Source: Supplied.

Team France has claimed their third consecutive Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations victory today at the 70th edition of the prestigious event in Maggiora, Italy.

The Netherlands narrowly missed out on the top spot by one point, while Team USA endured an eventful day to be awarded third. Australia was credited a hard-fought eighth in the nations standings after all three riders demonstrated spirited performances.

The opening moto win was captured by Team France’s Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing), who made several valuable passes at the beginning of the race to overcome early leader and Italian representative Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) by the halfway mark.

Belgian Kevin Strijbos (Suzuki World MXGP) claimed third, as Team USA’s Cooper Webb (Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha) came from outside of the top 10 to finish the moto comfortably in fourth.

Belgian Jeremy Van Horebeek (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) was the first MX2 rider to cross the line in fifth, while Australian riders Todd Waters (Wilsons Coolair Motul Suzuki) and Mitch Evans (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) were credited seventh and 35th respectively.

Race two saw Team USA’s Jason Anderson out front early, while Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings latched onto him, leading the pair to engage in a thrilling battle. Herlings would crash while applying pressure on the American, allowing him to take a convincing victory.

In a tragic turn of events, Anderson would roll over the finish line in celebration of his win, only to be landed on by a lapped rider. After receiving the heavy hit and undergoing a medical evaluation, he was later deemed unfit to race the final moto of the day.

France’s Gautier Paulin (Team HRC) made a late race charge to position himself in third, narrowly edging out Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus (Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Australia’s Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha).

Ferris traded passes with Paulin on several occasions throughout the race, however fell short of making the pass stick. Fellow Australian Evans completed his day of racing in 37th position.

To conclude the day, Herlings dominated race three, leading from start to finish. Cairoli maintained second, however he couldn’t match the pace of the Dutchman. Strijbos repeated his moto one performance with yet another third, while the top five was rounded out by Febvre and Great Britain’s Tommy Searle (Dixon Monster Energy Kawasaki).

USA’s Webb held a top five position, although a mistake on the notorious wall situated in the middle of the iconic Maggiora circuit saw him lose a handful of positions with two laps to go, ultimately costing America the overall victory.

Australia’s Waters and Ferris both came back from less than stellar starts to claim 14th and 15th respectively.

Nations overall standings:
1. France 29
2. The Netherlands 30
3. USA 33
4. Belgium 36
5. Italy 44
6. Switzerland 44
7. Great Britain 73
8. Australia 76
9. Estonia 93
10. Canada 95
11. Russia 96
12. Spain 96
13. Sweden 102
14. Denmark 102
15. Austria 137
16. Czech Republic 139
17. New Zealand 140
18. Japan 145
19. Lithuania 158
20. Ireland 114 (Did not record results in all races)