Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre scored his first GP podium of the 2023 FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Frauenfeld in Switzerland to cement his consistent start to the campaign.
The Frenchman got excellent drive to enter turn one second in race one before he was drifted wide by another rider to emerge eighth but he was quickly making moves to sixth by the completion of the opening lap and, making clever use of the ever-developing lines, had advanced to his eventual third-placed finish within nineteen minutes. A powerful start in race two saw the KX450-SR leader surge towards turn two fourth despite drifting wide at turn one; within two laps he had made a thrilling pass for third and, setting the four fastest laps of the race, he quickly closed down the front-runners. With ten minutes remaining he made a decisive pass for second and homed in on the leader. Time-and-again the Kawasaki star and his rival experienced heart-stopping moments as they encountered lapped riders; fortune was on the side of his rival in traffic and Romain had to concede on the final lap but his first GP podium of 2023 sees him head to Italy next weekend established in a four-rider breakaway at the head of the championship table, just five points shy of second in the series.
Romain Febvre: “The track suits me and I’ve been feeling good all weekend. My starts have been really good, almost alongside Jorge, but the first-turn was a mess each time; I got pushed out the first time and I went too wide myself the second time and bounced off the bank. I had to work really hard for that third place today and at the finish I was really close to winning the GP; I had to pass Jeffrey both motos, Jorge too in race two and I came behind Maxime but I was getting filled in with rocks everywhere. My thanks to the entire KRT team; we have come a long way in the last two weeks with understanding the bike. My championship is really starting now.”
