the essential
The Gimont motocross club will finally come out of the “sleep” mode where it has been stagnating since 2019. The association has already purchased land and aims to resume competitions on the future circuit for 2026.
“We’re just waiting for the papers. As soon as we have them, the work can start.” The president of the Gimont motocross club, Laurent Mamprin, is champing at the bit. Just a few months left, and barring any unforeseen events, all the lights will be green to begin setting up a new international motocross circuit.
Since 2019, the association has been in reduced activity, but it has never stopped having members. “We are still affiliated with the federation, we receive contributions from 80 licensees, but we have no tracks for the drivers! They will ride elsewhere…” At the time when the club managed its 4 ha circuit, it had 180 licensees. But the lessor took back his land, and the club found itself without land while the work on the RN124 resumed.
Complex file
Today, the picture is very different. The association owns a piece of land between Aubiet and Gimont, a long valley located along the dual carriageway, where the old fig orchard was located. A mound of earth hides the national road, a few dozen meters away.
At the end of the path leading to the future circuit, a huge sign reminds visitors that they are entering the lands of the Gimont motocross. The wasteland is occupied by a fairly dilapidated farm. “The Gimont bypass planned to destroy it, but we’re going to keep it,” confides Laurent Mamprin. “It will be the club’s premises, and the outbuildings will allow us to store heavy maintenance equipment.”
DDM – MC
To the right of the driveway, towards Auch, another plot of land could fall into the hands of the motocross club. Its purchase is still at the sub-seal stage. “There are clauses that stipulate that if the circuit is not built, the town hall would take it back. It is land that will remain unused. It mainly serves to isolate us from all the local residents,” says Laurent Mamprin.
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Gimont: motocross still waiting for a site
The proximity of the dual carriageway of the RN 124 led to an investigation by government services on 1 April. “It was supposed to be completed at the end of August, but some paperwork was missing,” confided Laurent Mamprin. “It’s been postponed, but I think it will be finished by the end of the year.” Given the complexity of the case, the club is going through a specialist firm, with the support of the national motocross federation. Laurent Mamprin hopes to welcome riders to the circuit in early 2026. This will also allow the club to get back on track financially. The treasury has been badly damaged by 5 years of inactivity.
Approval
The challenge is the creation of a circuit approved for international competitions. “Like before!” The authorization, if it arrives at the end of 2024, will kick off work on the track. “We already have the plans for the track,” assures the president. “We had launched a call for projects to our drivers, based on the plan of the plot. The chosen route was submitted to the federation, and it was adopted. The track itself does not present any difficulty. We should be able to complete it in a month. The hardest part will be the rest!”
Because motor sports involve very strict standards. The surroundings must be secured, fences must be provided, the public must be protected, watered… Not really unfamiliar territory for Laurent Mamprin, whose club already adopted the most draconian standards of this motor sport. “The biggest difference will be the spacing of the tracks. There, we need 6 m between each track. But that’s not a problem: there will be plenty of space!”
The support of the Federation
At all stages of the project, the Gimont motocross club was able to rely on a federation that was very involved in the new circuit project. There is a good reason for this: the federation is keeping in mind the example of Belgium, where there are no longer any motocross courses approved for international competitions. France only has a handful, and the one in Gimont was the only one in the South-West.
The Gimont club can therefore count on very broad funding for its land purchases. Fortunately, because the association’s war chest is dwindling. The federation also offers its services for putting together the file with the state authorities. “We had to determine the location. We had been offered three sites, when we had to move. We also manage the circuit plan, we follow the file”, specifies Laurent Mamprin, the president of the Gers club.
