Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre raced to his eighth podium of the season in the Swedish round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Uddevalla to further enhance his second place in the series standings with four GPs remaining. KRT teammate Pauls Jonass raced to an impressive second in the first moto on his return to GP action.
The Frenchman emerged top-six from turn one in the first moto and advanced to fifth on lap three but then faced a frustrating chase for fourth on a hard-pack track where overtaking proved exceptionally difficult for everyone. Time-and-again he pulled alongside before running out of track space; eventually, with two laps remaining he was able to force a pass at the third attempt in four corners for a deserved third-placed finish. He powered spectacularly through the long sweeping first turn in race two to drive under the rider with the holeshot and hold the lead for half a lap before the dominant force of recent weeks slipped past. After resisting pressure from behind through the first few laps he gradually made second safe and rode it to the finish of a moto which was red-flagged at the half-hour stage for safety reasons as two riders were receiving medical treatment on the track; the race had run sufficient distance to be classified and Febvre’s 4-2 day clinched second overall. He had made his second place in the series standings even more secure with a forty-four point buffer to third.
Romain Febvre: “I had good speed all weekend but I touched with another rider in the first turn of moto one and that spoilt my start; I was just behind Adamo all race but I couldn’t find any spot to pass until two laps to go. I was pleased when I almost holeshot race two and could take the lead, but I was riding a little too careful on the first lap and Jeffrey could pass me. Tim was on my rear wheel in the first few laps but I could build a gap over him and I tried to stay with Jeffrey; I could ride my own pace and was only a few seconds behind him when they showed the red flag.”
KRT teammate Pauls Jonass had two very different races to narrowly miss the podium on his return to GP action for the first time since suffering concussion in England last month. The Latvian was in impeccable form in the first moto after an aggressive pass for second at turn three; he even pushed the leader hard for a couple of laps before settling into a solid rhythm which kept the rest of the thundering leaderboard pack off his rear wheel to take the chequered flag second, his first moto podium for more than two years. Another front-rank start in race two saw him fourth after a few corners but, never finding his first moto rhythm, he was gradually relegated to ninth at the finish to narrowly miss the podium in fourth overall. He has further strengthened his tenth place in the series standings.
Pauls Jonass: “I have to be satisfied with my first moto today; it was good to show after my injury that I still believe in my ability to race at the front. I don’t feel I used too much energy in that first race – it’s actually easier to race second than when you are battling for seventh – but I just didn’t have the intensity in my riding in the second moto. I was just too cautious; I started riding too careful and when you’re not pushing on a track like this the bike starts to find every bump and is kicking everywhere. Still, fourth overall is my best result of the season. It was a pity that the crash in Foxhills came when it did as I felt really strong going there; I’m obviously not back to that level again yet and I need to be careful not to overdo things in training but I am looking forward with confidence to continue this improvement in the next races.”
DRT Kawasaki’s Kay Karssemakers deserved better reward in the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship but he suffered bad luck in both motos after showing tremendous speed and commitment. The Dutch youngster rode a stunning first three turns to move into fifth after being outdragged by the factory bikes out of the gate in moto one and he maintained his pace with solid 1-54 laps to resist the defending world champion for fifteen minutes. He surrendered to the current red plate holder two laps later but was still looking comfortable in seventh until a mistake ten minutes from the close cost him two further position to take the chequered flag ninth. Commitment through the first two turns of race two again saw him quickly into fifth and, brimming with confidence, he was looking for even more when he pulled alongside the previous weekend’s GP winner as he searched for a pass. Unfortunately the move proved too optimistic as the two riders touched and the Kawasaki was sent tumbling down the track. Leaping quickly back to his feet he frustratingly had no chance to remount a comeback as the clutch lever had been broken off in the incident and he was forced to withdraw. He remains eleventh in the series standings and will be hoping for better fortune next weekend in his home Dutch GP at Arnhem.
Kay Karssemakers: “Being a Dutchman I was brought up riding in sand but I was really enjoying the track this weekend; it flows so well and I could find a good rhythm. The results were obviously not what I hoped for but I showed I have the speed and am closing towards a top-five finish. Perhaps next week in my home GP!”
Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia took aonther step towards the European EMX250 Motocross Championship title as he raced to his sixth overall victory of the season with yet another two-moto success, thus extending his series lead to eighty-seven points with just two rounds remaining.
The Spanish teenager followed teammate Jake Cannon through turn one in a Bud 1-2 and needed just a few turns to take command and race clear. He soon held a comfortable six-second lead and could concentrate on managing the situation in his first race back after three weeks off the bike due to a knee injury sustained during a midweek training session. He can now look forward confidently to clinching the title next weekend in The Netherlands as he only requires a single eighth-placed finish from the remaining four motos. Kawasaki also holds a secure fifty-four points lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Francisco Garcia: “This weekend was not so easy. I couldn’t ride for three weeks so I had no expectations; I just came here to score some points but I had two such good starts and just rode my own race after taking the lead already on the first lap both motos. It was difficult to stay fully-focused for the entire race but today was a little better than yesterday. I will discuss it with my trainer but I think I may take a break this week for my body to recover; we go to Arnhem with a good gap in the points so I will try to clinch the title next weekend.”
Jake Cannon put the disappointment of a first-lap fall in Saturday’s first moto behind him by taking a clear holeshot in race two. He soon surrendered the lead to teammate Garcia and slipped to third on lap two but he remained patient to retake second with a decisive pass three laps from the finish. His first moto thirteenth meant he was restricted to sixth over the weekend but he remains a solid third in the series standings, twenty-seven points behind second but fifty clear of fourth.
Jake Cannon: “I could turn it around today but I’m still a little frustrated with myself because I’ve been making a lot of mistakes during the last few rounds and it’s been beating me up. I’ve been working a lot on my starts the last few weeks and it paid off today so I’m really happy with that but my first few laps were not the best again; I found my rhythm again later in the race to come back to second so let’s hope I can carry that into next weekend.”
