Legends Set to Collide at MXoN in Matterley Basin

The one-of-a-kind team race, where riders of the same nationality are put into teams of three. Each rider races two races, giving each team a total of six race results at the end of the day. However, only the five best results will contribute to the overall score.

Lining up as the most successful team in history —Team USA rolls into the event with a star-studded squad. Though their line-up has seen changes, they’re still a powerhouse with two legends in the form of Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb. 

“The track looks a bit like Steel City in the USA,” Tomac laughed, “we’ve just walked it and it seems like it has a great flow to it. The first turn looks nice, and the ground looks great; it’s very deep. It looks nice!” 

Tomac has competed for the Stars and Stripes on four previous occasions, missing the podium just once. His highlight was winning at Red Bud, USA in 2022 giving him the complete set of Nations medals after taking silver in 2013, and bronze in 2014. 

“Podiums are okay,” Tomac squinted, “but winning is all that really matters. You don’t go home happy unless you win.”

Webb’s two previous appearances for team USA have so far netted him to medals; 3rd overall in France (2015) and 3rd in Italy (2016), which was also his last appearance for his country in this event. He has so far competed in both the MXGP and Open class categories, but this year he returns to the MX2 class onboard his YZ250F. 

“Jumping back on the 250 has been fun, especially on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250. The team already has such a great base for this bike, and I also had great success on the 250 back home, so to be on this bike, it just reminded me of that time. It’s so much fun to ride the absolute dog out of that bike, so it’s been great. I’m grateful for the opportunity to race for Team USA. It is something that I don’t take lightly, and after being on the podium but not the top step, I’m out for redemption for sure.”

At the same time, Team France enters as the defending champions with all eyes on Romain Febvre as the seasoned veteran makes his fifth appearance. 

“We had a good week,” Febvre said during the Press Conference, “so we’re bringing good vibes. The track looks really good, and I am excited to race. Especially now as the season is over and we don’t have anything to lose. We’re ready to go for it!” With four titles to his name (2015, ’16, ’17, ’23), Febvre is chasing history. If he wins a fifth time, he’ll join an elite club alongside legends like David Bailey, Stefan Everts, and Gautier Paulin. 

Backing this weekends’ number 1 up is Maxime Renaux, the Monster Energy star who helped secure France’s victory last year and has grabbed individual honours twice. 

“Coming to defend your country is an honour. There is a stacked field of riders coming over to race, so it really does pit the best riders in the world against each other. It’s not often we get to race the best guys from the USA, so it’s really nice to go head-to-head with them.”

At the same time, Belgium’s history in the event has been well documented as it sits second, behind Team USA on the all-time wins list. This year, the team will once again benefit from the experience of Jago Geerts, who has raced The Nations on four previous occasions, which includes helping the team to 2nd overall when it was held at Assen in The Netherlands in 2019. 

“I am really happy to be back at the races. We’ve changed a lot of things on the bike recently, so I am finally feeling good on the bike and ready to show what I can really do on a 450!”