While the legendary circuit of Ernee in the north of France is well known the modern-day fans, it isn’t really a typically old a school circuit from the 1940, 50s or 60s. In fact, the first time Ernee arrived on the Grand Prix scene was back in 1990, when American, Donny Schmit won a 125cc Grand Prix there.

Ernee did arrive a few times more often back in the day, with Greg Albertyn winning a 250cc GP back in 1994 and Joel Smets won a 500cc Grand Prix in 1998. Only for a fourth time did Ernee appear on the GP calendar, when in 1999, of another 250cc GP victory went to Belgian Marnique Bervoets.

Ernee has been on and off the calendar maybe more than any other circuit on the GP calendar, as it shared the French GP dates with the more popular and most used circuit, St Jean d’Angly, with Villars Sous Ecot and Lacapelle making the odd appearance in recent times.

Amazingly, in the last 20 years, we have seen Ernee used on five occasions for a Grand Prix and nine times in total. Those coming in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022. Then of course, the 2005, 2015 and 2020 and 2023 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. It has been the Nations, where Ernee has probably shone brighter than ever and for all fans, Worldwide, that massive hillside has brought many a tear and a celebration.

We have often talked about the amazing Stefan Everts triple GP win there in 2003, and in 2006, we also remember the farewell to “The King” as he took his 101st and last Grand Prix victory. On that same day, Antonio Cairoli took a win in the MX2 class.

In 2009, it was Max Nagl won who from David Philippaerts and Cairoli and in MX2, Marvin Musquin won from Anthony Boissiere and Loic Larrieu, then four years later Ernee reappeared with Cairoli going 2-1 for the win, ahead of Gautier Paulin and Clement Desalle and in the MX2 class, it as Jeffrey Herlings with 1-1, ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Christophe Charlier.

Another four year wait as Ernee ran another GP in 2017, with Desalle winning from Cairoli and Paulin in MXGP and Pauls Jonass winning ahead of Paturel and Seewer. The last and final Ernee appearance for a GP was in 2022 and Seewer won in MXGP ahead of Jorge Prado and Glenn Coldenhoff and Tom Vialle won MX2 ahead of Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant.

Rather interestingly, from the last 20 years, only Antonio Cairoli has won twice at Ernee. The others of course, Everts, Nagl, Musquin, Herlings, Desalle, Jonass, Seewer and Vialle.