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Romain Febvre fifth in Switzerland
Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP's Romain Febvre missed the podium on the second moto tie-breaker in a chaotic Swiss round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at a muddy Frauenfeld.
The defending champion displayed outstanding speed at times in each moto on a heavy track featuring deep ruts after several days of rainfall, but untypical mistakes cost him the podium. He moved forward to third during the first few corners of the first race, and at half-distance he charged into second to close down the leader. A moto victory appeared possible until he was legged off in a deep rut to be pushed back to fourth. Again moving quickly into third on the opening lap of Race 2, he was the virtual leader overall and pressured the rider in second for more than half the moto, but could not find the best lines as the track changed. At the checkered flag, he had been demoted to fifth in moto and overall, denied the podium on the second moto tie-breaker. The championship battle is so close after three GPs that, although sixth in the series standings, he is just four points from fourth and eleven from third.
KRT teammate Pauls Jonass had battled hard throughout the first moto to earn seventh from an initial tenth and was looking to reinforce his push into the Top 10 of the series standings when he rounded the first turn, third in Race 2. But his joy was short-lived as a small stone jammed the rear brake mechanism on the first lap. After being delayed for more than a minute, he showed great spirit to charge back through the pack, missing the final championship point by just six seconds at the finish.
"For me, it was a bad day, but that's racing. Many things happened in the first moto, but I also crashed twice, even on the last lap; I had been second, but I finished fourth. In the second moto, I was third for a long time, but I could not find the good lines, and I started to lose time. Tim Gajser passed me, and I couldn't figure out where he was gaining time because he went away quickly; I didn't crash this moto, but I was making too many mistakes. Fourth and fifth were not what I should have because I was second and third at one stage, so I am disappointed. I was just not good enough today."
- Romain Febvre
"Finally, I got a really good start in the second moto, and a stone stuck in my rear brake on the first lap, so I overjumped the big table and lost some positions. I tried to push it out, but then I had to stop at the pits; the stone was hidden so deeply in the brake that it even took time for my mechanic to get it out. I was careful not to get in the way of the leaders, but there was a gap after Romain passed me, so I could stay on his rear wheel. I was feeling good on the track and riding well, but these small mishaps happen. I was moving forward in the first race too until I got taken out halfway through the moto, and the handlebars were bent, but I could still finish seventh. Hopefully, those will be the last mishaps this season, and we can keep moving forward from here."
- Pauls Jonass
