St Jean d'Angely – The Circuit

While St Jean d'Angely isn’t a circuit that had seen a lot of Grand Prix action in the 1980s and 90s, it was back in 1984 when Heinz Kinigadner clinched victory in the Grand Prix of France, going 3-1 and starting the love affair with the circuit and the FIM World Motocross Championship.

As for Kinigadner his assault on the FIM World 250cc Championship would start on the right manner and few months later the Austrian rider would be crowned World Champion.

Since that day in 1984 this beautiful French facility has seen many great battles, of course, two of the most exciting being the 2000 and 2011 Motocross of Nations. On both occasions Team USA walked away with the winner’s trophy, although Motocross was really the winner.

This year with both the MX1 and MX2 Championships being close affairs, a huge crowd is expected at St Jean d'Angely and one man who is standing as the crowd favorite will be local rider Christophe Pourcel.

Pourcel has already won two GPs in 2012 and is showing the best form of his career. With the French public screaming his name you can expect to see a really strong performance from the CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit rider.

Pourcel hasn’t ridden a Grand Prix of France since 2007 when he finished second overall to Antonio Cairoli. Also played out at the St Jean d'Angely circuit Cairoli went 1-1 and Pourcel 2-2.

The greatest moment in the career of Pourcel came a year earlier (also at the Grand Prix of France) when Pourcel picked up his stunning victory in the 2006 FIM World MX2 Championship taking the crown at the Ernee circuit. After a long hard battle in that GP, Cairoli would win the overall, but Pourcel would get the MX2 championship.

The former World MX2 Champion has mentioned that the St Jean d'Angely circuit is not one of his favorites, and he remembers last year’s Monster Energy Motocross of Nations with pain in his heart when he was battling for the Team victory with Team USA and he lost a back tyre and DNF the final moto of the day.

Pourcel is some 31 points behind Cairoli in the MX1 series points, while the other top ten French riders Gautier Paulin and Xavier Boog are 33pts and 73pts behind the Italian rider.

Paulin, like Pourcel, knows that a home Grand Prix should bring him some positive support and Paulin did finish with 2-4 results in the MX2 class in 2011 and nearly won the GP, just missing out to British rider Tommy Searle Photo: Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki image              who went 4-1.

Steven Frossard still struggling with injury knows the feeling of success at this circuit, having won the MX1 GP last year. Frossard is always a fighter, although whether his injured knee has recovered enough to see him ride, we will know in a day or so.

No matter what happens this coming weekend, you can count on Pourcel, Paulin and Frossard all putting in big efforts for the crowd and with a little luck walking away with the Grand Prix victory.