Anderson King of the Paris night as Supercross dazzles France again

For 2018 Paris welcomed the defending AMA Champion Jason Anderson and the Husqvarna rider defeated teammate Zach Osborne on Saturday evening and again on Sunday to claim the feted ‘King’ title. “It was awesome to come here with all the French fans and I had a friggin’ good time,” he said. “I raced pretty hard with everyone and it wasn't always easy but we were able to make it happen. This is great training because these guys are fast. These races helped me improve my racecraft and stay calm in some crazy situations.”

It was the first honour for #21 on European soil and he had to deal with the presence and speed of Star Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis. The Motocross of Nations champion travelled from his American base to wow the home crowd. He raised the roof on Saturday with a semi-final race win but a slip in the Main Event cast him away from the top three. On Sunday he fared much better and his second position in the Main (in combination with his other results, such as victory in Superpole) meant the second step of the box overall.

Thoughts were with Weston Peick after a hard smash on Saturday, the accident showed the speed and extreme nature of supercross and the slim margins between success and possible disaster.

The appeal of Paris involves more than just a showcase of this gnarly and captivating motorcycle racing discipline. There is a special vibe around the event that makes riders like Ferrandis thirst for the acclaim of the public. Rarely are athlete’s endeavours cheered more loudly than around the La Defense Arena floor. France will have to wait another twelve months for this showpiece…while the rest of the European Supercross schedule will now eagerly pause for Geneva in two weeks time.