French Foreign Legion

Year in and year out the French probably have more riders in the FIM World Motocross Championships than just about any other country and in 2014 their stocks are high with experienced riders and young talent.

In the past names like Jacky Vimond, Jean Michel Bayle, Frederic Bolley, Mickael Maschio, Mickael Pichon and Marvin Musquin brought success to the tri-colours, and while they haven’t had a motocross world champion since Musquin back in 2010, their riders continue to fight for GP wins and moto victories.

With next weekend’s Grand Prix of France just around the corner we thought it might be a good idea to check out their top men in both MXGP and MX2.

In the MX2 class the French seem to be the leading nation, despite not holding down the top spot in the points series they have three riders in the top five in the series standings. Top of the points for French riders is Romain Febvre of the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team has been very consistent. Scoring 263 points to date and holds a 10 point lead in the series points to fellow froggy Jordi Tixier.

Tixier who started the season terribly (unlike Febvre who podiumed the opening round in Qatar), has come on strong and is now on 253 points and has scored two podium finishes in Bulgaria and Holland, but will need to continue to podium in any hope of keeping his place in the Red Bull KTM Factory team.

Dylan Ferrandis holds down fifth place in the series points and is one of only two riders who had the speed to beat series leader Jeffrey Herlings in 2014. In that glorious performance in round one in Qatar the Kawasaki mounted rider picked up his first ever moto victory and shocked the world with his speed and attitude. Like the Frenchmen ahead of him in the points, he is fighting hard for the top three in the MX2 Championship and with 248 points is just 15 points behind third placed Febvre.

Unlucky Christophe Charlier hasn’t had the season he hoped for and while he remains in the Yamaha Factory team, he will need to really pick up his pace and points tally to remain a factory rider. He is down in 21^st place in the points after missing a handful of rounds due to injury.

In the MXGP class there are again a handful of riders from France that have the speed to fight for podiums. Unfortunately their best hope Gautier Paulin is out injured after suffering a broken collarbone after his crash in Valkenswaard earlier in the month. The Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team rider also suffers from a broken thumb when another rider hit him while he was still on the ground.

When Paulin will be back is still undecided, he holds down fifth place in the series standings with 205 points. He did win the opening GP of the season in Qatar and has won four motos this year. At the time of his injury he looked likely to be the biggest rival to Antonio Cairoli for the 2014 MXGP Championship.

While Paulin is suffering from injury now, the next best Frenchman, Steven Frossard has fought injury it seems his whole career. He is seventh in the series points with 164pts, and is yet to really show his best form. A second place in the opening moto in England last weekend might just be the start he needs and he loves the St Jean d’Angely circuit, having won there in 2011 with 1-2 results.

Xavier Boog is 10^th in the MXGP series points and deserves a lot of credit for his return to racing. Like Frossard he has suffered from many injuries and it has taken him time to recover. Slowly he is coming back to his best form and it is possible he will be a podium contender in France this coming weekend.