The hills of Ernée came alive over the weekend as EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championships brought non-stop action, comebacks, heartbreak, and career-defining moments. With the French fans filling the banks of the historic Raymond Demy Circuit, both classes delivered performances worthy of a Grand Prix stage.
In EMX250, Hungary’s Noel Zanocz from JM Honda Racing wrote history by becoming the first Hungarian rider to win an overall in the category, edging out Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors’s Gyan Doensen and red plate holder Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Janis Reisulis in a thrilling two-race battle. Meanwhile, in EMX125, Racestore KTM Factory Rookies’ Nicolò Alvisi delivered a flawless double-race win to not only claim the overall but also take over the red plate, turning the tide of the title chase.
The opening race of the EMX250 Round in Ernée delivered intense action and a nail-biting battle for victory from start to finish. Noel Zanocz was flawless off the start, seizing the lead early and holding firm despite constant pressure from red plate Janis Reisulis. The Latvian rider shadowed Zanocz for the entire race, keeping him within striking distance but ultimately unable to make the decisive move, crossing the line just 0.9 seconds behind.
Behind them, Gyan Doensen battled back from a fifth-place start to claim third after a spirited scrap with Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia. Doensen moved into podium contention mid-race, capitalising on a small error from Simone Mancini of Fantic Factory Racing EMX, who dropped back to fifth before being handed a post-race 5 positions penalty for a noise infringement, putting him onto 10th.
Further down the field, Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna ‘s Liam Owens had a strong, consistent ride to finish sixth, ahead of Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Ivano van Erp, who worked his way up from outside the top ten. KTM Kosak Team’s Valentin Kees also impressed in seventh early on before fading slightly to eighth, just ahead of Australia’s Jake Cannon from Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki.
William Askew rounded out the top ten after briefly pushing into eighth, though a late mistake cost him a couple of positions.
Zanocz’s victory marks his first career win in EMX250, and with Reisulis finishing second, the championship fight continues to heat up ahead of Race 2 on Sunday.
It was Van Erp who got off to the perfect start in Race 2, launching out of the gate and grabbing the holeshot ahead of Denmark’s Mads Fredsoe from Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna and Doensen. The Dutch Yamaha rider looked untouchable early on as he quickly opened a gap, while behind him Doensen wasted little time in dispatching Fredsoe to move into second.
Championship leader Reisulis was also in the mix, moving up to third and shadowing his teammate, Van Erp. However, a mistake on the downhill section saw the Latvian hit the deck and lose precious time. Although he remounted in third and maintained the position until the end, the crash proved costly in the overall standings.
Race 1 winner Zanocz had a difficult start, emerging outside the top ten on the first lap. But the Hungarian was relentless, picking off riders one by one as he surged forward. His key moment came when Garcia, who was running strongly in sixth, suffered a mechanical issue that forced him out of the race.
Fifth in Race 2 went to KTM Sarholz Racing Team’s Lyonel Reichl, who had a breakout ride, followed by Fredsoe in sixth and consistent top-ten performer Owens in seventh. Estonia’s Sebastian Leok from MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing rode to eighth, ahead of Cannon and France’s Tom Brunet of Team VHR Racing, who rounded out the top ten.
Further down the order, Mancini endured a weekend to forget, retiring from Race 2 after an early issue, while Garcia’s DNF compounded a difficult outing for the Spaniard, who had been third in the championship heading into the weekend.
Van Erp’s win in Race 2 moved him to fourth overall for the round, narrowly missing the podium, but his return to form puts him firmly back in the title conversation.
Zanocz gets his first overall win in EMX250 and becomes the first Hungarian winner in the category. With his 1-5 result across the weekend, Noel Zanocz claimed the overall victory by a single point ahead of Gyan Doensen, second overall and Janis Reisulis rounding the podium with a 2-4 finish.
Reisulis retains the red plate and championship lead, but Zanocz is pushing hard behind.
Noel Zanocz: “Yesterday I felt really comfortable and managed to win but today was a different story, I got off balance at the start and found myself around 30th. I had to push hard, found new lines, and gave everything I had. I didn’t even know I’d won the overall. I was just trying to catch Reisulis! I’m so happy with my first ever overall victory, the first for Hungary too and I hope it’s just the beginning.”
Main Photo: Noel Zanocz
Top Photo: EMX250 Start Ernée
Bottom Photos: 1. Gyan Doensen; 2. Jani Reisulis
EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), 28:58.308; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:00.918; 3. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:35.133; 4. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:38.799; 5. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:56.310; 6. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), +1:00.152; 7. Valentin Kees (GER, KTM), +1:06.528; 8. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:07.247; 9. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), +1:15.886; 10. Simone Mancini (ITA, Fantic), +0:52.575
EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), 29:20.433; 2. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:01.614; 3. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:26.758; 4. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +0:28.072; 5. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, Husqvarna), +0:45.475; 6. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:48.193; 7. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:53.778; 8. Sebastian Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:54.900; 9. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:56.117; 10. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +1:08.288
EMX250 Overall – Top 10: 1. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 43 points; 2. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 42 p.; 4. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 40 p.; 5. Liam Owens (AUS, HUS), 30 p.; 6. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 25 p.; 7. Valentin Kees (GER, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Sebastian Leok (EST, HUS), 21 p.; 9. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 20 p.; 10. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 18 p
EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 268 points; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 243 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 196 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 175 p.; 5. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 155 p.; 6. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 148 p.; 7. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, HUS), 147 p.; 8. August Frisk (SWE, KTM), 136 p.; 9. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), 128 p.; 10. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 122 p.
EMX250 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Yamaha, 301 points; 2. Honda, 254 p.; 3. KTM, 252 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 239 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 238 p.; 6. Fantic, 157 p.; 7. GASGAS, 134 p.; 8. Triumph, 107 p.
Photo: EMX250 Podium
Filippo Mantovani grabbed the early lead in Race 1, quickly establishing himself at the front of the pack. However, on lap two, Nicolò Alvisi made his move and took control of the race. Behind them, Cole McCullough from Dream Team Fantic held steady in third, while MCV Motorsport-TM Moto’s Riccardo Pini battled Dean Gregoire’s Motovation Motorsport for fourth and fifth respectively.
Further down the order, Red Plate Racestore KTM Factory Rookies’ Aron Katona, who was outside the top 20 at the start, began slicing his way through the field with a strong charge. Unfortunately, He would made a mistake and crash out of eighth place to not finish the race and not scoring points. Meanwhile, Jekabs Kubulins from JK Racing Yamaha and McCullough had an intense exchange for third position. Kubulins moved up but suffered a crash shortly after, dropping back and later retiring from the race.
Mantovani temporarily regained the lead when Alvisi made a mistake, but the #20 rider responded with three laps to go, reclaiming first place and stretching a small gap in the final laps to take the win by just under a second. Mantovani crossed the line second, while McCullough completed the podium after a consistent ride.
Behind the top three, Pini held firm in fourth, with Gregoire securing a solid fifth. Sixth went to France’s Liam Bruneau, followed by Ryan Oppliger, Chilean rider Cesar Paine Diaz from Seven Motorsport, AIT Racing Team’s Vencislav Toshev, and Douwe Van Mechgelen from Fantic Factory Racing EMX rounding out the top ten
There was early misfortune for TM Moto CRD Motosport’s Nicola Mannini, who after crashing at the start managed to comeback to 14th. There would be no coming back for Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC duo Mano Faure and Jarne Bervoets who both crashed early in the first lap. Faure went down in the first corner while Bervoets tagged another rider mid-air and landed heavily, appearing to injure his wrist. Both retired from the race.
Race 2 began in great fashion when Oppliger came out of the gate perfectly, but a couple laps later, the Swiss rider crashed just before reaching holeshot line. Oppliger lost control and went down allowing Alvisi, already fast from the start to inherit the lead.
From there, Alvisi rode with precision and confidence, navigating the rutted French hillside with ease. He maintained a calm but relentless pace throughout the race, steadily building a gap over the chasing pack. Pini, who had been strong in Race 1 with a fourth-place finish, again showed excellent speed. The Italian moved into second place after a slick pass on Mantovani, who had started well and briefly held third early on.
Meanwhile, Bertram Thorius and Mannini ran inside the top six during the early laps, with Mannini showcasing a solid rebound from his opening moto crash. McCullough, third in Race 1, was one of several riders who hit trouble in the second outing. He dropped out of the top ten following an early crash and was unable to recover significant ground.
Red plate Katona faced a nightmare weekend. After failing to score in Race 1, he again encountered problems in Race 2, eventually retiring from the race and finishing the round with zero points. The Hungarian rider, who entered Ernée as the championship leader, saw his 25-point advantage erased in one fell swoop.
One of the standout performances came from Faure. After crashing out in the first race, the frenchman bounced back in style, charging through the field and eventually overtaking Tavani and Mannini to secure third place. He even put pressure on Pini in the final laps but ran out of time to mount a serious challenge for second.
Further back, Kubulins showed flashes of speed and consistency, recovering from a DNF in Race 1 to finish sixth in Race 2, just behind Mannini. Bruneau delivered another top ten ride in front of his home crowd with an eighth-place finish, while Thorius and Heitink rounded out the top ten.
As the chequered flag waved, Alvisi crossed the line unchallenged to take his second race win of the weekend. His 1-1 result handed him not only the overall victory but also the championship lead, jumping from second in the standings to first with Katona dropping to second in the Championship.
As the chequered flag waved, Alvisi crossed the line unchallenged to take his second moto win of the weekend. His 1-1 result handed him not only the overall victory but also the championship lead, jumping from third in the standings to first, 25 points ahead of Katona.
Rounding the Overall podium were Riccardo Pini and Filippo Mantovani, both on 40 points to make a full Italian podium! It was the first Podium of the season for Pini.
With Ernée now in the books, Alvisi carries the momentum and the red plate into the next round, asserting himself as the rider to beat in the chase for the EMX125 crown.
Niccolò Alvisi: “The track was really tough today, but I got a good start, stayed in front, and took the win. A double victory and the red plate—I’m really, really happy. Big thanks to everyone who supports me!”
Top Photo: Nicolò Alvisi
Bottom Photos: 1. EMX125 Start Ernée; 2. EMX125 Podium
EMX125 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 30:00.662; 2. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), +0:00.852; 3. Cole McCullough (IRL, Fantic), +0:12.832; 4. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), +0:17.777; 5. Dean Gregoire (NED, KTM), +0:23.045; 6. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), +0:35.029; 7. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), +0:43.165; 8. Cesar Paine Diaz (CHI, Husqvarna), +0:44.634; 9. Vencislav Toshev (BUL, Fantic), +0:47.583; 10. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Fantic), +0:49.091
EMX125 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 30:36.851; 2. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), +0:04.208; 3. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.476; 4. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), +0:10.573; 5. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), +0:20.746; 6. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:23.520; 7. Vencislav Toshev (BUL, Fantic), +1:03.494; 8. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), +1:04.847; 9. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Yamaha), +1:06.510; 10. Dani Heitink (NED, Yamaha), +1:10.369
EMX125 Overall – Top 10 Classification: . Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), 40 p.; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 5. Vencislav Toshev (BUL, FAN), 26 p.; 6. Dean Gregoire (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 7. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 23 p.; 8. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Dani Heitink (NED, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 20 p
EMX125 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 242 points; 2. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 217 p.; 3. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 208 p.; 4. Francesco Bellei (ITA, FAN), 199 p.; 5. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 189 p.; 6. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), 188 p.; 7. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 178 p.; 8. Dani Heitink (NED, YAM), 177 p.; 9. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), 175 p.; 10. Cole McCullough (IRL, FAN), 164 p.
EMX125 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. KTM, 316 points; 2. Yamaha, 285 p.; 3. Fantic, 254 p.; 4. TM, 249 p.; 5. GASGAS, 89 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 50 p.;
All the photos from the MXGP of France will be available HERE.
You can find the complete results HERE.
MXGP OF FRANCE QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1670m
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 18°
Weather conditions: Cloudy
Crowd Attendence: 35,100
LINKS
