The FIM Motocross World Championship contenders will go straight from last weekend’s United States round to France, where the seventh round of the series will take place this weekend.

While home riders Xavier Boog and Sebastien Pourcel struggle in a Tony Cairoli-dominated MX1 class, France has a strong presence in the MX2 courtesy of leader Marvin Musquin and third placed Steven Frossard.

The venue of St. Jean d’Angely makes its comeback into the series calendar and is due to host also the 2011 FIM Motocross of Nations.

Winning at the historic comeback to USA of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli has increased his points lead from teammate Max Nagl, having a bad weekend at Glen Helen. Now Cairoli enters France with a 41-point advantage over Nagl and a three GP win record to extend to four.

A DNF in moto two at Glen Helen made it a terrible weekend for Nagl, who remained second in the championship. The German won the French GP last year at Ernee but was off the podium at St. Jean in 2008.

A podium finish in America helped Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle in moving up to third in the championship. The French-speaking Belgian looks forward to France as he hopes to add another victory to his Portuguese GP success of this year.

Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Davide Philippaerts is currently in fourth place in the Championship but has to make up for a disastrous appearance in St. Jean in 2008 when he crashed and did not finish heat two. The former world champion instead was second in Ernee in 2009.

Fellow Yamaha rider Ken De Dycker is fifth in the series ahead of Steve Ramon.

Kawasaki Racing’s Boog is so far the best placed home rider as he sits in seventh place. The MX1 debutant has narrowly missed on his maiden podium finish in the USA but is pumped about breaking into the top three in his home event.

Teammate Sebastien Pourcel instead has been struggling since the start to the season but this comeback to St. Jean, the venue of his fourth and last GP win in 2008, may be a confidence booster.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Musquin has taken back-to-back victories since Portugal as America marked his third consecutive win and fifth of 2010. The Frenchman is so far the leader of the MX2 series and is confident for his home grand prix, which he dominated in 2009 in Ernee by winning both moto’s.

40 points behind Musquin is runner-up Ken Roczen of Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2. The 16-year-old German is yet to win a grand prix, a goal he came close to in Bellpuig but a bike failure dropped him off the overall podium. Roczen will seek revenge in St. Jean but knows it will be hard to beat Musquin on his home ground.

Third placed in the championship is another French racer in the likes of Frossard. The Kawasaki CLS rider injured his right thumb in Glen Helen’s qualifying race but that did not prevent him from taking an incredible third overall on the podium and storming to third in the championship.

Other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 rider Jeffrey Herlings instead dropped down to fourth in the series due to a bad weekend in the USA. The 15-year-old will try and put himself back together for France as his goal is making up points on the top three riders.

Teammate Shaun Simpson completes the top five but Zach Osborne is coming closer courtesy of his home podium at Glen Helen, his first podium of 2010.

Yamaha rider Gautier Paulin is also another one looking for a podium finish at home as Osborne did in America. Also for Paulin it would be the first podium of 2010 as he only resumed racing in Bellpuig due to an off-season injury.