Yamaha Racing will have French riders at every gate in Ernee this weekend, that’s five classes – MXGP, MX2, WMX, EMX250 and EMX125. It’s an impressive rider line-up for the home fans to get behind.

For those lucky enough to have visited Ernee, they will know that its one of the most spectator friendly tracks on the GP tour. Just about the entire track is visible from where the fans will be watching. That means they get to watch every moment of every race and the riders are immersed in noise and enthusiasm from the French crowd.

Providing they’re over their troubles from Germany last weekend, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Romain Febvre will be representing Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing. And the pair are determined to celebrate the weekend with a bottle of champagne.

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In fact, Febvre is undefeated on home soil since his inception to the premier MXGP class in 2015. “I always look forward to going to my home GP and I like the track in Ernee,” says Romain. “It was so good there at the nations in 2015, and it’s a good club, they know how to make the track really good, so I think it will be good.”

Hopefully, the former world champion can put his injury niggles behind him. If he can, he’ll be sure of a warm welcome from his fans.

Race 2 at the MXGP of Germany, less than 1 week ago, was a tough one for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek with a spectacular crash dropping him outside of the top 20.

His handlebar hit the ground so hard that his clutch perch and lever was obstructed by a thick clump of sticky mud. Once he picked and prodded the dirt out with his hand he had to charge hard to salvage points. He managed to finish 15th, and combined with his fifth place in the opening race, he rounded out the top 10 for the grand prix and was able to maintain fifth place in the championship standings.

The Belgian star has got a strong mind-set this year and has said that the struggle he faced last weekend has only made him more determined to be better. He is hungry for a grand prix win and if he manages to take his YZ450FM to the top of the box this weekend, it will be his second ever grand prix win, the first since the MXGP of Czech Republic 2014.

“I am looking forward to going to Ernee,” says Jeremy, “I like the flow of the track there, but how much I actually like it, it depends how they prepare it. I think if they let it shape up naturally, rather than ripping it really deep and changing the surface with machines, that will be really good. It’s nicer when it’s natural and not a track that is shaped up by machines. Anyway, it’s the same for everyone and I will always do my best.”

Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Arnaud Tonus is only eight points shy of the top 10 and arrives confident in Ernee with the track expected to suit his riding style, while Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Benoit Paturel will be out to impress the thousands of French fans with a podium performance in MX2, while team-mates Brent Van Doninck and Alvin Östlund arrive eager to better their results from the last weekend’s MX2 grand prix.

The third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and the EMX125 Championship will also be taking place this weekend, as will the fourth round of the EMX250 Championship.

The first races for Yamaha’s star WMX riders Courtney Duncan, Kiara Fontanesi and Nancy van de Ven, ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha Official EMX250 and MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 riders will take place on Saturday 27th of May, with the second races taking place on Sunday, May 28.