Romain Febvre completes the Indonesian double

Romain Febvre of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP made it back-to-back wins on consecutive weekends in the second Indonesian round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship on the island of Lombok.
 

The Kawasaki leader signaled his intentions already during morning Warm-up as he set fastest lap times and in the first GP moto he surged immediately into the lead on the exit from turn one, opening up a three-second advantage within just three laps and extending that to more than five seconds before a few mistakes started to creep into his game in the humid heat, allowing his championship rival to take advantage on the penultimate lap in a dramatic tussle. More determined than ever to turn it around in race two the Frenchman survived a shock moment on the sprint from the start-gate as a rival touched his front wheel but, remaining calm, he rode an immaculate inside-line through turn one to emerge second. Yet more hectic action as he lost drive a few turns later saw him temporally relegated to fourth but his outrageous speed took him back to second by the end of the lap and he immediately set his sights on the leader. His first attack repulsed in a dramatic duel the man in Green left no doubt second-time around as he swept around the outside and, lapping two seconds a lap faster than anyone else, he immediately raced clear. As the race entered the closing stages his main rival again tried to push closer but the Kawasaki man immediately responded to bring home a clearcut moto victory and clinch his second consecutive GP win in eight days. It was a fitting conclusion to a perfect Asian adventure for the entire KRT team and Febvre returns to Europe with his second place in the championship standings even more secure, having now built a forty-four point advantage over third.

Romain Febvre: « You cannot imagine how proud I am to turn it around in race two. I should have had that first moto win too, but I just made a few mistakes near the end and Prado capitalized; there were just two laps to go and I had no energy to come back at him. I was so disappointed but I could show him that the second moto is the key to the GP win. The humid weather made it tough for all of us, and those guys at the back of me are really young; they were pushing me but I showed again that I can still win. My thanks to all of the team and our sponsors for their hard work and support; we made it 1-1 in Indonesia, but now I’m happy to go back to Europe. We have won before at both Loket and Lommel so I look forward to the next two GPs, but most of all I look forward to being with my family again; I know they were watching online. »

KRT teammate Mitch Evans had to dig deep after waking up sick in the morning. He quickly moved forward to ninth in race one, but was clearly feeling the impact of the humid conditions during the later stages of the race, particularly through the energy-sapping rhythm section, and sensibly settled for twelfth at the finish. The Australian again found himself ninth by the second lap of race two and settled into a solid rhythm to maintain that position to the chequered flag. Tenth overall on the day, he has jumped to fifteenth in the series standings.

Mitch Evans: « It was a difficult day for me. I woke up feeling a little sick this morning, so the main goal in the end was to get out of here healthy. We have some more new parts to test when we get back to Europe so I’m looking forward to Loket. »

Geerts Celebrates 100th Grand Prix Start with Dominant Double Race Win in Lombok

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Jago Geerts celebrated a milestone 100th Grand Prix start with a dominant 1-1 finish at the 11th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Lombok, Indonesia. The 23-year-old Belgian entered his first full season in MX2 with the Hans Corvers led Yamaha team in 2018 and has since racked up a head-turning record: 95 top-three finishes, 40 race wins, 50 podiums, and 20 Grand Prix victories across his 100 Grands Prix.

Despite dealing with a recent injury, Geerts rose to the unique challenge of a brand new circuit. From the unusual dirt, that could only be described as loose on top and hard-packed underneath, to the physically exhausting heat and humidity, Geerts remained inch perfect all weekend, leading every race from start to finish to secure his fourth Grand Prix win of 2023. 

At the same time, Thibault Benistant and Rick Elzinga felt the impact of battling scorching hot temperatures and high humidity while ill. Although the demanding Lombok circuit tested their resilience, the Yamaha duo managed to secure ninth and 11th overall, respectively, demonstrating their admirable tenacity.

Geerts’ phenomenal 60-point haul in Lombok, not only marks a successful return to action, but has also reignited his 2023 title charge. He remains fourth in the Championship Standings but has moved within 11 points of the top three. Despite a challenging day in the office, Benistant has maintained his second position in the Championship Standings, while Elzinga moves up to 11th. 

Jago Geerts

MX2 Grand Prix of Lombok winner, 50-points

4th MX2 Championship Standings, 441-points

“Last week I made a step in the right direction, but I was not 100% because I was sick. But today, everything went well. I really liked the track here in Lombok, I felt really good on it and managed to win all three races. I couldn’t ask for more. It really feels like everything is going well now, and I hope to continue like this for the rest of the season.”

Thibault Benistant

9th MX2 Grand Prix of Lombok, 25-points

2nd MX2 Championship Standings, 462-points

“This weekend was quite challenging. I had a really bad night on Friday and felt terrible on Saturday with stomach pain, headache and fever. Today, I had no energy. I felt completely empty and struggled through the moto. I just did my best to save points. Racing is like this. You have good days and bad. It is what it is, I will work to be back in Loket.”

Rick Elzinga

11th MX2 Grand Prix of Lombok, 18-points

11th MX2 Championship Standings, 178-points

“I woke up this morning with a fever and a headache, so today was just a battle of survival. I did not feel well at all. Still, I think my riding was decent, but with no energy or power to ride fast, it was very difficult. Looking at the positives, I made some progress this weekend and I got my first holeshot. My riding is getting better, even though the result doesn’t show because I was sick today, but I am happy with the positives, and I am happy I can go home safe and sound.”