Fifteen days after the Lugo GP in Spain, the MRT Racing Team Beta Factory took part in the French Grand Prix, the ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship 2025. The natural amphitheatre overlooking the historic and spectacular Ernée circuit was attended by a cheering crowd throughout the weekend.
At first, Ben Watson (Beta RX450) struggled to find his feeling for the transalpine track and ended the time trials with a twenty-second time. His qualifying performance was better, finishing nineteenth after a good comeback. In the first heat, Ben managed to start close to the top ten and during the race he recovered a couple of positions, finishing ninth. In the second heat, the start did not go as well as it could have, but once again he pushed hard and climbed up to eleventh position. This placement was also confirmed in the Absolute of the Day, just one point behind the top ten.
Twenty-fourth in timed practice, Tom Koch (Beta RX450) finished twenty-first in qualifying. In the main races, the German rider finished twice in twenty-fifth position, finishing twenty-sixth overall for the day.
Ben Watson:
“The weekend did not start in the best way. Saturday was good feeling but I made too many mistakes to be able to set a good time. Sunday morning the track was very technical. In the first race I finally got a good start, passed a couple of opponents and finished the race in ninth position. In the second race the start was not so good but my pace was okay, during the race I made a few overtakes and finished eleventh. I am happy with the way I raced but I think my results could have been better. Let’s take the positive things and work to improve in the next rounds.”
Tom Koch:
“The track was very well set up and already in free practice it was soft and very technical. Unfortunately, the feeling was not good and despite a good first lap, I finished twenty-first in qualifying. On Sunday in the first heat, I was not comfortable on the bike. It’s really a shame, but I can only look forward. In race two I tried to focus on riding; the start went well but at the second corner I crashed with another rider, our bikes got stuck and I lost a lot of time starting again. My delay from the points zone was considerable but I tried to push hard. This time the feeling with the bike was better but I am very disappointed that I finished the race without gaining any points. Let’s focus on the next race, I can’t wait to line up at the start of my home GP and to see the German fans cheering again.”
Next weekend the MRT Racing Team Beta Factory will take to the track at Teutschenthal in the German Grand Prix, the tenth round of the 2025 edition of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Words and Images by MRT Beta
