The St Jean d’Angely circuit first appeared on the Grand Prix calendar back in 1984, when Heinz Kinigadner won the 250cc Grand Prix and it wouldn’t return on the calendar until 1989 when Dave Thorpe won a 500cc GP. Due to this circuit’s heavy involvement over the last 20 or so years, those two rounds in the 1980s don’t seem to have much significance in the importance of this track to our sport.

One of the biggest days in the track’s history was the 2000 Motocross of Nations, when Team USA, led by Ricky Carmichael captured the biggest motocross event in the World. Carmichael was reaching his peak and the French fans swarmed the facility as Team France battled the might of America.

Back when Youthstream (now Infront Moto Racing) began their amazing journey to build the Grand Prix series in 2004, with more countries involved, and bigger events, Giuseppe Luongo knew St Jean d’Angely had to be on the 2004 calendar. On that day in June, it was Belgian legend Stefan Everts in MX1 and Tyla Rattray in MX2 that took victory.

The following year New Zealander Ben Townley mastered the French circuit, winning ahead of his best friend and countryman Josh Coppins, with French favourite Mickeal Pichon in third place. Italian David Phillippaerts won the MX2 class. As has been the deal with the French Federation for some time, St Jean d’Angely and Ernee would share the French GP and in 2006 it was Ernee who held that event, while St Jean waited its chance to return in 2007.

In 2007 it was back the St Jean and Josh Coppins would win in MX1 and Antonio Cairoli in MX2. The huge French crowd were brought alive a year later in 2008 when Frenchman Sebastien Pourcel won ahead of Coppins in MX1, while British rider Tommy Searle won the MX2 class.

After the French GP headed to Ernee in 2009, it returned to St Jean d’Angely in 2010 and David Philippaerts added the MX1 overall victory to his 2005 MX2 win, while in MX2, Marvin Musquin would put another French name on the victory circle. St Jean stayed on the calendar in 2011 and again French flags were waved in victory, with Steven Frossard winning the MX1 class and Searle scoring the win again in the MX2 class.

In 2012 Cairoli won MX1 ahead of two Frenchman in Christophe Pourcel and Gautier Paulin and Jeffrey Herlings added his name to the victory list at this circuit, beating Tommy Searle and Jeremy Van Horebeek. Clement Desalle won in 2014 in MXGP and Herlings won again in the MX2 class. In 2016 Romain Febvre won MXGP and Herlings scored his third straight win at St Jean d’Angely.

Moving to the MXGP class in 2018 Herlings scored his fourth win at this hillside circuit and in MX2 Jorge Prado took the win. Tim Gajser would win the MXGP class at St Jean d’Angely in 2019 and Prado did the same in MX2. In 2022 Tim Gajser won with 2-1 in the MXGP class, finishing ahead of Jeremy Seewer and Jorge Prado. In the MX2 class that year it was Tom Vialle who won with 2-1 scores, beating Thibault Benistant and Jago Geerts.

Bavo Swijgers image