux rode consistently to take third, battling with Prado for the latter half of the race. His result helped give Team France the overall win with Renaux taking the individual overall.
Renaux took third in race three, claiming the Open Class overall and the Team Championship.
Both Americans finished outside the top 15 and dropped to eighth overall in the team rankings.
Race 3 MXGP / MX Open (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
| 2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
Ger |
| 3. |
Maxime Renaux |
(Yam) |
Fra |
| 4. |
Jorge Prado |
(GG) |
Spa |
| 5. |
Tim Gajser |
(Hon) |
Slo |
| 6. |
Jeremy Seewer |
(Yam) |
Swi |
| 7. |
Romain Febvre |
(Kaw) |
Fra |
| 8. |
Alberto Forato |
(KTM) |
Ita |
| 9. |
Calvin Vlaanderen |
(Yam) |
Ned |
| 10. |
Liam Everts |
(KTM) |
Bel |
Team France took the overall win ahead of Australia and Italy.
Overall Team Results.
| 1. |
France |
14 |
| 2. |
Australia |
34 |
| 3. |
Italy |
43 |
| 4. |
Germany |
47 |
| 5. |
Belgium |
55 |
| 6. |
Switzerland |
55 |
| 7. |
Spain |
59 |
| 8. |
USA |
65 |
| 9. |
Slovenia |
85 |
| 10. |
Great Britain |
89 |
Highlight Video
2023 Motocross of Nations Saturday Qualifying Results
Saturday marks the first day of racing as each nation competes in the qualifying races which seed them for gate position come Sunday. All three gate drops brought intense excitement with Team France taking the overall pole position (two points) ahead of Spain (three points) and Australia (five points). Team USA tied for sixth with Belgium at 10 points.
Maxime Renaux helped Team France qualify first. Photos: Alex Kelly
MXGP Qualifying Race
Prado led all of the MXGP qualifying race.
Jett Lawrence came through the pack to finish second. Here, he puts the pass on Tim Gajser.
Jeremy Seewer held off Ken Roczen for the final podium spot.
Plessinger finished eighth.
MXGP Qualifying Heat (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jorge Prado |
(GG) |
Spa |
| 2. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
| 3. |
Jeremy Seewer |
(Yam) |
Swi |
| 4. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
Ger |
| 5. |
Romain Febvre |
(Kaw) |
Fra |
| 6. |
Tim Gajser |
(Hon) |
Slo |
| 7. |
Jago Geerts |
(Yam) |
Bel |
| 8. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
USA |
| 9. |
Pauls Jonass |
(Hon) |
Lat |
| 10. |
Ben Watson |
(Bet) |
GB |
MX2 Qualifying Race
Hampshire holeshotted the MX2 moto but fell a few laps in.
Simon Laengenfelder led most of the race with Tom Vialle on his heels.
Vialle made the pass and won in front of his home fans.
Hunter Lawrence took third.
Hampshire made it back up to fifth.
MX2 Qualifying Heat (Top 10)
| 1. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
Fra |
| 2. |
Simon Laengenfelger |
(GG) |
Ger |
| 3. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
Aus |
| 4. |
Kay De Wolf |
(Hus) |
Ned |
| 5. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
USA |
| 6. |
Camden Mclellan |
(Hon) |
SA |
| 7. |
Jan Pancar |
(KTM) |
Slo |
| 8. |
Oriol Oliver |
(KTM) |
Spa |
| 9. |
Jack Chambers |
(Kaw) |
Pue |
| 10. |
Andrea Adamo |
(KTM) |
Ita |
MX Open Qualifying Race
Maxime Renaux and Harri Kullas battle for the start in MX Open.
Spaniard, Ruben Fernandez marched his way to second.
Liam Everts grabbed third in the open class.
Craig ran up front early and finished fifth.
MX Open Qualifying Heat (Top 10)
| 1. |
Maxime Renaux |
(Yam) |
Fra |
| 2. |
Ruben Fernandez |
(Hon) |
Spa |
| 3. |
Liam Everts |
(KTM) |
Bel |
| 4. |
Harri Kullas |
(Yam) |
Est |
| 5. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
USA |
| 6. |
Valentin Guillod |
(Hon) |
Sui |
| 7. |
Andrea Bonacorsi |
(Yam) |
Ita |
| 8. |
Tom Koch |
(KTM) |
Ger |
| 9. |
Fabio Santos |
(Yam) |
Bra |
| 10. |
Hamish Harwood |
(KTM) |
NZ |
2023 Motocross of Nations Media Day
Today’s 2023 Motocross of Nations media day in Ernée, France, concluded with the team’s press conference and the team’s presentation in front of an enthusiastic and very noisy crowd. Stay tuned to this thread for updates all weekend.
RJ Hampshire, Aaron Plessinger, Christian Craig and Team Manager Roger DeCoster are ready to defend the Chamberlain Trophy.
Another press conference unfolded, highlighting the top nations participating in this year’s event. The line-up included powerhouse nations with Team USA, Team France, Team Great Britain, Team Australia, Team Spain, Team Germany, Team Italy, Team Belgium, Team Switzerland, and Team Netherlands. Each team shared their expectations and aspirations for the 76th edition of the MXoN.
Team USA. Photo: Alex Kelly
Defending Champions Team USA, with Aaron Plessinger, R.J Hampshire and Christian Craig, will run the #1, #2 and #3 plates this weekend as they look to keep hold of the Chamberlain Trophy.
Plessinger and Team USA during opening ceremonies. Photo: Alex Kelly
Team Captain Aaron Plessinger said, “I learned that from my first experience at the Motocross of Nations in 2018 that you must expect the unexpected and need to be ready for anything. We are really working as a team and get along very well, and I’m looking forward to doing some damage with them this weekend.”
From left to right: Plessinger, Craig, Hampshire. Photo: Alex Kelly
Craig also said that he is fully healed from the elbow injury that kept him off the bike for most of the year, adding that he has been riding and training hard for several weeks and is up to speed.
The powerful Team France has the home field advantage.
The home team is ready with one of the strongest trios with Romain Febvre, Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux. They will be led by their team manager, Gautier Paulin, who was a winning team member five times in a row as a rider.
Team France. Manager Gautier Paulin, Romain Febvre, Tom Vialle, and Maxime Renaux. Photo: Alex Kelly
“I’m feeling confident and very happy with the team, as the guys are doing an amazing job,” Paulin said. “The atmosphere and the crowd will help us throughout the event. There is no doubt in what our objectives are for this weekend, the win.”
2023 Motocross of Nations Team Presentation Video, Ernee, France
Team Australia is coming to fight and hopefully earn Australia its first Chamberlain Trophy with Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, and Dean Ferris.
“We haven’t raced a lot of the other riders since last year, so this is going to be exciting as my year has been unreal with a perfect season, and hopefully, we’ll keep it going this week, too,” said Jett Lawrence.
Team Australia – Jett Lawrence, Dean Ferris, and Hunter Lawrence. Photo: Alex Kelly
With the 2023 MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado in their ranks, Team Spain will come with high confidence to make a great result. Ruben Fernandez and Oriol Oliver will complete the strong Spanish team.
“I will ride a bit more relaxed this weekend compared to when I rode the whole year with the red plate,” Prado said. “I love this track, and it’s an honor to represent Team Spain, and we have a really strong team this year. The goal is definitely to get on the podium.”
Team Spain. Photo: Alex Kelly
2023 Motocross of Nations Video Press Conference, Ernee, France
WEEKEND TIMETABLE (CEST)
SATURDAY: 08:30 bLU cRU 125 Free/Timed Practice, 09:10 bLU cRU 85 Free/Timed Practice, 10:00 MXGP Free Practice, 10:50 MX2 Free Practice, 11:40 Open Free Practice, 13:00 bLU cRU 65 Free/Timed Practice,13:45 bLU cRU 85 Race, 14:30 MXGP Qualifying Heat, 15:30 MX2 Qualifying Heat, 16:30 Open Qualifying Heat, 17:20 bLU cRU 65 Race, 18:10 C-Final Race
SUNDAY: 08:35 B-Final Warm-up, 09:20 bLU cRU 125 Race, 10:00 MXoN Group 1 Warm-up, 10:20 MXoN Group 2 Warm-up, 11:00 B-Final, 13:10 MXGP & MX2 (MXoN Race 1), 14:40 MX2 & Open (MXoN Race 2), 16:08 Open & MXGP (MXoN Race 3).
CN
