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Romain Febvre claims fourth consecutive GP victory at Lommel
Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP's Romain Febvre stormed to a fourth consecutive GP victory with a sensational ride in the second moto of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship round at Lommel.
The Frenchman signaled his intentions already during a rain-affected morning Warm-Up at the roughest, toughest track in the world, a stone's throw from KRT's Belgian workshop, as he lapped nearly four seconds faster than any of his rivals and his determination was again immediately evident in the first moto.
Closed down on the approach to turn one he displayed his incomparable race skills, finding the lines through the first few turns to emerge third and sweep into second within half-a-lap. By lap four he had closed onto the rear wheel of the leader and the pressure paid dividends as the front runner ran wide in a rugged turn.
Once in front the Kawasaki leader quickly moved clear and was never threatened as he took the chequered flag, patting the tank of his trusty steed, thirteen seconds ahead of second. Two hours later Febvre rode a race for the history books in moto two after a rider failed to hold his line out of the gate to cut across the Kawasaki's front wheel. Last at turn one but fired up as never before he responded sensationally to break into the top-ten by lap three and was sixth within ten minutes.
Five minutes later, with six laps remaining, two passes in a lap brought the Green leader to second in moto, seven seconds down on the race leader but with the overall secure. But still he was not content! As the two-lap-to-go board was hung out the gap was down to two seconds but in the end he saw the wisdom of paying tribute to the exertion of racing through the entire pack on the most demanding track in the world to concentrate on securing his fourth consecutive GP victory.
Even a technical issue on the track PA system during the podium ceremony could not dampen the delight of the Frenchman and his innumerable admirers as he spontaneously led a rousing rendition of the Marseillaise.
With six rounds of the championship remaining Febvre has reduced his points deficit to the series leader to ninety-nine points and heads to Finland, the home of KRT team owner and former F1 world champion Kimi Räikkonen, looking for a fifth consecutive victory in the toughest sporting series in the world.
Romain Febvre: "It was another great weekend for me. The new track layout is even more technical and already since yesterday morning I have had a really good flow. I was soon second in the first race; Glenn tried to make a gap but he was making mistakes so I could pass him and pull away for the win. But I had to ride really hard for it in the second moto; it was chaos in the first two turns and for sure I was nearly last. I thought it would be hard from there with everyone cutting each other up in the pack but I think I am the best out there at the moment and I could work my magic and kept my pace to the end. I almost caught Prado with two laps to go but I was just exhausted by then so I was satisfied with the overall. Not many people have ever won four-in-a-row; that is something special."
KRT teammate Mitch Evans also enjoyed his best GP of the season as he continues to rebuild from pre-season injuries. The Australian was down in thirteenth after the initial sort-out in race one but put his head down in the toughest GP of the year to move into the top-ten on lap seven and continue to push, taking over eighth on the penultimate lap. He held down twelfth for half of race two before slipping back to sixteenth at the finish as the exertions of race one took their toll to be classified thirteenth on the day and he remain fourteenth in the series points-chase.
Mitch Evans: "Moto one was really good; I pushed through really well to eighth and was happy with my riding. I got a better start in race two but got caught up in turn two and lost a heap of positions. I came back through again but then I felt a lot of cramping in my lower back. There were a lot of positives again; just the last ten to fifteen minutes could have been better."
Antti Pyrhönen (KRT team manager): "I'm so proud of Romain and the complete team - all the technical guys, trainers, physios, truck drivers, hospitality, everybody! It's an incredible achievement to win four-in-a-row and it is visible for all to see how good the Kawasaki is. Since the beginning of the season with the new bike we felt we had the platform and we have worked together with KMC R&D to develop the bike better-and-better; we now have a winning bike on all types of track and it's a real statement to win here in Lommel. You know at that moment you win here that the rider, the bike, the engine, everything is at the highest level and it emphasizes the reliability. And it is like a 'home' win; our workshop is like a back-door neighbor with the track and we had a really busy weekend with lots of sponsors and guests who we could reward for their confidence in us."