The world’s best young Motocross riders are heading to north-western France this week for the 2025 FIM Junior World Motocross Championships, and for the very first time in the history of this event, it will be broadcast LIVE on MXGP-TV.com! This means that fans across the planet can cheer on their country’s riders from home and learn the names of some of the stars of tomorrow!
The venue of Romagné, which has been used in the French Elite National Championships over the last few years, is only half an hour’s drive west from the classic Grand Prix circuit of Ernée, with very similar terrain to its famous neighbour and with a well-known catchment area for some of the most passionate fans of the sport! It’s only the second time in the event’s history that it has taken place on French soil, 15 years since the first occasion at the more eastern location of Dardon-Gueugnon, where the 125cc class was won by future MX2 World Champion Jordi Tixier!
That 2010 result was one of many for future Champions of the sport. Eli Tomac was 125cc Champion the year before, while Jeffrey Herlings and Ken Roczen won the 85cc class in 2008 and 2007 respectively. In fact, the 2010 event was the first for the 65cc class to be part of the event, and the following year saw Jorge Prado take that title, while Pauls Jonass won the 85cc Championship, and Joey Savatgy the 125s!
Other future stars such as Tim Gajser, Conrad Mewse, Jett Lawrence, Maxime Renaux, Rene Hofer, and Jago Geerts have won titles at this event, so it’s fair to say that any of this weekend’s victors will be catching the eyes of fans and possible Team Managers as bright prospects for the future!
With nearly 240 riders entered from 34 countries, the two-day event is split into Qualifying on Saturday and the main Championship races on Sunday. The three classes of 125cc, 85cc, and 65cc will each be split into two groups for Practice and Qualification, although Saturday’s action will finish with the 10 minute + 2 Lap Last Chance Races for any of those outside the top 36 from the afternoon’s Qualifying Practice sessions.
Each class will have both of its races broadcast LIVE on MXGP-TV.com from 11:15 CET until around 17:00. Let’s have a closer look at the leading contenders in each class:
125cc
The fastest class of the day will see the riders who are the closest to advancing to professional careers with big teams, all hitting the circuit to add what they hope will be the first world title of many to come!
With 86 riders entered, the Qualification sessions on Saturday alone will be a nervous and demanding ordeal for the riders, as over half of them will not make it through to Sunday! The list of possible winners is a long one, as the entire top five of this year’s EMX125 Championship Presented by FMF Racing will be lining up at Romagné, and in fact all but five of the current top twenty are in the entry list!
The hot favourite has to be the new French hope Mano Faure, who has hit a brilliant run of form in the EMX125 series, winning the last three rounds overall to take the red plate in that Championship for the Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC squad, although he shares the points lead with Italian hot property Nicolò Alvisi on the Racestore KTM Factory Juniors team. Alvisi won both races at Ernée, on very similar terrain to Romagné, so he must be considered a threat this weekend.
Alvisi’s teammate Filippo Mantovani, the third-placed rider in EMX125 right now, is a fast starter and should be in the mix. Another Italian, Niccolo Mannini, has held the red plate in EMX125 as well this year for TM Moto CRD Motosport, so he will also be in contention. The crowd will get behind last year’s EMX85 Champion Sleny Goyer, who has fought inside the top ten in his first year of EMX125 competition.
The top rider from last year’s event at Heerde to still be in the class is Dutch star Dani Heitink, the 2023 85cc Junior World Champion, who currently sits fifth in the EMX125 standings and finished seventh in last year’s World Juniors, ahead of Alvisi, although his hardpack technique is maybe not as advanced as most of his Italian competition. Latvian flyer Jekabs Kubulins, winner of a race in the mud at Cozar in March, might hope for some rain to get some success for JK Racing Yamaha, who are sadly missing British star Jamie Keith through injury. British 125cc Championship leader Charlie Richmond will be looking to continue his good run of form on a French track that should suit his style.
The South African duo of 2024 High School Champ Trey Cox and Tristan Durow, younger brother of national MX1 Champ and MXoN teamster Cameron, should enjoy the hot conditions, as could the American duo of Brady Olson and Tristan Prueitt. New Zealand fans will miss last year’s 85cc Champ Levi Townley, who is out through injury, but will cheer for their 2024 Junior National Champion Phoenix Van Dusschoten.
Last year’s Champion was Hungarian Noel Zanocz, but his countryman Áron Katona, multiple race winner in EMX125 this year, is sadly absent through injury. Those who can compete will be looking to emulate former Champions like Mathis Valin, Mattia Guadagnini, and Jago Geerts in taking this title as a stepping stone to a career as a factory rider at the top of the sport!
85cc
For any kids that have already shown some promise on the smallest machines, then the 85cc ranks are where they can really add to their reputation and start to build hopes for a bright future in the sport, even a professional career for the very best of them.
This class might be the one with the clearest favourite, as Estonian Lucas Leok, son of former GP rider Aigar and nephew to former GP winner Tanel Leok, has been nearly untouchable in the EMX regional Qualifiers this year, after winning race two in this event last season before taking fourth in the EMX85 finale at Loket. He also took a maximum result at the EMX Semi-Final in Slovakia, ahead of British-domiciled Thai rider Brian Gyles, who also lines up at Romagné.
His main competition could come from Spaniard Pau Cadet Ruiz, who was unbeaten in the other EMX Semi-Final at Cussac, and took third in the second race at Loket last season. French flags will fly for Tim Lopes, who was second at Cussac, Loan Torro, and Enzo Herzogenrath. Italian fans will have Francesco Assini to cheer for, while Neo Nindelt carries German hopes for a podium. British rider Olly Waters was also impressive in backing up Gyles and Harry Dale in Slovakia, although Harry is not on the entry list for this weekend.
For those further afield, Californian Maddox Temmerman should enjoy the hardpack conditions and probably wouldn’t mind if it was hot, while his Texan teammate Gauge Brown has also shown great form Stateside this year. South African 65cc Champ Brody Bircher will enjoy the hardpack in his first attempt at the 85cc World Junior event.
Fans from New Zealand will see the familiar names of Townley and Coppins in the mix, just as fathers Ben and Josh used to battle in MXGP! Jaggar Townley, whose brother Levi won this class in 2024, goes again for Yamaha, as does Nixon Coppins, who has grown up racing in the UK with his British mother, with a family which also has a long history in the sport!
Champions in this class include not just Roczen, Herlings, and Jonass, but in recent years we’ve seen factory riders like Rene Hofer and Valerio Lata take this title, as well as rising stars Gyan Doensen and Dani Heitink. The 85cc class is where it really starts to get serious for those at the sharp end, so expect the racing to reflect just how important these results are to the potential stars of tomorrow!
65cc
The youngest warriors on the course will battle it out for their first big chance of recognition outside of their own domestic scenes, and their races will be the first ones in each block of racing, with gate drops at 11:30 & 14:30.
The top rider from last year’s World Junior Championships in this class is British flyer Cohen Jagielski, looking to improve on his sixth overall in the Dutch sand of Heerde, but the home contingent looked strong in the EMX65 Qualifiers at the more southern circuit of Cussac just two weekends ago. The French fans there enjoyed a clean sweep of the top four positions overall, with Arthur Annelot claiming both race wins ahead of Mathys Agullo and Timotei Cez, while Liam Morette completed the top four home stars who will look for more success this weekend!
On the same weekend, the Central & North-Eastern EMX65 Semi-Final in Slovakia saw a maximum card for another Brit, Jett Gardiner, with Dutchman Bas Verspaandonk also climbing the podium at that event. There’s likely to be a lot of attention on top female rider Raycin Kyler from the USA, while teammate Levi Geis from Minnesota has not been beaten much in 65cc Regional Qualifiers across his home state and beyond. 2024 Loretta Lynn’s Champ Kannon Zabojnik completes a strong American line-up in this class, while English kid John Slade will be hoping for some big jumps around the circuit after stirring up the crowds in the British Arenacross series for the last two years!
65cc World Junior Champions of the past include Jorge Prado in 2011, Jett Lawrence in 2014, Ivano van Erp in 2017, and last year’s home hero Kash van Hamond!
One thing’s for sure, that the smallest riders in the event will certainly give everything to set their stall out on the international stage, and will surprise many with their raw speed and talent!
TIMETABLE
SATURDAY: 08:30 JMX65 Group A Free Practice, 09:00 JMX65 Group B Free Practice, 09:25 JMX85 Group A Free Practice, 09:50 JMX85 Group B Free Practice, 10:15 JMX125 Group A Free Practice, 10:40 JMX125 Group B Free Practice, 13:00 JMX65 Group A Qualifying Practice, 13:35 JMX65 Group B Qualifying Practice, 14:10 JMX85 Group A Qualifying Practice, 14:45 JMX85 Group B Qualifying Practice, 15:20 JMX125 Group A Qualifying Practice, 15:55 JMX125 Group B Qualifying Practice, 17:00 JMX65 Last Chance, 17:35 JMX85 Last Chance, 18:05 JMX125 Last Chance
SUNDAY: 09:00 JMX65 Warm-up, 09:25 JMX85 Warm-up, 09:50 JMX125 Warm-up, 10:15 Opening Ceremony, 11:15 One-Minute Silence (Francesco Zerbi), 11:30 JMX65 Race 1, 12:15 JMX85 Race 1, 13:10 JMX125 Race 1, 14:30 JMX65 Race 2, 15:15 JMX85 Race 2, 16:10 JMX125 Race 2
Words and Images by Infront Moto Racing