Home of many GP’s during forty years, the club of Pernes les Fontaines will celebrate this coming Sunday it’s centenary. And after being focused on French Championships, the club organize this year an International event with some of the best GP riders, including reigning MXGP World champion Romain Febvre and his main rival Lucas Coenen.

Not so many clubs can celebrate a centenary, and for sure there’s no better way to take this opportunity to organize a top event, like they did twenty years ago for the 80th birthday. In February 2006, Stefan Everts add his name to the list of winners in Pernes, and shares the podium with Josh Coppins and Yves Demaria.

Lucas vs Romain

Last weekend in Sardinia Lucas Coenen shows how ready he is, winning both races for his first race of the season. Impressive last year for his first season in the MXGP class, at only 18 years old, Lucas enters his second season on a 450 with more experience and for sure he will be stronger than in 2025. Pernes will be the first race this season to see Lucas and Romain Febvre behind the same starting gate, after this exciting 2025 battle. Turning 34 years old on December 31, Romain remain motivated and will defend his #1 all season long. First race of the season for Romain, but also for Maxime Renaux, Pauls Jonass, Kevin Horgmo, Thibault Bénistant, Max Nagl, Arnaud Tonus and a couple of fast Frenchies who like to race all over the world. Gregory Aranda will be there with his Brazilian team mates (Hector Assuncao and Henrique Henicka), as well as Cédric Soubeyras and Maxime Desprey.

Sacha vs Mathis

As it will be an open race, mixing 250 and 450 riders, there will be a race within the race in the MX2 class. Last weekend in Sardinia Sacha Coenen won both races, as did his brother, and for sure he’s also ready to race! His main opponents will be Mathis Valin, doing his first race of the season on his factory Kawasaki, and Swedish August Frisk who perform last year in the European Championship. Some French kids such as Jules Piètre, Saad Soulimani, Yannis Lopes and Mathis Barthez will also enter the event on a 250.

The International class will race three motos (20 minutes+2 laps each), while the support classes (85 and 125) will do two motos. There will be three freestyle sessions, with Brice Izzo and Dany Torres.

Pernes les Fontaines is located in southern France, thirty kilometers east of Avignon.

The fourteen GP winners at Pernes

1962: GP 500, Rolf Tibblin winner (Sweden, Husqvarna)

1963: GP 250, Torsten Hallman winner (Sweden, Husqvarna)

1966: GP 250, Torsten Hallman winner (Sweden, Husqvarna)

1970: GP 250, Torleif Hansen winner (Sweden, Husqvarna)

1972: GP250, Joel Robert winner (Belgium, Suzuki)

1976: GP500, Adolf Weil winner (Germany, Maico)

1980: GP Side, Bruno Schneider-Christoph Längle winners (Austria)

1982: GP Side, Emil Bollhalder-Kart Büsser winners (Switzerland)

1985: GP Side, Hansi Bachtold-Fritz Fuss winners (Switzerland)

1987: GP500, Dave Thorpe winner (Great Britain, Honda)

1993: GP Side, Wolfgang Kühn-Siegfried Ruf (Germany)

1997: GP125, Frédéric Vialle winner (France, Yamaha)

2003: GP Side, Daniel Willemsen-Kaspars Stupelis winners (Netherlands-Latvia)

2012: GP Side, Joris Hendricks-Kaspars Stupelis winners (Belgium-Latvia

Pascal Haudiquert story and image