2019 Motocross Of Nations | Team France Announced

2019 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Team France has announced the roster of riders that will attempt to continue the country’s run of success at the 2019 Motocross of Nations. As expected, the trio is led by veteran Gautier Paulin in the MXGP class, rising star Tom Vialle in the MX2 class, and front-runner Romain Febvre in the Open class. France has come out on top in the last five runnings of the MXON, a streak that dates back to Latvia in 2014, and Paulin has been a member of the squad each time. 

This lineup is solid for France, as Paulin and Febvre both have stepped onto the podium at multiple rounds of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship this year and Vialle has positioned himself to be a future leader in the MX2 division. 

It’s hard to miss the French group at the MXON, thanks to the unified appearance and support from the Fédération Française de Motocyclisme along with a robust fanbase that follows the group to every race. The team comes together for a few coordinated tests ahead of the MXON and are rarely apart from one another during the race weekend.

The absence of Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis from the team should not come as a surprise. Musquin and the FFM have a strained relationship; Musquin has turned down the team a few times due to injuries or scheduling conflicts, and the FFM’s retaliated by leaving him off in years that he’s expressed interest. Ferrandis, meanwhile, openly stated that he would not be a member of the team in July due to the long competition calendar in the United States and the challenges that he would face on a sand track after years away from Europe.

Although there are no reserve riders mentioned in this announcement, it’s very apparent that France has plenty of talent on tap should they need it. The team has won the Chamberlain Trophy with a diverse squad, including Jordi Tixier in 2018, Christophe Charlier in 2017, Benoit Paturel in 2016, and Marvin Musquin in 2015.