Romain Febvre and Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP extended their lead in both the individual and constructors' standings of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Matterley Basin in southern England with their fourth GP win of the season and eleventh podium in twelve rounds.
The Frenchman converted a sixth starting position into fifth on the opening lap of the first race, but it proved difficult to advance further. All the championship leaders were at the front and were setting a high pace. It was only on lap nine of sixteen that he was able to pass Fernandez for fourth place. Four laps later he moved up to third place, but the leaders made no mistakes and he had to accept that position at the finish. The KRT team made some technical adjustments before the second race and it paid off: Febvre took a free holeshot – his fourth in the series – and led the entire race. He set the fastest race laps of the entire weekend and evaded the chasers to control the race, which was one lap longer than the opening race. He jumped for joy as he took his fourth GP win of the season and extended his lead in the standings to 32 points. Kawasaki also increased its lead in the constructors' standings. The awards ceremony concluded with a moving exchange of words as Shigemi Tanaka San, Managing Director of Kawasaki Europe, had the honour of presenting the trophy to the Frenchman.
Romain Febvre: “I actually had a really good lead in the first moto; the track was harder than I expected and I had chosen a different tyre, so I missed something on the straight. I was able to get close to the riders in front, but in the end they had a bit more pace in some places, so I couldn’t challenge. We went back to my normal tyres for the second race and made some small changes to the suspension for race two, which gave me more grip. I took the holeshot and that changed my life! I was able to ride freely, follow my own lines and control the race, even when Fernandez came back hard at the end. The top five riders can keep up with each other’s speed, so it’s so important to start at the front.”
