Why do the French love motorcycle racing so much?

Where it all started  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View in browser View in browser ARTICLES MAGAZINE SHOP DATABASE SHOP MOTOGP Why do the French love motorcycle racing so much? Because they invented it! Mat Oxley Why did 120,000 fans turn up to watch Johann Zarco's fairytale victory at Le Mans last Sunday? Because motorcycle racing is a French invention – the first races, circuits, race bikes and top riders all came out of France It all started in France. The first motor race was the Paris-Rouen of 1894, which was soon followed by the Paris-Marseille-Paris, Paris-Bordeaux-Paris, Paris-Saint Malo, Paris-Aix-Les-Bains, Paris-Vienna, Paris-Madrid, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Amsterdam-Paris and Paris-Berlin. This was before anyone had even thought of building racetracks. READ MORE MOTOGP Mat Oxley Le Mans MotoGP: Fantastique Zarco makes the French sing Johann Zarco surfed through the rainy chaos at Le Mans to take a hugely popular MotoGP victory, while Marc Márquez kept it together to take vital championship points READ MORE Motor Sport Branded Explore our best-selling products, specially selected for Motor Sport enthusiasts like you. Racing Green Motor Sport Binder BUY NOW Wireless Earphones Motor Sport BUY NOW Coasters Motor Sport BUY NOW F1 Winners' Cars Motor Sport Poster BUY NOW Flask Bottle Motor Sport BUY NOW Laptop Bag Motor Sport BUY NOW Update your content preferences UPDATE NOW Connect with us We now accept © 2025 Motor Sport Magazine, All rights reserved. Motor Sport Magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE. © 2025 Motor Sport Magazine, All rights reserved. Motor Sport Magazine,  18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE. Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy