Despite uncertainties and several postponements, the Valence International finally took place last Sunday at the circuit in the Drôme. The conditions were far from easy for both the riders and the organizers — a soaked track early in the morning and a strong mistral wind — but the Motoclub Valentinois held firm. Although the wind initially complicated the work of the organizers, it eventually became a valuable ally in drying the circuit, which developed more and more ruts throughout an extremely busy day.
With five categories on track and more than 150 riders entered, no fewer than fifteen starts were held in Valence. It was a packed schedule that ultimately saw Grégory Aranda shine in the Inter category thanks to his remarkable consistency throughout the day. Racing under the 595 Racing banner, he finished ahead of Maxime Desprey and Jules Piètre after three motos.
Before heading to Brazil for his second season, Grégory Aranda secured the Valence International victory thanks to flawless consistency. Although he did not win a moto on Sunday — he did take the Superpole — the 595 Racing rider finished on the podium in every race: third in the opening moto won by the surprising Jules Piètre, followed by two second-place finishes behind Maxime Desprey in the next two motos, which secured him the overall win with 127 points.
Maxime Desprey’s perseverance paid off in Valence. Although he crashed in the first moto after a corner and restarted a lap down, he convincingly won the next two motos. The “new” points system, introduced in 2025, worked in his favor. With a 22-1-1 scorecard, Maxime collected 114 points and finished tied with Jules Piètre, who had to settle behind the two moto wins of the current Elite MX1 championship leader.
Jules Piètre — who recently also appeared in the 450 Inter category — showed his full potential in the first moto by grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap under pressure from Arnaud Tonus and Aranda. After finishing seventh in the second moto, following a battle with Maylin and Guyon, he secured a strong fourth place in the final race, which gave him third overall with 114 points.
For Arnaud Tonus, everything fell apart due to a rear brake problem in the final moto. Strong in the first (2nd) and second (3rd) motos, the Swiss rider also started well in the final but saw his chances disappear due to the mechanical issue. He eventually dropped to tenth place, which confirmed the overall victory for Grégory Aranda.
Triumph rider Tom Guyon also finished inside the top five. Second place seemed within reach in the first moto, but a rear brake problem three laps from the end forced him to slow down, allowing Tonus and Aranda to pass him. With a fourth place in the first moto, fifth in the second, and third in the final — where he could no longer keep up with Aranda — Tom ended the day with 106 points, just three behind Tonus.
Unfortunately, Tom Guyon’s consistency was not rewarded at the end of the day.
Behind them came Brice Maylin (5-6-5), who delivered a strong weekend on the technical Valence circuit, and Jimmy Clochet (6-4-7), who finished seventh as a near home rider despite problems with his goggles in the first moto and a holeshot in the final race.
Newcomer to the premier class Calvin Fonvieille (7-8-6) improved throughout the motos and finished eighth, ahead of Julien Lebeau (8-10-8) and Mickael Lamarque (11-9-9).
Mathis Barthez, riding a 250 two-stroke, finished 11th in Valence ahead of Yannis Lopez on his Stark. Julien Pelletier, Enzo Dubois and Dylan Conti completed the top fifteen.
