Belgium are champions again and the whole motocross world should celebrate. Liam Everts, Lucas Coenen and Sasha Coenen were consistent and at times brilliant, but while they won the team event, it was Jeffrey Herlings, Jorge Prado and Guillem Farres who won the classes and were the individual stars of the weekend.

Team USA also put in solid performances, as did Latvia, but man, one thing is for sure, MXoN still matters to those who love the sport and are not in it for money. Respect to the riders who continue to race with the same values that names like Bill Nilsson, Jeff Smith, Torsten Hallman, Joel Roberts, Roger De Costers, David Thorpe, Eric Geboers, Georges Jobe, Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, David Bailey, Jeff Emig, Broc Glover, Johnny O’Mara, Stefan Everts, Joel Smets, Jeremy McGrath, Gautier Paulin, Ryan Dungey, Romain Febvre, Antonio Cairoli, Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto.

Pride is what carried them all into the biggest race and prize in the sport, the Chamberlain Trophy. No money on the line, just passion for your sport and nation. Let the people who complain about how this event is run, just stay at home.

With every winner, there are losers and what a tough day for the heavy favourites, France. With a lineup of Romain Febvre, Tom Vialle and Mathis Valin, there looks solid and after Saturday, even more so. But crashes cost them big time. Romain Febvre still did his thing, but the others cost them badly.

Here are the riders comments, from the winners, the podium men and many others. A classic victory for Belgium, and as always, a drama filled day with so much to talk about.

Liam Everts: “It’s unreal. I had no idea where we were on points, so I was just trying to keep pushing because I knew it was going to be really close. We had a mega day and I couldn’t have done it without Lucas and Sacha. To win this with Belgium after 13 years is something else, and with the history my dad and grandad have with this event, it makes it even more special. It’s been a long road, but we pulled it off together. I’m honestly lost for words - this feels amazing.”

Lucas Coenen: “I cannot thank these guys enough. It’s unbelievable. Last week I could barely do [ride] 10 minutes but we kept working and on Tuesday I managed to do one moto. I don’t know how I did it today, especially with [Cooper] Webb on my wheel and I was nervous for the second start. A big thanks to Joel [Roelants, Team Manager] and everyone behind the scenes. This is amazing. Belgium is back on top and I love it.”

Sacha Coenen: “It feels unreal to be up here with my brother and the whole team rode amazing today. I didn’t have the best first moto but the second was really good. I was quite happy enough. I really want to thank the whole team. It’s an incredible day.”

Jeffrey Herlings: I definitely didn’t make things easy for myself in that last moto. I think I was like 15 seconds down after the crash, but I knew I had the speed and the time to do it, so I went to work. In the end I was able to make the move just past the halfway mark of the moto and pulled out a good gap to win. The first race was a lot easier and overall it was a good weekend and we continued the winning streak in Sunday motos all the way from the MXGP of Great Britain through today. The podium was always the goal for the Netherlands and we made that happen to, so happy with everything and a good way to round off this GP season.

Jorge Prado: “With the whole team we put Spain on the box. We have never achieved a podium and to take 2nd place is amazing. There are a lot of people behind this and a lot who have been waiting, waiting and waiting for us to be up here. We had some amazing performances today and I’m really happy I can live this with them.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: It feels really good, you know. I think coming into this week, we had some struggles with Team The Netherlands and I wasn't happy how things went. Still, stepping back to 250, last time I rode a 250 was back in 2014, so a long, long time ago and I only had five days on it. Yesterday was a struggle and today my starts were good and I put some solid results in and I am so proud we could podium. Proud to get another medal and it might be my last Nations, so really good.

Roan van de Moosdijk: "I'm just happy to help them a little bit. My first race was solid, I finished P9, so I was happy with that and already had a good result on board. Of course, there are really big names in my country, and Jeffrey and Glenn are really experienced. Jeffrey did his thing and I think Glenn did really well on his 250. So I'm proud and happy to be on the box again."

Guillem Farres: “It’s been a really good weekend here in Ernée. Sunday was really positive. In the first moto, I got off to a decent start and made my way up to fourth. The second moto was a similar story and I finished fifth, so two really solid results. To finish second overall with Team Spain and stand on the podium is a great way to end the weekend. I’m really proud of my teammates and really happy with what we achieved together.”

Camden McLellan: “Sunday was pretty positive. I was happy with my riding and had two decent starts. Obviously, it’s not easy when you’re up against the 450s, but by my standards the starts were good and I put together two strong races. In the first one I was closer to the front from the beginning and came home as the second MX2 rider behind Guillem. In the second race I was pretty buried in the pack, but I came through really well and was happy with my riding, the positions I made up, and just the feeling in general. To finish second overall in MX2 behind Guillem is a nice way to close out the season. It’s been an awesome year, so I’m really happy to end it like this.”

Cooper Webb: My weekend was great. It turned into an awesome event, as always. Motocross of Nations, amazing, it always delivers. For me personally, I had a really strong day, went 6-6 and battled Lucas Coenen in the second one and I never thought I could do that. We had some tuff luck with some crashes and a take out, but for me, it was a special day riding.

Levi Kitchen: I got cleaned out by Forato, he cleaned me out good. Bent my bars. What a crazy week, a lot to take in. From winning last week and then trying to prepare and it was a great experience. Second one I battled some good guys and Saturday was good with the other 250s. I would be great to race them again in America or here. No regrets at all. To win SMX that helped and I came here to enjoy it. I am happy to ride for USA and meet a lot of new people.

Tom Vialle: Definitely not how I wanted today to go. The whole team felt really good after yesterday, and it was awesome to race in front of so many French fans, and the atmosphere was just amazing. However, sometimes things just don’t go your way and today, it seemed like all of the bad luck happened. I got the holeshot in my race and was leading early on, before coming over the jump I had to bail off the bike. Thankfully I was pretty much okay, but while I tried to race in the last race, I wasn’t feeling right and had to withdraw. Not how I wanted it to go but this is motocross. Thank you to all the fans for their support!

Julien Beaumer: I only put an hour on the 450 and happy with my riding. I started from the back and rode good from 22nd to 10th and then did a similar thing in the second one, but went down. The toughest track I have ever ridden. Trying to learn a bike and track at the same time was tough. It was a big step and overall, I don't regret this and I want to come back for sure. The vibe was amazing and I never sat on the gate so nervous and I was like, this is insane. I was stoked to be here.

Andrea Adamo: “A good day until it wasn’t. I had a really good first moto with P2 and it was a good race. Second moto: at the Nations you always have to decide which rider goes to the gate first and I let my teammate, Albie, go, so that meant pick 22-23 for me. I got an OK start and was P9 or 10 and going for more. I had a good feeling and good speed but unfortunately I made a mistake and crashed at the top of the hill. I had a big hole in the radiator. The team wanted me to stop but I decided to ride a bit more and got back up to P8 but then the team decided I should pull out because it was getting a bit sketchy. It is what it is. In general, I’m happy about the weekend, and how I finished the season. We now have some work ahead. We have a new bike and we need to discover some new things and get some order. We’ll go home and get busy and come back for more next year.”

Romain Febvre: "It's incredible to win again at the Nations. I savoured that winning moment in the first moto so much, particularly to do it here again in Ernée in front of this fantastic crowd. I think I was riding at my very best level today; I was also strong in the final race to come back to third after my crash. I did my job for the team and I delivered well in my last race for Kawasaki too. I didn't know until after the finish of the first race that Mathis was out; it's a shame for Mathis but that's the Nations. The atmosphere with the public was fantastic all weekend; it was a moment we will never forget."

Mathis Valin: "I made a pretty good start against the 450s in that first race but then I made my own mistake. I went a little to the right when the guy in front moved across on me, but I went a little too much and hit the yellow bloc; when you went even one millimetre off-line here you were in trouble. But it is what it is; it happened and I can't change it. It was a pretty tough crash and I was in a bit of pain for the second race so it was hard to manage everything but I gave my all."

Pauls Jonass: "I was really happy with my first moto, and I was catching Webb in the last moto until I had a small crash. And P4 for Latvia makes me so happy! Both brothers did a good job too; we worked well together and had agood team atmosphere. We are a small country and ten years ago we had a feeling of success when we just made it to the A final but today we beat some of the mecca countries of the sport; we were consistent and it paid off. The track was rough and really tricky today. Some parts were really deep with good traction and other parts were slick; you had to know where the limits were and when you could push."

Francisco Garcia: "I'm proud to be part of the first Spanish team to ever reach a podium at the MX of Nations! In both races I did my best and I’m happy with my results. In the last race the team pit-boarded me to try to gain several positions for the overall win; I did my best but I couldn’t make more passes. Anyway it’s great to be on the box with such amazing fans here this weekend."

Ferruccio Zanchi: “It was my first time with Team Italia, and it was a fantastic experience. The Ernée track is very demanding but truly great, and it was exciting to make the Desmo250 MX's debut at the Motocross of Nations. It's a shame for the mistake in the first race—which damaged the front brake disc and forced me to slow down—but overall, it was a positive weekend where I rode well and showed good speed.”

Alberto Forato: “As Team Italy, we gave it everything, but in the end, the result we were hoping for wasn’t quite there. I think we could have fought for the podium, but things just didn’t go our way. There were still some really good things to take away from the weekend. I am happy with my qualifying race and I had a pretty solid sixth-place finish in race 1. It’s just a bit of a shame about race 2: after a small issue at the start and a crash, I gave everything I had and fought my way back to 12th. Thanks to everyone for the support, we had a good time!”

Jörgen-Matthias Talviku: “It was a really good weekend, we did a good job on Saturday to qualify directly for the A-final with Team Estonia. Personally, I had a really good qualifying heat and finished seventh. I have been feeling good on the bike lately, and I have enjoyed the races a lot, especially while I was riding in fifth for quite a while in race 1. Race 2 was a little more difficult, but all in all, we can be happy with tenth overall for me and P12 for Estonia.”