The Grand Prix of France, round seven of fifteen in the FIM contest, presented a difficult test to the riders. The heat and humidity of Saturday led to thunder, lightning and brief showers Sunday morning; the effect on the track was to significantly soften the terrain creating a muddy and rutted first race and then a tough prospect for the bikes and riders in the second moto when afternoon sunshine dried and hardened the terrain.

Philippaerts - benefitting from some tests and positive allocation of the team's resources to optimise the set-up of his factory YZ450FM during the week - was a member of a thrilling four rider fight for podium slots in the first moto. The 25 year old changed positions constantly with Clement Desalle and beat the Belgian to 3rd by the finish line, setting the fastest lap on the way.

The duo reignited their feud in Moto2 but this time it was for the lead and was less frantic. Philippaerts pushed through on the new top section of the circuit and then never looked back. After two pole positions and two previous podium appearances this season, France represented the 2008 world champion's fourth career win for Yamaha.

Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Ken De Dycker was 7th overall with finishes of 9th and 6th. The classifications hid the amount of determination that the strong Belgian put into his riding after two poor starts meant a lot of hard work on a surface that was not easy for overtaking.

Philippaerts gained some positive momentum in the MX1-GP standings and now hold 3rd position, just 4 points behind Desalle. De Dycker is 6th and 10 points from another slot.

Round eight will take place in two weeks time at the natural and fast layout of Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany and will commence a period of three back-to-back races with Latvia and Sweden following hard upon.

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team:

"I am really happy. Today we had two very good motos and I had a great race with Desalle in the first. I think we passed each other six or seven times and it was fun fighting out there. In the second race I overtook him quickly and for sure when you are in the lead it is easier! They had cleaned some parts of the track after the first moto and it was better for jumping and also a bit faster. We worked very hard this week after America, together with Fabio now helping both riders and the bike was really nice and was great to ride. Ohlins is working well; the bike is new and the combination is new and of course we needed to focus on that. We have a good direction now. Thanks to my sponsors and especially my doctor, who helped with my bad back after America."

Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team:

"It was difficult today and I am not really that happy with my starts because they determine so much at this track. The second race was better than the first but it was still very risky to overtake and there was only a good opportunity when someone in front you made a mistake. You really had to use a lot of energy and line-up the move five corners beforehand. I might race in Belgium next weekend. We will have to see."

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha's Zach Osborne used the agility of the 2010 YZ250F to negotiate some deep and hard-forged ruts at St Jean D'Angely to seal his second consecutive podium result with 3rd place overall at the Grand Prix of France. The talented American was a proactive force on a difficult circuit surrounded by 30,000 spectators.

Morning thunder storms had delivered a quota of rain that softened the French terrain and with MX1-GP, MX2-GP, 125cc two-stroke European series and FIM Women's World Championship entrants all ploughing a course across the valley layout the course became rutty and unsettling for the motorcycles.

Osborne's YZ250F coped admirably in the first 40 minute moto when he held second position for the second half of the sprint after passing Jeffrey Herlings. The runner-up of the USGP last week was undone however on the final corner as he hesitated behind a backmarker and the Dutchman pounced to relegate the 20 year old to 3rd. All hopes of a trophy seemed to have vanished on the first lap of Moto2 with a crash leaving Osborne near the rear of the pack and 28th on the first lap. A fantastic attack and trawl through the pack pulled the rider up to 9th and ensured his prize.

Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team's Gautier Paulin had a good and bad home grand prix. The 20 year old was superlative to seal his first ever pole position on Saturday. Mistakes through the first race - including two crashes while tussling for 8th place, one on the last lap leaving him 14th - were eradicated for Moto2 where he rode to a decent 4th for 8th overall to be the second-best Yamaha rider on the day.

Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi's Christophe Charlier returned from his hand injury to post 9th at his first home Grand Prix and had his team buzzing with excellent speed to obtain 5th in the first moto and return from virtually last after a first-lap second moto crash to take 11th. Team-mate Harri Kullas was 11th. The Finn struggled to get rid of a light-concussion and fatigue from the trip to the USA during the opening phases of the weekend but made two bright starts for 11th and 8th. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX team-mates Alessandro Lupino and Loic Larrieu were 13th and 20th overall respectively.

Osborne is 6th in the World Championship standings and needs just 6 points over Shaun Simpson to break into the top five. Kullas is 11th, Charlier 13th, Lupino 14th and Paulin 15th; despite missing the first four Grands Prix.

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