Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre had to be satisfied with fifth overall in the Dutch round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Arnhem after two tough chases up the leaderboard.
Ten minutes spent behind his teammate at the start of race one from a sixth-placed start proved costly for the Frenchman as he was already sixteen seconds off the leader when he could pass and, despite then making a quick pass for fourth, he would eventually finish fifth after surrendering one position again to a hard-charging local sand expert. Race two followed a similar pattern as the leaders escaped while he once again needed ten minutes to find a way around his teammate. A series of consistently-fast laps saw him close to within sight of the moto podium entering the final lap but time ran out for a challenge and he again had to be content with fifth for that same position overall. The Kawasaki rider is now just three points shy of sixth in the series standings with four GPs remaining.
Romain Febvre: “Today my starts were decent but not the best, and twice I was behind Jeremy and it took me time to pass him. That cost some energy, and when I eventually passed him the guys in front were nearly twenty seconds ahead so, even though my pace was good and I could reduce the gap, I had no chance to catch them. Twice fifth was an average result; it’s more difficult to pass here than on some other sandy tracks, especially during the first ten minutes when everyone is going fast. Last night and today I had some pain in my body, especially in the legs, after my crash in practice yesterday, but I’m happy not to be seriously injured as it was a pretty big one. This week I will do some training on hard-pack to prepare for the next GP in Switzerland.”
Jeremy Seewer made a superb fourth-placed start in race one and, despite surrendering two positions mid-moto, maintained a solid pace for the entire race to finish sixth. Another excellent start in race two saw the Swiss hold fifth for the first five laps before being passed by his teammate. P6 in each moto earnt sixth overall and the results see him close to within three points of fourth in the championship.
Jeremy Seewer: “It was just a consistent day with solid starts, fighting for positions for ten minutes and then keeping my pace with no mistakes or crashes. Two-times sixth is nothing spectacular but I earnt good points for the championship and we got this tricky track out of the way. This gives me confidence for my home GP next weekend; the Swiss fans are really special and I hope I can use that energy to achieve something special for them. I will try to be up there but I don’t want to give myself any pressure; the podium would be great but the front-three are amazing at the moment. I just want to enjoy it myself and also give the fans something to enjoy.”
After an early exit from the first FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship moto Bike It Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team’s Jack Chambers made a stunning start in race two to surge through turn one third. The shortage of track-time earlier in the day took its toll as he was pushed back to fifteenth at the finish. The American remains fifteenth in the series standings.
Jack Chambers: “We got off to a tough start today when I hit the gate as it fell in the first moto; I had a really good reaction-time and it didn’t work in my favour. I was coming back but a few laps in the suspension compressed on the face of a jump and it spat me out the front; I was pretty much a passenger. I got a really good start in race two and just tried to bring it home safe; this was probably one of the gnarliest tracks I’ve ever ridden but I’ve learnt a lot and keep looking forward. We go to Switzerland next week and that is one of my favourite tracks.”
Photocredits Full Spectrum Media
