U.S. Stars Confirmed for Bercy
As French fans gather around the beautiful Ernée track for the 2013 GP of France, they all hope that their favorite “tricolores” riders will successfully confront the GP stars…
In a few months, on November 8/9/10th, those same fans will gather in the heart of the French capital for the 31st edition of the famous Bercy classic.
And, this time, their heroes will face a cohort of Supercross stars, coming straight from the US championship!
And what a line-up this is promising to be…
American Honda’s stars
The whole Team American Honda –a supporter of the Paris Event since day 1- will be on hand, works bikes and all, under the supervision of Team Manager Dan BETLEY.
Both Justin BARCIA and Trey CANARD have 250 titles on their hands, both have won 450 SX championship races, both share super-exciting riding styles and charismatic personnalities (albeit of a different kind)...
BARCIA has knowledge of this very particular event and already a King of Bercy crown to his credit.
CANARD is one of the most incredible come-back stories ever, after his horrific early 2012 crash, and he is eager to discover Paris and racing overseas at the same time !
So, Honda looks as strong as ever for Bercy honors but… so does KTM.
K-ROC, the “phenomenon”
It is no secret that the Austrian brand wants to add Supercross domination to its already established worldwide Motocross domination and, so far, the incredible Ken ROCZEN has been the most efficient weapon in the “Orange” toolbox, under the masterful management of Roger DECOSTER, at Factory KTM USA.
As the reigning 250 West Coast Champion, “K-Roc” will come back on European turf a much more experienced SX rider than he ever was, indeed.
Kenny has been scheduled several times to race Bercy (going back to when he was 12 years-old!) but was never able to make it to the grass-covered stadium, by the shore of the Seine river…
For the German star, who will move up to the 450 class in 2014, Bercy will also be a serious test on the “big bike”.
And, to make this test a success, Ken hopes to be supported by many of his fans from his not-so-distant, native Germany !
Also on an orange KTM (from the BTO Sports team), Andrew SHORT will look like the “old man” in a pool of hungry youngsters.
But Andrew has also won a 450 SX (last year) and he is a two-time King of Bercy, meaning he knows (and loves!) that place more than anyone.
Final seventh on the “deepest-talent filled SX championship ever” –with a change of bike brand half-way through- “Shorty” will be a contender at Bercy. Guaranteed.
America vs France : Paulin takes up the challenge!
But this Event’s magical chemistry has always come from the confrontation between stars from the US and the sometimes incredible (and always ultra-motivated) “local” talent.
This time, the challenge of “mixing-it-up-with-the-AMA-racers-and-going-for-an-upset” will be taken up by several “Frenchies” but the leader of this squad will undoubtly be… Gautier PAULIN !
The top MX1 French racer and Kawasaki KRT star is determined to make a serious assault on Supercross this fall.
“I will have a new private SX track built, there will be technical cooperation between Team Kawasaki USA and my Team KRT on SX settings, and I will go to the US to train and race the Monster Energy Cup in Vegas, a few weeks before Bercy. I love SX and I love Bercy, I just never had such a good opportunity to prepare for it in perfect conditions. This is a very motivating challenge and I believe I can surprise a lot of people !”, says the French champion, currently second in the MX1 class, with two 2013 GP wins…
Other, more SX-experienced French riders will, as always, give it all for the knowledgeable, 35,000 fans expected to fill Bercy stadium to full capacity, three nights in a row…
Greg ARANDA (Kawasaki Bud Racing) , the furious speedster who already won one night in Paris (and is the “Superpole” specialist), for instance.
Or Cedric SOUBEYRAS (Honda HDI), or Fabien IZOIRD (SR Suzuki), both multi-time European SX Champions, or Cyrille COULON (Suzuki), all former podium finishers at Bercy…
A top FMX show as well
Bercy is also a major Freestyle Show and this edition will no doubtly be marked by the shining of Thomas PAGES, currently considered as the best, most innovative freestyler rider in the World.
The French hero will be joined, as always, by his highly-talented group of friends, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
“So much talent !”
Xavier Audouard, Sports Director for the Event, sums it up : “it has been years, more than a decade for sure, since we’ve been able to present such a line-up to our fans”...
“I mean Barcia, Roczen, Canard, Paulin, Short (and the list is not over + don’t forget the Freestylers)… there is so much talent in that list that the racing will, for sure, be fantastic !”
“Teams, starting with Honda and KTM, have been very supportive and I want to specifically thank them for that”.
“Yes this is a time of crisis but in such times, people need to be entertained by great shows and we are trying to deliver just that…”
31st Paris-Bercy Supercross
Where : Palais-Omnisport de Paris-Bercy (POPB), Paris, France
When : November 8, 9, 10th (same program every night)
Official site / tickets / Gold Passes : http://www.supercrossbercy.com/accueil/supercross-de-bercy-113.html
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/supercrossparisbercy
Twitter : https://twitter.com/supercrossbercy
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