Belgium wins 79th Motocross of Nations in Ernée with 23 points to end 13-year drought

Belgian youth ends thirteen-year title wait

Team Belgium secured the Chamberlain Trophy at the 79th edition of the Motocross of Nations on Sunday, 4 October 2026, marking the nation's 16th overall victory and its first since 2013. The young roster, featuring 22-year-old Liam Everts alongside 19-year-old twin brothers Sacha and Lucas Coenen, finished the three-race programme with a winning score of 23 points after discarding their single worst result. Despite not winning any individual moto, the Belgian riders maintained consistent top placements across the day on the Raymond-Demy circuit in Ernée.

Liam Everts reflected on the victory following the podium presentation.

It is incredible, I have no words. We would have already been very happy with a podium, but this is completely different. We put on a show with these guys, it was incredible.

The outcome marked a progression for the Belgian trio, who placed fourth at the 2025 event in Crawfordsville in the United States, where Australia won. Lucas and Sacha Coenen entered the weekend recovering from late-season injuries that had hindered their individual world championship campaigns.

French collapse before home crowd

More than 30,000 spectators gathered in Mayenne hoping for a repeat of French victories achieved at Ernée in 2015 and 2023. France had secured the first choice on the starting gate during Saturday qualification under team manager Gautier Paulin, with Mathis Valin winning the MX2 heat, 34-year-old Romain Febvre placing second in MXGP, and Tom Vialle taking third in the Open class. However, the host nation suffered early crashes on Sunday that eliminated them from title contention.

In the opening MXGP and MX2 race, Valin crashed into straw bales on the downhill section during the opening lap, forcing an immediate retirement that consumed the team's discard score. Febvre took advantage of an error by Spain's Jorge Prado to win the race, but France was left with no further margin for error. In race two, Tom Vialle signed the holeshot before crashing on a jump landing on lap one, resulting in a second French abandonment.

Tom Vialle spoke after his race two crash.

I am really sorry. I am disappointed with the weekend, I expected much better.

Valin returned to the track for race two despite his earlier fall, finishing outside the top ten in 11th place. Febvre finished his home appearance with a 1-3 record across his two motos.

Spain and Netherlands round out podium

Spain claimed second place with 26 points, three behind Belgium, securing the country's first collective podium finish in competition history. Jorge Prado placed second in the opening heat behind Febvre, while Guillem Farrés finished fourth. In the second heat, Farrés finished fifth on a Triumph, although teammate Francisco Garcia retired due to motorcycle damage following a crash.

The Netherlands took third place with 34 points. Jeffrey Herlings won the combined MX2 and Open race, finishing 35.8 seconds ahead of Italy's Andrea Adamo and 37 seconds ahead of Latvia's Pauls Jonass. Dutch title hopes ended in the third race when Roan van de Moosdijk suffered an early fall.

Historical standings after Ernée

The victory is Belgium's first since Clément Desalle, Ken De Dycker, and Jeremy Van Horebeek won the 2013 event. The result ties Belgium with Great Britain at 16 total titles in Motocross of Nations history. Only the United States holds more victories, leading the all-time standings with 23 titles.