Missing from action during the 2011 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Finland, France make a welcome return to the World Trophy team category at this year’s ISDE in Saxony, Germany.

France will be starting as clear favourites to add victory to their winning results in Serres, Greece (2008), Figueira da Foz, Portugal (2009), and Morelia, Mexico (2010).

With newly-crowned 2012 FIM Enduro World Champions Antoine Meo and Christophe Nambotin among their six-rider World Trophy squad, the question many are asking ahead of the 87th running of the ISDE is ‘can anyone beat the French?’.

France have claimed four World Trophy team victories since the turn of the century with their first coming on home soil back in 2001 where Marc Germain, Olivier Rebufie, Eric Bernard, David Fretigne, Seb Guillaume and Cyril Esquirol triumphed in Brive la Gaillarde.

Forced to wait seven years before returning to the top step of the World Trophy podium in Serres, Greece, during which time Finland and Italy ruled the category, France are now firmly placed at the very top of the international enduro scene.

With many of the World’s fastest enduro riders among their team and with all having notable levels of experience, only a winning result will satisfy Antoine Meo, Christophe Nambotin, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, Rodrig Thain, Johnny Aubert and Seb Guillaume.

Team France will be as strong as ever in Germany's ISDE next week.

With Meo and Thain heading up France’s World Trophy team ambitions in the Enduro 1 class, Johnny Aubert, who ended the 2010 ISDE in Mexico as not only a member of the winning French World Trophy team, but also as the fastest outright individual performer, will compete alongside current Enduro 2 World Championship leader Renet in Enduro 2.

Competing in the Enduro 3 class will be Nambotin and Guillaume who, like all of France’s World Trophy team riders, will be focused only on success come the start of the event on 24 September.

“I believe that we start as favourites in the World Trophy competition,” commented Christophe Nambotin. “On paper we have some of the FIM Enduro World Championship’s strongest riders, so we start with a real advantage.

“But the ISDE has shown in the past that sometimes the favourites do not win every time. In Mexico, for example, we were not favourites, but the determination and spirit within our team enabled us to win.

“In the French team there is a great atmosphere, we all enjoy the race and support each other. We really work together as a team, which helps to overcome many of the difficulties.”

The most experienced rider in the French team Seb Guillaume has enjoyed World Trophy team success with France on three occasions.

Passionate about the ISDE yet with his professional career nearing its end, this year’s event in Germany might well be Seb’s last as a French World Trophy team rider.

Matt Phillips made a huge impact at the 2011 ISDE on debut in Finland.

“The six days is a legendary event. Winning at home in 2001 was a great moment,” he said. “For six years the level of French riders improved and when France won again in Serres in 2008 French enduro fans developed a keen interest in the event once again.

“I love the ISDE and Team France. But for two or three months I have said that this year’s event will probably be my last. Although, the idea of competing in Sardinia, Italy in 2013 is very appealing. If I’m lucky I might be selected, and race one more ISDE.”

As for Australia, our team departed local shores over the weekend and will enter the event with their sites firmly set on gold medals across the board.

It’s a packed men’s team in Ben Burrell, Luka Bussa, Mitcham Harper, Christopher Hollis, Glenn Kearney, Daniel Milner, Matthew Phillips, Toby Price, Lachlan Stanford and Josh Strang, while Jessica Gardiner, Tanya Hearn and Jemma Wilson make up the female ranks.

Last year’s event in Finland saw the ladies race to an impressive third place podium overall, and although the guys didn’t feature inside the top five, impressive individual performances were put forward by both Price and Phillips in the E2 division.

By this time next week things will be just kicking off, marking the beginning of enduro’s biggest single event to be contested all year long.