For the last few weeks, it looked like the French MXoN was in a state of flux. Ahead of their home event Maxime Renaux was still injured amidst rumours he wouldn’t be back until the very end of the season, Thibault Benistant was in title contention until he got injured and in the States, both Tom Vialle and Dylan Ferrandis were not riding to their potential on bikes they clearly didn’t feel comfortable on.
But in just one weekend everything has changed for the French. In probably the ride of the weekend, Renaux took a third in the second moto in Sweden in his return from injury, and despite limited time on the bike he held off some big hitters to do it – Herlings, Gajser and Prado. Renaux has proven to be the real deal on the 450 and although it gets largely ignored he won his class last year at Red Bud and the final moto of the weekend against Tomac, Lawrence and Sexton. Renaux has four more GPs to get back to his best, but he has already shown just how good he is by coming back to action with a third place in the toughest championship in the world.
Dylan Ferrandis has admitted he has struggled all year on the new 450 Yamaha but at Unadilla he said over the two week break the team found some settings on the bike that gave him the comfort he wanted and it was evident in his riding, not just the results. Ferrandis caught Lawrence in race one and came from way back to third in race two but his body language on the bike and the raw speed was back. He was on the level of Sexton and Lawrence, and finally looked like the rider that won two US National outdoor titles and the man who was seriously fast last year at Red Bud MXoN. He also needs a ride for 2024, maybe a top performance in Ernee will open doors in MXGP?
With Romain Febvre winning five GPs in a row, he is the shoe-on for the team but will one of Renaux and Ferrandis have to miss out? Not necessarily, both are world and AMA champs respectively on a 250 and with Vialle struggling to find his GP speed, there may be the option to put Dylan or Renaux on a 250 and right there you have a team that might go in as favourites.
So what of Vialle? His year in America hasn’t been as good as many hoped, especially outdoors. For a while Vialle was doing well in the second motos, but after that win in Southwick, he hasn’t got a sniff of the podium. He isn’t on the air suspension he was in GPs, and he doesn’t look like the same rider that won two world titles. The injuries and crashes over the season along with a bike that doesn’t seem on the level of a Star Yamaha, Honda or PC Kawasaki all means Vialle is facing an uphill battle but, if he got on his GP 250 with the air suspension that he won a world title on in 2022, could he rediscover his GP form at the Nations? That’s a question for Tom and the team manager, if he does and can get his starts back, he would also be an awesome pick.
Benistant for a while looked like the guy for the 250 but all that changed when he got injured in a start straight crash and he has missed the last couple of rounds, will he back in time, and can he find his A game quick enough to make the team? It’s the riskiest choice right now with Benistant still out injured at deicsion time but logistically, the easiest with Kemea Yamaha already going to the event with Geerts and France not having to organise bikes/flights from the USA for Vialle or Ferrandis.
Five world class riders, but only three can go and it’s a big choice for the team manager. The guys have to perform at home and right now Renaux and Ferrandis look to be the guys on form but you can’t count Vialle or Benistant out just yet, it will be an interesting to see who they go with but right now Ferrandis, Renaux and Febvre look like the strongest team based on recent results – unless Vialle can get to ride his 2022 GP machine and rediscover his confidence quickly!
Words: Jonathan McCready
Renaux image: Yamaha
