It was an article in Presse Océan about the organization of a motocross race in Fresnay-en-Retz that pushed Jonathan and Corentin Martineau to contact us to defend this unloved sport. The two brothers, aged 28 and 30, are very active within the Herblinois off-road motorcycle club which saw its land closed in November 2022 due to lack of agreement from the town hall to extend their authorization.
“People are crying scandal even though they don’t know our sport”
Motor sports have a bad image in general, regrets Corentin Martineau, who chairs the MTTH. People are crying foul when they don’t know our sport. They have an image of unfriendly bikers even though motorcycling is a sport but also a passion. Motorcyclists are united by nature and associations like ours allow enthusiasts to practice their sport in good conditions and transmit values and good practices. We bring together a lot of volunteers who come to have a good time and participate in the organization.
In the last two years, four motocross courses have closed. After Saint-Herblain, it was that of Carquefou then that of Marne and Saint-Meme-le-Tenu which were closed: While the world champion of motorcycle GP Fabio Quartaro brings us a lot of children, underlines Jonathan Martineau . We make it a point of honor to charge reasonable prices for practitioners when we organize rides on circuits. We are also developing the OGP category for 6-12 year olds and 25 Power, which accommodates two wheels of up to 25 horsepower. It is a less expensive category which is attracting more and more people, given the economic context.
The club, which has more than a hundred members, continues to operate thanks to a partnership with the Notre-Dame-des-Landes club. The two brothers still have arguments to defend their sport: We pay very close attention to noise pollution: before the competition, each motorcycle undergoes a technical inspection and noise measurements are carried out; a certain ceiling must not be exceeded. Electric motorcycles are also developing, in terms of noise pollution, there is no longer a problem.
A motorcycle center project
Corentin Martineau does not despair of finding land for his club: We searched a lot and we encountered a lot of refusals. However, we have a complete motorcycle center project with a motocross field but also a practice site for motorcycle schools, which are sorely lacking in Nantes. We also want to set up a flying school for young people from the neighborhoods: we have already worked in partnership with the national police who carried out actions during school holidays with young people. We have a whole network of local partners including a vocational school who are ready to work with us. We would give these young people the opportunity to ride but also to learn how to prepare their motorcycle to open up opportunities for them. Customs officers and civil protection were training on our land and the SDIS had contacted us. We could respond to several societal issues with this project.
Corentin Martineau knows that the road will be long before obtaining everyone's agreement to set up this new project: One thing is certain: we will work in complete transparency with local residents.
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