The programme for the final weekend of competition in the French championship included two laps in the magnificent Aveyron countryside, with a total distance of 70 kilometres, and three varied special stages, including a line through the woods that the Elite riders had to ride three times, and the Women twice.
In these idyllic conditions, it was once again official Rieju rider Mireia Badia who dominated the women's category with authority, as the Spaniard won every stage of the two-day race. In short, she was unstoppable! On Saturday, she had a one-minute lead over her nearest rival at the end of the last stage of the day, and on Sunday, almost a minute and a half! These new results mean that, had he not missed the first round of the championship with an arm injury, he would have won the French title. In fact, despite missing one race, she finished just six points behind the winner at the end of this final stage.
Léo Le Quéré, for his part, was less successful: despite feeling good on his MR 300 Pro, he was unable to break into the leading group in the E3 category throughout the weekend. Sixth at the end of the first day of the race, Léo managed to make up a place on the second day, but without being able to get into the fight at the front, which left him feeling bitter and disappointed for this grand finale. The Breton would have ended his French season on a positive note after a year marred by various problems. But the opposite happened, and he lost one position in the overall ranking at the end of the requista race, dropping from 4th to 5th place.
Léo Le Quéré
"Congratulations to Requista Moto Sport, who prepared a great race for us. It was a great finish and I'm even more bitter because I enjoyed the two days of racing. The stages were selective and very pleasant to ride. But my results don't reflect the pleasure I felt riding my bike. I've always had the feeling of riding at the limit and pushing my limits, but the times show that I'm still a long way off. I need to understand what I'm missing to ride with the front riders, especially when the stages deteriorate. In any case, I want to thank the factory for their support even though my results didn't live up to our expectations. I would have liked to offer them much more than this 5th place in France".
Mireia Badia
"I really enjoyed the first day of the race because, with the rain during the week, the stages were a lot of fun to ride. The terrain was soft and there was a lot of grip. I felt good all day. Sunday was more difficult because there was less grip and, most of all, the track was very deteriorated. There were a lot of bumps and holes and you had to constantly change trajectory. It was also more physical. But it worked. In any case, I am happy to have competed in the French championship this year. It's well organised, well laid out and the links are always well signposted. I felt good straight away, especially because the atmosphere with the other competitors was perfect. It was a very good training for the World Cup, because the stages are physical and there are some long ones. But I still don't know if I'll be back next year. We'll have to talk about it with the team. Obviously, I'm disappointed that I didn't win the overall, but I wasn't originally planned to take part, so it wasn't really an objective...".
FINAL OF THE FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP AT REQUISTA
Organising the final of a French championship is never easy, but Requista Moto Sport, in Aveyron, which hosted a race in 2017, once again performed brilliantly: the riders were able to contest the last race of the year in perfect weather and sporting conditions. Once again, Mireia Badia took an unstoppable double in the women's category, while Léo Le Quéré fought hard for a place on the E3 podium.
