« Romain Febvre makes it FOUR in a row !

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre stormed to a fourth consecutive GP victory with a sensational ride in the second moto of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship round at Lommel.

The Frenchman signaled his intentions already during a rain-affected morning Warm-Up at the roughest, toughest track in the world, a stone’s throw from KRT’s Belgian workshop, as he lapped nearly four seconds faster than any of his rivals and his determination was again immediately evident in the first moto. Closed down on the approach to turn one he displayed his incomparable race skills, finding the lines through the first few turns to emerge third and sweep into second within half-a-lap. By lap four he had closed onto the rear wheel of the leader and the pressure paid dividends as the front runner ran wide in a rugged turn. Once in front the Kawasaki leader quickly moved clear and was never threatened as he took the chequered flag, patting the tank of his trusty steed, thirteen seconds ahead of second. Two hours later Febvre rode a race for the history books in moto two after a rider failed to hold his line out of the gate to cut across the Kawasaki’s front wheel. Last at turn one but fired up as never before he responded sensationally to break into the top-ten by lap three and was sixth within ten minutes. Five minutes later, with six laps remaining, two passes in a lap brought the Green leader to second in moto, seven seconds down on the race leader but with the overall secure. But still he was not content! As the two-lap-to-go board was hung out the gap was down to two seconds but in the end he saw the wisdom of paying tribute to the exertion of racing through the entire pack on the most demanding track in the world to concentrate on securing his fourth consecutive GP victory. Even a technical issue on the track PA system during the podium ceremony could not dampen the delight of the Frenchman and his innumerable admirers as he spontaneously led a rousing rendition of the Marseillaise. With six rounds of the championship remaining Febvre has reduced his points deficit to the series leader to ninety-nine points and heads to Finland, the home of KRT team owner and former F1 world champion Kimi Räikkonen, looking for a fifth consecutive victory in the toughest sporting series in the world.

Romain Febvre: « It was another great weekend for me. The new track layout is even more technical and already since yesterday morning I have had a really good flow. I was soon second in the first race; Glenn tried to make a gap but he was making mistakes so I could pass him and pull away for the win. But I had to ride really hard for it in the second moto; it was chaos in the first two turns and for sure I was nearly last. I thought it would be hard from there with everyone cutting each other up in the pack but I think I am the best out there at the moment and I could work my magic and kept my pace to the end. I almost caught Prado with two laps to go but I was just exhausted by then so I was satisfied with the overall. Not many people have ever won four-in-a-row; that is something special. »

KRT teammate Mitch Evans also enjoyed his best GP of the season as he continues to rebuild from pre-season injuries. The Australian was down in thirteenth after the initial sort-out in race one but put his head down in the toughest GP of the year to move into the top-ten on lap seven and continue to push, taking over eighth on the penultimate lap. He held down twelfth for half of race two before slipping back to sixteenth at the finish as the exertions of race one took their toll to be classified thirteenth on the day and he remain fourteenth in the series points-chase.

Mitch Evans: « Moto one was really good; I pushed through really well to eighth and was happy with my riding. I got a better start in race two but got caught up in turn two and lost a heap of positions. I came back through again but then I felt a lot of cramping in my lower back. There were a lot of positives again; just the last ten to fifteen minutes could have been better. »

Antti Pyrhönen (KRT team manager): « I’m so proud of Romain and the complete team – all the technical guys, trainers, physios, truck drivers, hospitality, everybody! It’s an incredible achievement to win four-in-a-row and it is visible for all to see how good the Kawasaki is. Since the beginning of the season with the new bike we felt we had the platform and we have worked together with KMC R&D to develop the bike better-and-better; we now have a winning bike on all types of track and it’s a real statement to win here in Lommel. You know at that moment you win here that the rider, the bike, the engine, everything is at the highest level and it emphasizes the reliability. And it is like a ‘home’ win; our workshop is like a back-door neighbor with the track and we had a really busy weekend with lots of sponsors and guests who we could reward for their confidence in us. » » (communiqué Kawasaki Racing)

« Geerts Boosts MX2 Title Charge with Thrilling Home Grand Prix Victory

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Jago Geerts closed the gap in the MX2 title fight with a dominant double race win at the 13th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Lommel, Belgium. The emotionally charged home soil win was made even sweeter with the Belgium-based Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team running the iconic white and pink livery from 1993, kicking off Yamaha’s 50th anniversary celebrations for its championship-winning YZ.

An emotionally charged Grand Prix of Flanders saw Geerts use the full strength of his YZ250FM, paired with his exceptional sand-riding ability, to dominate the Qualifying Race and both championship races in Lommel. 

Feeding off the energy of the loud and supportive home crowd, Geerts nailed three incredible starts and led every single lap of every race to celebrate his sixth Grand Prix win of the season. Thanks to his emphatic performance, the Yamaha ace has climbed to second in the MX2 Championship Standings and has narrowed the gap in the MX2 title fight to 13-points.

At the same time, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s rookie, Rick Elzinga, spent the weekend sharpening his mental game as he continues to find his footing in the highly competitive MX2 class. After making vital adjustments to his suspension on Sunday morning, the talented Dutchman powered his YZ250FM to two strong starts and put in an amazing performance around the rough and gnarly sand circuit to finish ninth in Race One, and a sensational fifth in Race Two.

After an incredible home Grand Prix, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team heads straight to Vantaa, Finland, for the third of three back-to-back Grands Prix, which will take place next weekend, July 29th and 30th.   

Jago Geerts

MX2 Grand Prix of Flanders Winner, 50-points

2nd MX2 World Championship, 551-points

« 60-points this weekend, and in front of my home crowd, to win three races, it’s an amazing feeling. I felt good on the track all weekend, and actually, as the weekend went on, I kept feeling better and better. The second race in particular, I felt so good out there and didn’t make any mistakes, so hopefully, I can continue like this for the rest of the season and be in the fight for the title. »

Rick Elzinga

6th MX2 Grand Prix of Flanders, 28-points

11th MX2 World Championship Standings, 228-points

« This weekend started tough, but it ended really well. I came in a little bit tired after a tough week physically and then struggled with bike set-up all day on Saturday. In the first race, I was already feeling a lot better, and as the weekend went on, it just got better and better for me. Fifth in the last race is my second-best result of the season, so I am really happy with that and shout out to Ludo for helping me get my suspension right for the races.  » »

MXGP of Flanders World Championship

The thirteenth GP of the season takes place in what is called “the hell of sand!” Lommel in Belgium, the most complicated and difficult track on the entire world calendar, the track changes lap after lap and for the riders to find the right feeling with the Belgian sand is very important in order not to make mistakes.

Albin Gerhardsson in timed qualifying seems to have found a good feeling with the track going to score the 22nd time. In the qualifying heat Albin manages to improve with a good race without making big mistakes he crossed the finish line in 21st position.

In race 1 Gerhardsson manages to have a good starting point from the gate and manages to take a good position at the gate, Albin fought throughout the heat to be able to enter the best twenty and take home some world championship points, the Swedish rider finished in 21st position.

The second heat saw an excellent performance for Gerhardsson, in borderline track conditions also due to the rain that fell during the day. Albin showed off the good work done so far together with the team and with a race without sparing himself he took home the 19th position, taking home world championship points.

SDMCORSE-AVIOMETAL MX TEAM moves to Finland for the next World Championship race in just 7 days.

Daniele Marchese. ”The most demanding race of the season and for Albin it was the first time, he showed great physical preparation completing both heats without problems. In race 2 he brought home important points for his and the team’s morale and we are very happy with the work we are doing together.”

DE WOLF SET TO MISS THE UPCOMING GRAND PRIX OF FINLAND.

Kay de Wolf of the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team could not complete yesterday’s Grand Prix of Flanders. De Wolf was keen to push through the pain that was prompted by an unfortunate practice crash on Wednesday, July 19, but that proved to be impossible.

De Wolf put in a valiant effort to qualify in sixth place, but a crash at the start of moto one only added to his troubles. It has been a tricky six weeks for de Wolf, who was at the forefront of the fight for the world championship, and he will now take the necessary time to allow his body to heal. ’74’ has the full support of the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing outfit.

Lucas Coenen will be Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s sole representative at the upcoming Grand Prix of Finland, as Roan van de Moosdijk is still recovering from the collarbone injury that he sustained in the Czech Republic. Updates on both van de Moosdijk and de Wolf will be provided in due course.

Rasmus Jorgensen (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager): « It has been a turbulent year for us. There were superb highs, like the Grand Prix win that Kay took in Latvia, and now we are experiencing the tough side of the sport. Kay will take the time for his battered and bruised body to heal, then he will return when he is ready to put his FC 250 back on the box.