France, Double victory for the Fantic Factory EMX125 Team

The weekend featured sunny conditions and heavy rain which made the track of Saint Jean D’Angely very slippery. Simone Mancini was the author of a thrilling race and grasped his third triumph of the season. Thanks to the victory achieved in the second moto, Noel Zanocz reached the second step of the podium and confirmed the Championship red plate.

EMX125

The qualifying session started in the best way possible for Noel Zanocz and Simone Mancini who set the first and second time in their group and chose good starting positions at the gate in both races. Douwe Van Mechgelen set the 12th time.

Rain that fell during the day made the track very slippery for the start of the first moto, but Simone Mancini set an amazing start and pulled away in front of the others. The rider, native of the Marche region, kept a solid race pace in the first laps and opened a gap on rivals. After leading the final part of the race Simone won the moto. At the start Noel Zanocz had a contact with a rival so he closed the gas in order to avoid a crash but by doing that he lost several positions and was at the back in the first corner. Noel set a storming recovery and worked his way up till third place. At the end of a solid race Douwe Van Mechgelen qualified nineth.

At the start of the second heat Zanocz did something unbelievable. Noel lined up in the final spot of the starting gate, the most adverse one, but thanks to a thrilling start he took the holeshot. The Hungarian rider opened a big gap and led the race for the entire session, eventually coming home with the victory. Simone Mancini was the author of a good start and moved to second but struggled to find the right race pace in the first laps. In the second part of the race Simone’s speed was phenomenal and he ended up second. After another solid performance, Van Mechgelen qualified tenth.

Simone Mancini won the GP of France thanks to both results and Noel Zanocz was second overall.

Simone Mancini: “It was a difficult weekend with the heavy rain that provided for a challenging race track, especially on Saturday with the deep ruts. On Sunday, I didn’t have the best feeling in the first five laps or so and I lost touch with the leader. Later on, I started to ride really good, I made up some ground but second was fine in the end to secure my second overall victory in a row and my third win out of five GP weekends.”

Noel Zanocz: “I was first in my time practice group but in the first race my start was not so good, I was behind but managed to finish third. In the second moto my Fantic helped me to get the holeshot, I led all of the race until the checkered flag and was very happy with my riding. It was a good weekend with the second overall, I still hold the red plate and I am happy with that.”

had to drop off a bit and finished in P9. In the second moto I spun on the gate and had a bad start. It was also raining a lot, I was quite some water on track and that caused some visibility issues. While trying to pass another rider I made a mistake and crashed. I ended up in P12 for tenth overall. Anyway, we are getting better step by step, that is important.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “I had a hard crash on Saturday, I hit my head pretty hard but it was quite alright on Sunday. I just didn’t feel comfortable at all in the first moto. My start was okay, I was in sixth for a while but I started to get a little bit of arm pump and dropped back. In race 2, I had wheelspin at the start and was completely in the back. Maybe I was also a bit too careful in the beginning. I got better after a few laps but I was a bit off the pace and the results are just not good. I think we have to figure a few things out and the good thing is, we have two weeks to do that. Hopefully, I will get a solid result again in Germany.”

Thibault Benistant Injury Update 

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Thibault Benistant has withdrawn from round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship, in Saint Jean d’Angely, following a heavy fall during the MX2 Timed Practice yesterday, Saturday 18th May.

Benistant fell on a steep decent two laps into the Timed Practice session and went over the handlebars. The 22-year-old Frenchman, who holds fourth position in the MX2 Championship Standings, took a hard impact and was immediately taken to the on-site medical center where he was initially cleared of any fractures or serious injury. However, upon closer assessment, a small fracture in his C5 vertebra has been detected. 

Over the next few weeks, Benistant will work closely with a team of medical experts in Lyon, France, who will monitor his progress and adjust his treatment plan as needed. An update on his potential return to action will be shared in due course.