Riders reflect on MXoN 2023

MXoN 2023

Riders Reflect on MXoN 2023

After five years without winning the Peter Chamberlain’s Trophy, Team France made up with Romain Febvre, Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux took the top step of the podium at the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, on home soil in Ernée.

Joining the winners on the podium was Team Australia with Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Dean Ferris, while rounding out the podium was Team Italy, composed of Alberto Forato, Andrea Adamo and Andrea Bonacorsi.

Team Australia – P3

Jett Lawrence

“The first race, the start wasn’t too bad, I was there. I was in the top 10 and I thought I had a good chance of winning it but I made an aggressive pass on the outside and went down. Starting dead last wasn’t ideal but I had a pretty good flow around the track and felt fit and didn’t get tired at all. My last six laps were the fastest so I was happy with that. The second moto I wanted to go out and win the thing. I had a decent start, around third, then I made a quick move for second and was chasing Kenny again like back in America. I felt at home, although he had a lot better lines than I did at the start so I was following him for a bit, but once I was able to get around him, I put my head down and flowed just like home. It was good to get the win and finish on a high.”

Hunter Lawrence

“It was the best result ever for Australia, so its awesome but I’m already looking forward to next year. It was a wild day, the track was super gnarly, it was brutal so we’re happy that everyone was able to do their best, and the boys gave their all, and left everything on the track. If everyone gives their 100 per cent effort, you can’t ask for much more.”

Dean Ferris

“What an amazing week.  The atmosphere all weekend has been electric, and the French fans are insane on one of the best viewing motocross tracks in the world. No matter where you were on the track, you could hear and feel the crowd and it was the best racing environment I have been in.

“It’s also great to be a part of the team that has achieved the best result in our MXoN history. When you consider some of the strong teams we have sent in the past, it really is amazing to get this result.

“Jett and Hunter have been great team-mates and that ride of Jett’s in the opening moto was inspiring. He was down on the first lap and then gave it everything he had to claw his way back to sixth and it set the tone of what was expected from the rest of us.

“Thank you to so many people who made this trip possible. Only six weeks ago, I wasn’t going to do it, but now I’m so glad that we made the trip and part of such an awesome group of people. Yamaha stepped up with their assistance, Dunlop, Akrapovic, Fox as well as Moose my suspension guy as well as Motorcycling Australia.

“Also Benny for making the trip with me, Nash for taking time out of his holiday to lend a hand and Mike back at Yamaha in Australia for getting things organised for me.

“2023 was already special to me, this just took it up a notch.”

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Team France – P1

Romain Febvre

“It’s unbelievable to win again; my fourth Nations and my fourth victory. I wasn’t completely comfortable with the track yesterday in Qualifying but I knew that I had the ability to turn it round today. I took a good start – second to Prado – in the first moto and then it was like a GP race with me chasing him down. He passed me back near the end and the fight was on; I knew I had to do something and I passed him again with two laps to go. Tom (Vialle) did more than we could expect to finish second in total to Maxime (Renaux) in the second race, so we just had to ride it home in the final moto. Each of us won in our class and we had a big gap to second. I’m so happy for the fans who were behind us so strongly all day; we rode as a team … and we won as a team!”

Maxime Renaux

“This weekend has been amazing. I went first and third in my races and won the Qualifying Race yesterday, so I really helped the team reach the top step along with my teammates, who were also really strong today. Both of them did a great job. I really believed we were the best team today. I am just happy that we could put it together because it’s never easy, especially with the pressure from the French crowd. But, it was really amazing! I have never seen so many people in one place, and to have everyone singing and cheering like this, it was really emotional.”

Tom Vialle

“I had a great weekend and I was happy to be back. Ernee is a track I really like. I won the Qualifying race but the first race wasn’t so easy. I couldn’t get that comfortable because it was pretty slippery and the second one was way-better. The fans were amazing. We came here to win and we did it.”

Italy – P3

Andrea Adamo

“An amazing weekend for us even if I had some issues on Saturday and the first moto with some crashes. I wasn’t super-happy and not feeling great but it was also fun to be here and that counted for a lot. My better start in the second moto meant I could make some passes and battle for P3. I was happy to take P4 because this overall result means a lot for us. The other teams had much more experience and so this feels like a win.”

Andrea Bonacorsi

“This was something amazing. When I went out for the sighting lap yesterday and saw the crowd, I got goosebumps. It was incredible. I really enjoy riding a 450cc. I feel like I learned a lot, and I am very thankful for this opportunity to ride for Team Italy. We fought really hard this weekend, and to be honest, I think not a single person would have bet on us to be on the podium, so for us, three young riders, to be here on the podium, it felt like a win.”

Belgium – P5

Lucas Coenen

“It was a difficult weekend racing against the 450F riders. Poor starts did not help at all, but I charged and progressed as much as possible. It was crazy to race at the Motocross of Nations for the first time, especially with the number of fans that we had here! I will never forget this day. Thank you to the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team for their support.”

Liam Everts

“I feel pretty good! It was a tough day, a long day. I was doing well in the first moto but got a little nervous in the second part. Still, to finish 3rd meant the day had started so well. I made a bit of a rookie mistake at the start of the second moto but kept on fighting and finished 10th. 2nd in the Open class so I’m very pleased with the individual overall ranking. Obviously as a team we did what we could. It’s great to end the season like this. In previous years injuries finished things early for me. I looked at this race as a little boy knowing it was the ‘big one’ and so to be here and racing in those positions was pretty cool.”

Spain – P7

Ruben Fernandez

“This isn’t really the way I wanted to end the season. I was riding well in my first moto, leading the race and feeling good, but a small error cost when I jumped off the track cost me a lot of time. From then on, it was just a struggle to get going again and I could only manage seventh. Then in my second race, I got another good start as was doing well, but another mistake cost me and then I made another one and unfortunately that was it. I’d like to thank my teammates in Spain and I hope to do better in the future. Also, a big thank you to everyone in Team HRC for a great year. There were a lot of good times and I’m really excited for 2024.”

USA – P8

RJ Hampshire

“Man, just an unreal experience and something I am going to look back on and just appreciate. I felt really good on the bike for how gnarly the track was. I just needed some luck, and I just did not have it today. In the first moto, I just got cleaned out on the first lap with a decent start. I got in a first turn pile-up in the second moto… You are going to get everything I have and that was it in the second moto. I felt really good, just a huge thank you to this whole organization: Husqvarna, Rockstar Everyone and just everyone supporting us.”

Christian Craig

“Man, it was everything I guess that I expected. People did not lie when they said it was a lot of pressure… Shout out to the whole support group of Team USA. To experience this was unreal and we will always relish this moment, win or lose. All in all, it is a really cool experience. It would have been better to stand on that podium, but it is what it is.”

Aaron Plessinger

“I felt pretty good coming here and really good for today. I had 5th in the first moto and got a little tight but I’m not sure what happened second moto. I had a mid-pack start and just faded back about half-way. Not a good ending but after 32 races in a season I think we did alright. I cannot compare the track to anything. It was gnarly and these guys are gnarly for riding it that fast. It’s awesome to represent your country and a shame we could not get on the podium. It was my first time overseas; pretty wild. It means the world to me to represent America over here in France. We’ll go home, have a break and get ready for supercross.”.

Slovenia – P9

Tim Gajser

“It was a nice way to end this season, even if I feel my results could have been a bit better. Seven and five aren’t where I want to be in races but it was tough if you didn’t get the start to really make moves against this level of competition. Still, it was a good overall result for Slovenia to finish in ninth, which is our best ever position, so I’m pumped for that and big congrats to Jan and Miha for their riding. Now the focus switches to 2024 and I’m looking forward to a working with the team again to try and win another world title.”

Netherlands – P19

Kay de Wolf

“I am happy with my riding this weekend! I made some big improvements at Matterley Basin and carried those into here, so I am pretty happy. It is obviously a shame to see my teammate on Team Netherlands get hurt and miss the motos – it was impossible to compete for a good team result after that. Thanks to the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team for their work this year. Bring on 2024.”

Final Standings MXGP 2023 Motocross of Nations

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
11. Estonia 91
12. Latvia 109
13. Rep. of South Africa 127
14. New Zealand 137
15. Czech Republic 150
16. Norway 157
17. Brazil 159
18. Finland 171

MXGP Overall

Pos	Rider	Nat	R1	R2	Total
1	Roczen, Ken	GER	3	2	5
2	Prado, Jorge	ESP	2	4	6
3	Lawrence, Jett	AUS	6	1	7
4	Febvre, Romain	FRA	1	7	8
5	Seewer, Jeremy	SUI	4	6	10
6	Gajser, Tim	SLO	7	5	12
7	Forato, Alberto	ITA	12	8	20
8	Geerts, Jago	BEL	9	14	23
9	Plessinger, Aaron	USA	5	18	23
10	Vlaanderen, Calvin	NED	15	9	24
11	Watson, Ben	GBR	17	13	30
12	Jonass, Pauls	LAT	13	17	30
13	Östlund, Alvin	SWE	23	19	42
14	Leok, Tanel	EST	29	21	50
15	Cooper, Cody	NZL	26	32	58
16	Lima, Eduardo	BRA	32	29	61
17	Toendel, Cornelius	NOR	38	24	62
18	Durow, Cameron Anthony	RSA	31	31	62
19	Kovar, Vaclav	CZE	37	27	64
20	Sihvonen, Miro	FIN	36	33	69

MX2 Overall

Pos	Rider	Nat	R1	R2	Total
1	Vialle, Tom	FRA	8	2	10
2	Lawrence, Hunter	AUS	10	5	15
3	de Wolf, Kay	NED	11	9	20
4	Adamo, Andrea	ITA	18	4	22
5	Laengenfelder, Simon	GER	14	11	25
6	Hampshire, RJ	USA	16	10	26
7	Mc Lellan, Camden	RSA	22	13	35
8	Gilbert, Josh	GBR	21	15	36
9	Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias	EST	20	18	38
10	Coenen, Lucas	BEL	19	19	38
11	Pancar, Jan	SLO	25	14	39
12	Oliver, Oriol	ESP	24	22	46
13	Tonus, Arnaud	SUI	27	24	51
14	Mikula, Julius	CZE	30	26	56
15	Horgmo, Kevin	NOR	40	21	61
16	Bresolin, Guilherme	BRA	35	27	62
17	Scott, James	NZL	34	30	64
18	Bengtsson, Filip	SWE	33	31	64
19	Weckman, Emil	FIN	28	38	66
20	Reisulis, Janis Martins	LAT	39	28	67

Open Overall

Pos	Rider	Nat	R1	R2	Total
1	Renaux, Maxime	FRA	1	3	4
2	Everts, Liam	BEL	3	10	13
3	Bonacorsi, Andrea	ITA	8	11	19
4	Guillod, Valentin	SUI	6	15	21
5	Ferris, Dean	AUS	12	16	28
6	Kullas, Harri	EST	20	12	32
7	Fernandez, Ruben	ESP	7	28	35
8	Craig, Christian	USA	16	20	36
9	Koch, Tom	GER	17	25	42
10	Mewse, Conrad	GBR	25	23	48
11	Harwood, Hamish	NZL	23	26	49
12	Reisulis, Karlis Alberts	LAT	29	22	51
13	Wright, Jesse	RSA	33	30	63
14	Teresak, Jakub	CZE	32	35	67
15	Bubnic, Miha	SLO	35	34	69
16	Santos, Fabio	BRA	37	36	73
17	Fredriksen, Hakon	NOR	34	–	34
18	Haavisto, Jere	FIN	36	–	36

Race 3 (MXGP + Open) – Classification

Pos	Rider	Bike	Diff. First
1	Lawrence, Jett	Honda	35m25.550
2	Roczen, Ken	Suzuki	+0m07.295
3	Renaux, Maxime	Yamaha	+0m11.349
4	Prado, Jorge	GASGAS	+0m12.854
5	Gajser, Tim	Honda	+0m21.737
6	Seewer, Jeremy	Yamaha	+0m23.245
7	Febvre, Romain	Kawasaki	+1m01.929
8	Forato, Alberto	KTM	+1m05.270
9	Vlaanderen, Calvin	Yamaha	+1m13.321
10	Everts, Liam	KTM	+1m19.073
11	Bonacorsi, Andrea	Yamaha	+1m35.141
12	Kullas, Harri	Yamaha	+1m38.632
13	Watson, Ben	Beta	+1m39.967
14	Geerts, Jago	Yamaha	+1m50.556
15	Guillod, Valentin	Honda	+1m56.893
16	Ferris, Dean	KTM	+1m59.967
17	Jonass, Pauls	Honda	1 lap
18	Plessinger, Aaron	KTM	1 lap
19	Östlund, Alvin	Honda	1 lap
20	Craig, Christian	Husqvarna	1 lap
21	Leok, Tanel	Husqvarna	1 lap
22	Reisulis, Karlis Alberts	Yamaha	1 lap
23	Mewse, Conrad	Honda	1 lap
24	Toendel, Cornelius	Honda	1 lap
25	Koch, Tom	KTM	1 lap
26	Harwood, Hamish	KTM	1 lap
27	Kovar, Vaclav	KTM	1 lap
28	Fernandez, Ruben	Honda	1 lap
29	Lima, Eduardo	Husqvarna	1 lap
30	Wright, Jesse	Yamaha	1 lap
31	Durow, Cameron Anthony	KTM	2 laps
32	Cooper, Cody	GASGAS	2 laps
33	Sihvonen, Miro	Husqvarna	2 laps
34	Bubnic, Miha	KTM	3 laps
35	Teresak, Jakub	Husqvarna	15 laps
36	Santos, Fabio	Yamaha	18 laps

Race 2 (MX2 + Open) – Classification

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Renaux, Maxime	Yamaha	34m00.428
2	Vialle, Tom	KTM	+0m00.882
3	Everts, Liam	KTM	+0m17.342
4	Adamo, Andrea	KTM	+0m20.937
5	Lawrence, Hunter	Honda	+0m30.599
6	Guillod, Valentin	Honda	+0m38.812
7	Fernandez, Ruben	Honda	+0m43.751
8	Bonacorsi, Andrea	Yamaha	+0m46.180
9	de Wolf, Kay	Husqvarna	+0m46.878
10	Hampshire, RJ	Husqvarna	+0m49.211
11	Laengenfelder, Simon	GASGAS	+1m00.484
12	Ferris, Dean	KTM	+1m21.091
13	Mc Lellan, Camden	Honda	+1m33.118
14	Pancar, Jan	KTM	+1m36.573
15	Gilbert, Josh	Honda	+1m39.265
16	Craig, Christian	Husqvarna	+1m41.602
17	Koch, Tom	KTM	1m42.488
18	Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias	Husqvarna	+1m43.806
19	Coenen, Lucas	Husqvarna	+1m44.089
20	Kullas, Harri	Yamaha	+1m45.640
21	Horgmo, Kevin	Kawasaki	+1m54.820
22	Oliver, Oriol	KTM	+1m56.834
23	Harwood, Hamish	KTM	+2m00.733
24	Tonus, Arnaud	Yamaha	+2m12.730
25	Mewse, Conrad	Honda	1 lap
26	Mikula, Julius	Yamaha	1 lap
27	Bresolin, Guilherme	Yamaha	1 lap
28	Reisulis, Janis Martins	Yamaha	1 lap
29	Reisulis, Karlis Alberts	Yamaha	1 lap
30	Scott, James	Yamaha	1 lap
31	Bengtsson, Filip	KTM	1 lap
32	Teresak, Jakub	Husqvarna	1 lap
33	Wright, Jesse	Yamaha	1 lap
34	Fredriksen, Hakon	Yamaha	2 laps
35	Bubnic, Miha	KTM	2 laps
36	Haavisto, Jere	KTM	10 laps
37	Santos, Fabio	Yamaha	10 laps
38	Weckman, Emil	Honda	12 laps

Race 1 (MXGP + MX2) – Classification

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Febvre, Romain	Kawasaki	35m22.325
2	Prado, Jorge	GASGAS	0m02.320
3	Roczen, Ken	Suzuki	0m26.166
4	Seewer, Jeremy	Yamaha	0m28.846
5	Plessinger, Aaron	KTM	0m30.267
6	Lawrence, Jett	Honda	0m33.837
7	Gajser, Tim	Honda	0m33.940
8	Vialle, Tom	KTM	0m41.304
9	Geerts, Jago	Yamaha	0m43.080
10	Lawrence, Hunter	Honda	0m43.887
11	de Wolf, Kay	Husqvarna	0m54.864
12	Forato, Alberto	KTM	0m56.145
13	Jonass, Pauls	Honda	1m01.039
14	Laengenfelder, Simon	GASGAS	1m02.144
15	Vlaanderen, Calvin	Yamaha	1m09.490
16	Hampshire, RJ	Husqvarna	1m22.933
17	Watson, Ben	Beta	1m24.816
18	Adamo, Andrea	KTM	1m25.465
19	Coenen, Lucas	Husqvarna	1m29.947
20	Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias	Husqvarna	1m55.591
21	Gilbert, Josh	Honda	1 lap
22	Mc Lellan, Camden	Honda	1 lap
23	Östlund, Alvin	Honda	1 lap
24	Oliver, Oriol	KTM	1 lap
25	Pancar, Jan	KTM	1 lap
26	Cooper, Cody	GASGAS	1 lap
27	Tonus, Arnaud	Yamaha	1 lap
28	Weckman, Emil	Honda	1 lap
29	Leok, Tanel	Husqvarna	1 lap
30	Mikula, Julius	Yamaha	1 lap
31	Durow, Cameron Anthony	KTM	1 lap
32	Lima, Eduardo	Husqvarna	1 lap
33	Bengtsson, Filip	KTM	1 lap
34	Scott, James	Yamaha	1 lap
35	Bresolin, Guilherme	Yamaha	1 lap
36	Sihvonen, Miro	Husqvarna	1 lap
37	Kovar, Vaclav	KTM	2 laps
38	Toendel, Cornelius	Honda	4 laps
39	Reisulis, Janis Martins	Yamaha	14 laps
40	Horgmo, Kevin	Kawasaki	18 laps