MX Inter in Valence on February 21/22

A GP Taste Before the First GPs!

In less than two months the International Motocross of Valence (France) will open the French season, and will have a taste of Grand Prix as most of the top teams involved in the 2009 World Championships will enter this event, on February 21st and 22nd.

Many top teams in Valence !

Since eight years now the club never stopped working to build a major event and once more the hard work of the team members will be rewarded on February as the main teams and the top riders all want to be there. Two weeks after Mantova (Italy), Valence will be the main pre-season race for many teams, who will spend a couple of days in Southern France to test and practice on hard tracks. Up to now the official teams Suzuki (Teka Geboers, Inotec Ortema and Bodo Schmit), KTM (Factory, Silver Action, Martens and HDI), Honda (Martin, NGS, LS Motors and JK Multitek), Yamaha (Monster Rinaldi and Ricci Racing), Kawasaki (KRT Factory, CLS and Bud Racing), Husqvarna and Aprilia will enter the event who will have a new schedule with two separate classes: MX1 (450) and MX2 (250). Both classes will run two moto’s of 20 minutes and two laps, and at the end of the day a final race with the fifteen best riders of each category will decide the official winner.

Two World Champions behind the starting gate

Two of the three reigning World Champions will take part to this 9th edition of the Valence MX International, as the third one (Tyla Rattray) moved to this US this winter. First lady to be crowned World Champion, Livia Lancelot (Kawasaki KRT) will do her first 09 appearance in the MX2 class, while Italian David Philippaerts (Yamaha Rinaldi) who missed last edition will met his French fans five months after clinching the first ever Italian MX1 World title. David will raced in Valence against most of his 09 rivals, with his teammate Joshua Coppins (07 and 08 winner in Valence), Belgians Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker (his main rivals in 08), German Max Nagl (KTM Factory), the Martin Honda boys Marc De Reuver and Kevin Strijbos, Frenchmen Sébastien Pourcel (Kawasaki KRT), David Vuillemin (Kawasaki Bud), Gregory Aranda (Kawasaki CLS) Pierre Alexandre Renet (Suzuki) and Christophe Martin (Husqvarna) as well as the factory Aprilia’s of Julien Bill and Manuel Priem who will discovered the track of the Auréats.

In the MX2 class Livia will have strong rivals : Nicolas Aubin (Yamaha Ricci), British Shaun Simpson and Portuguese Rui Gonçalves (KTM Factory) all classified in the top five. Always well represented in the category the French riders will be numerous in Valence, with Steven Frossard and Loic Rombaut (Kawasaki CLS), Marvin Musquin and Jason Clermont (Honda NGS), European Champion Valentin Teillet (KTM Martens), Xavier Boog (Suzuki Inotec), Anthony Boissière (KTM HDI) and Pascal Leuret (Honda JK Multitek). Young and promising talents such as German Ken Roczen (Suzuki Inotec) or Swiss Arnaud Tonus (KTM HDI) will be there as well as Spanish GP winner Davide Guarneri (Yamaha Ricci) or Belgian Joel Roelants (KTM Martens) who got his first ever GP podium during the last round of the 08 championship. Thirty riders will enter each race.

Same rates

With a 85cc support race, there will be a total of seven heats on Sunday afternoon, with six training sessions in the morning. The first practice sessions will take place on Saturday afternoon, and of course the paddock will have a free and permanent access for the spectators.

Even if the program is better than in 08 with two separate classes and more races, the club keeps the same rate for the tickets:

-         Under 10 years old : free

-         From 10 to 14 years : 15 €

-         Over 14 years: 20€ if you buy the tickets in advance through France Billet (www.france-billet.com) or Ticket Net (www.tickenet.fr), 25€ if you buy your ticket at the race.

 

You can find more details and information’s, including hotels and accommodation on the web site of the club (www.mx-valence.com).