Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre claimed pole position for the fifth round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Pietramurata in the Trentino region of northern Italy with an overwhelming victory in Qualifying.
The Frenchman, bubbling in confidence after his GP victory last weekend on Sardinia, was in command all day, topping both practice sessions to earn first gate-pick for the Qualifying race by more than a second.
A perfect start saw him round the first turn clear of the pack in a Green 1-2 alongside local wild card rider Nicholas Lapucci on a standard KX450; within a few turns he had edged clear of the Italian and immediately confirmed his pace to establish a four-second lead by the end of the first lap. Setting the fastest laps of the race he moved ever further clear to establish an eight-second advantage before cruising on the final lap for an unchallenged victory to claim his first pole position of the season.
Romain Febvre: «A perfect day ! We would like to have a Qualifying day like this every weekend! I had a good feeling with the track straight away, posted the fastest lap in both practice sessions and then got a really good start in the Qualifying race. I’m really happy about that as we worked a lot on the starts this week. We did many tests; we just made a few minor setting changes and it proved successful today. It’s so important nowadays to get good starts, so now the goal will be to repeat this every race. It’s the third year in a row that I have won the Qualifying race here; last year I also won one moto and made the podium despite a crash in the second race, so let’s hope that this year I will have a perfect weekend! My feeling with both the track and the bike is great, so I feel confident.»
In the MX2 class, Liam Everts from Neestan Husqvarna won his first qualifying race of the season. The belgian made the pass for the win over Thibault Benistant with two laps to go. He is now 6 points behind championship leader and teammate Kay de Wolf, who finished 5th.
MXGP OF TRENTINO | SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Top 10 MXGP Qualifying Race
| Position | Rider | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romain Febvre | Kawasaki |
| 2 | Tim Gajser | Honda |
| 3 | Jeremy Seewer | Ducati |
| 4 | Maxime Renaux | Yamaha |
| 5 | Ruben Fernánez | Honda |
| 6 | Calvin Vlaanderen | Yamaha |
| 7 | Glenn Coldenhoff | Fantic |
| 8 | Ben Watson | Beta |
| 9 | Jan Pancar | KTM |
| 10 | Andrea Bonacorsi | Fantic |
Top 10 MX2 Qualfying Race
| Position | Rider | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam Everts | Husqvarna |
| 2 | Thibault Benistant | Yamaha |
| 3 | Simon Langenfelder | KTM |
| 4 | Camden McLellan | Triumph |
| 5 | Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna |
| 6 | Cas Valk | KTM |
| 7 | Valerio Lata | Honda |
| 8 | Quentin Prugnieres | KTM |
| 9 | Janis Reisulis | Yamaha |
| 10 | Rick Elzinga | Yamaha |
