Things are hotting up for Valence '09
By TMX Archives on 6th Nov 08
LONG gone are the days when the leading teams contested races every weekend in the depressing Flemish sand of northern Belgium. Nowadays they seek the sun in Spain, Italy and southern France, and at the end of February, just one month before the first GP, the factory-backed squads will converge for the eighth consecutive year on the hillside track overlooking the Les Aureats industrial estate on the outskirts of Valence, 80-kilometres south of Lyon. Previous editions of the race have featured three motos in which the stars of MX1 and MX2 have lined-up together, but for the 2009 race on February 21/22 the huge number of teams wishing to compete has encouraged the organisers to expand the programme to give each class two motos with la creme de la creme' coming together at the end of the day in a Superfinal.
The final entry list will be issued in the New Year, but the factory teams from KTM and the four Japanese factories have already signalled their wish to attend.
Previous winners in Valence:
2002 Yves Demaria (F - KTM).
2003 Yves Demaria (F - KTM).
2004 Cedric Melotte (B - Yamaha).
2005 Ben Townley (NZ - KTM).
2006 Stefan Everts (B - Yamaha); MX2 Nico Aubin (F - KTM).
2007 Josh Coppins (NZ - Yamaha); MX2 Tyla Rattray (SA - KTM).
2008 Josh Coppins (NZ - Yamaha); MX2 Tyla Rattray (SA - KTM).