FRENCH MADE
By Team TMX on 30th Sep 15
Nations champions hold on to their crown
France turned around a day-long deficit to the USA to successfully defend the Motocross of Nations title on home turf but the 2015 World Team Championship was a nightmare for Britain.
Reduced to two riders after Max Anstie's horrific accident during qualification when Pascal Rauchenecker landed on him, Shaun Simpson and Dean Wilson never had any hope of bettering 18th in the team stakes.
Ireland, qualifying direct for the first time this decade, were 17th.
The massive crowd, which filled the spectator bank on Saturday morning, expected a French walkover after Gautier Paulin (MXGP), Marvin Musquin (MX2) and Romain Febvre (Open) swept all three qualifying races – but they were silenced within minutes of the start of the MXGP/MX2 opener as America took command.
Justin Barcia had gone straight to the front but Musquin, benefitting from an inside gate, quickly moved into third behind Ben Townley while Paulin was fifth with Jeremy Martin initially outside the top 10.
The world was still in order as Musquin moved past BT and closed down Barcia but Martin was getting dangerously close to Paulin – even before the HRC rider lost the front end over a tabletop.
"It was scary,” said Paulin. "The front wheel washed out on loose stones, Nagl hit my bike and the bars were bent.”
Martin swept past to turn around the team scores and Barcia, having temporarily surrendered the race lead to Musquin when he lost drive on a tricky uphill turn, stormed back past the 250 before the inspired Frenchman retaliated – and then overcooked it.
"The crowd was going wild and I got too excited,” said Musquin. "Finally I went down and landed on my back.”
USA led with six points to France on 11 with Switzerland third on 19 as more fancied nations struggled.
Ken De Dycker had got a kicker on a step-up on the opening lap to wreck Belgian hopes while Henry Jacobi bent back two fingers when the errant factory Toomer took him out to handicap Germany.
Simpson was alone as he raced to eighth.
"This was one of the most physically demanding tracks of the year for the muscles and my left hand was falling asleep after yesterday,” said the Scot.
"I'm still hurting from last week too and with no team placing to worry about I only rode to give the thousands of fans something to cheer.”
The USA took their second holeshot award of the day with Cooper Webb in MX2/ Open and the crowd revelled in a repeat of the Glen Helen and qualifying battles as Febvre quickly moved into second past Dean Wilson.
The world champion took command on lap six but it was seven laps later before he could finally shake off his shadow when Webb switched lines to avoid a lapped rider and fell. Martin managed to outgate Musquin this time but the Frenchman sneaked past on lap seven and made further advances to gain the class award and, more significantly, pull back two points for France.
On three scores the teams were now level but the USA had a useful fifth in reserve against France's seventh.
The Swiss were still third on three scores while Estonia held it down on four as Belgium suffered another blow as Julien Lieber bent a front disc in a deep rut. Wilson eventually finished sixth.
"I got a great start in second but I had someone on my rear wheel through the early laps and had to defend,” he said.
"Once I was on my own I found the lines.”
The third moto start effectively turned it round for the French as Febvre quickly slotted into second with Paulin sixth while both Americans, holeshot artists first time out, made an awful mess of getting out of the gate and were 11th and 14th on the opening lap.
By the finish Barcia was third, four seconds down on winner Febvre, while Webb – having stalled mid-moto – was in Paulin's wheeltracks for sixth.
France had won 14-16 but the brave Americans came so close – had Barcia got Townley and Webb ousted Paulin the result would have turned around.
Van Horebeek and De Dycker salvaged bronze for Belgium as Wilson in eighth and Simpson in 11th went through the motions for Britain.
The Irish trio of Martin Barr, Graeme Irwin and Stuart Edmonds headed the Brits home by one place for 17th.
