New approach for Romain Febvre
Just like his fellow factory riders in the Motocross World Championship, Romain Febvre has done his homework to find an answer to Red Bull KTM dominance. The most important change is the collaboration with coach Jacky Vimond.
The 2015 MXGP world champion has struggled with injuries over the past three seasons. Febvre has been working alone for quite some time, but changed tack for 2019. For this he has hired the Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 coach Jacky Vimond. The aim of the collaboration: to sharpen his skills as a rider and improve his mentality. Romain starts his fifth year in the MXGP, also his fifth year with Yamaha.
“I concentrate much more on myself now. That is part of the mental side of the work I do with Jacky,” says the Monster Energy Yamaha rider. “That preparation is also part of racing. Last year I was maybe too concerned about certain other riders and now I don't really care what they do. That's a very different approach for me. We have already seen in the first few [pre-season] races that it works. My speed was much better, I was only stopped by a few mistakes. Which I think is normal since it has been five months since my last race.”
Febvre missed the final GP in Imola. In addition, he had to miss the Motocross of Nations due to a concussion he suffered in Turkey. He didn't start riding and testing again until mid-November. In total, this is how Romain viewed a mandatory break of two and a half months. Febvre then got busy with an intensive period of motorcycle training and testing in Italy and Southern Europe.
Also new in the preparation of the #461 is the training tandem that he has formed since this winter with Ben Watson, also a pupil of former world champion Vimond. This way, Febvre now has a reference in terms of pace on the track. That was an unusual move for Febvre, who used to train alone. As is known, the Frenchman also had a tense relationship with his then teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek for a long time.
“I was already friends with Ben, but we became friends last year after training on the same tracks a number of times,” Romain explains. “Now we have trained a lot together and I think it is something that we will continue throughout the season. Admittedly, it helps that he rides in a different category. We definitely push each other but it doesn't become negative or overly competitive on the track. “
Febvre described the arrival of the other Jeremy - Seewer - in the Yamaha factory team as “a breath of fresh air”. However, Jacky Vimond's uninhibited joy in his program led to a profound change. The veteran's expertise has also helped Febvre adjust its position and attitude toward the YZ450F.
He hopes that this new approach can bring him back to the level, form and confidence with which Romain made his breakthrough in 2015. “I can say that I drive a lot more now, especially compared to last year. Then I worked hard physically and planned my motorcycle training around that. Now I may train less physically and put more hours on the bike. But I feel really good. Every week I learned something about preparing the bike or myself. Overall, this is the best winter I've ever had. I feel I am in a great position with a very good chance to challenge for the title.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler/Tom Jacobs
Photos: Yamaha racing
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