Thibault Benistant isn’t hiding the fact that he was disappointed with his results in the first two rounds of the MX2 World Championship season. Eleventh in Argentina and eighth in Spain, the French rider bounced back and delivered a strong performance in front of the home crowd in Saint-Jean-d’Angély during the European GP at the weekend.
Winning Saturday’s qualifying race and finishing on the overall podium on Sunday, Thibault showed a much-improved form in Saint-Jean-d’Angély. It was an encouraging result that could be a turning point in the Frenchman’s early season.
“It was a good weekend. I have a lot of positives to take from this GP compared to the first two rounds of the season, where I was really tense and rode badly, especially in Argentina,” Thibault admitted on Sunday.
“Since the first round, I’ve been doing everything I can to ride more relaxed and freely. I had a good day on Saturday, winning the qualifying race. In the first moto on Sunday, I was tense again, my arms hurt, and it wasn’t easy. For the second moto, I was in a much better mindset, and things went better for me. I felt more comfortable on the bike and the track right from the start. The others were riding fast and pushing for the win as well. I took the lead after a few laps, and Adamo ended up right behind me. He had the advantage of seeing my lines – both the good and the bad ones. I got a bit held up by lapped riders, and Andrea was very fast and passed me. I tried to attack him on the final lap, but I went too wide after the pit lane, and it was too late.”
This weekend in France, we saw the real Thibault Benistant return – fast in time practice, a qualifying race victory, solid motos, and a podium finish. It was also a way to erase the disappointment of 2024. Last year, Thibault suffered a heavy crash at this very track in Saint-Jean-d’Angély during practice, which forced him to miss the French GP.
“What changed for me today? Not much. I’d say it’s mostly that I rode more freely and enjoyed myself. I’m now training in the south of France, I feel really good there, and I had a strong winter. That’s why I was really disappointed after the first two GP’s because I rode terribly in Argentina and Spain. It was hard to accept – I train hard, I ride well in practice, but I was struggling in the races. Mentally, it was tough, but little by little, I’m rebuilding myself and finding my rhythm again. I think things will keep getting better for me now.”
This past winter, Thibault Benistant made a major change to his program by joining Yves Demaria’s training group in the south of France. Now training alongside Kevin Horgmo and Alberto Forato, the Yamaha factory rider has returned to important roots after spending several seasons in Netherlands/Belgium.
“For the past four or five years, I’ve been living in the Netherlands and Belgium. I felt like I had lost some of my previous strengths – especially on hardpack tracks, concrete-like dirt, and corner speed. I knew I needed a change, and a big one. I also needed to get back into the right mindset. Now, I’m closer to my friends and family. Over the winter, that helped me feel good, and it showed in my training. When a rider is happy, it translates onto the track. Happy rider, good rider.”
After this strong weekend in France, Thibault Benistant now sits fifth in the MX2 World Championship standings heading into Sardinia. He is 19 points behind the top three and 24 points behind Liam Everts, who now holds the red plate
