If there is one thing that stands out in the career of Romain Febvre, it is his desire to fight. The 2015 World champion might only have one World championship to his name, but he will go down in history as one of the best from the last decade and a rider who gave names like Herlings, Gajser and Prado nightmares.

Another GP victory on the weekend and extending his championship points lead over Lucas Coenen. Below is what Febvre thought of his weekend and also a bunch of other riders. Pascal Haudiquert image.

Romain Febvre: "I actually had a really good jump in the first moto; the track was harder than I expected and I had gone for a different tyre so I missed something on the straight. I could come close to the guys at the front but in the end they had a little more pace in some places so I couldn't mount a challenge. We went back to my regular tyres for the second race and made some small changes to the suspension for race two and I had more traction. I took the holeshot and that changed my life ! I could ride free, take my own lines and control the race, even when Fernandez came back at me strong at the end. The top five guys can all match the speed of each other so it is so important start in front."

Lucas Coenen: “I felt bad the whole weekend on track. I struggled big time on Saturday and did feel the flow even today. I still need to get used to the 450 power! I had the holeshot in the first but made a tip off and then tried to come back. I didn’t have the best start in the second and was pushed a bit wide. I was trying to pass for 2nd but it was a bit sketchy. We know what to work on. I’m happy to leave this GP healthy and looking forward to the rest.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “Aactually, the whole weekend was great. I was feeling good on the bike, the bike was working amazinlyg. My start wasn’t that good in the second race, but I kept fighting all the way. I even thought I wouldn’t be on the podium. I thought I had to pass Herlings, and I did everything I could. But it’s really difficult to pass, especially a fast guy like Jeffrey."

Jeffrey Herlings: “The win on Saturday was good but with two-three laps to go in moto one I messed it up. I was going for the lead but just made that mistake. In the second moto the track was extremely difficult for passing. Almost impossible. 4-4, and today was not the greatest. We’ll try to come back hard in Finland. We’re 6th now and I’m aiming for 3rd place. I think it’s still realistic and possible.”

Simon Laengenfelder: “What can I say? It went perfect. A great weekend, especially that first moto coming back from 6th to 1st and then backing it up with the second moto. I made the holeshot and made my life easy. Now we have a break and then we can begin the last push.”

Sacha Coenen: “Definitely not the easiest weekend, so finishing with a podium is nice. I got hit by a rock [to the face] in the second moto and was in a lot of pain, so I just put my head down. We finished P3 overall…it’s better than nothing!”

Andrea Adamo: “In the first moto I put myself in the best position but the track was freshly watered and I had a stupid crash, and then a small issue with the goggles on the third lap. We cannot make these mistakes and need to learn and avoid a repeat. I had some good speed in the second moto and charged up to P4. I’m happy about that. We cannot change the result now and we’ll move forward. We’ll fight as hard as we can every GP.”

Liam Everts: “I actually felt my riding in the first moto was stronger overall, even though the result in the second moto was better. I got buried off the start in the first moto, and had to fight through from way back, but my pace was solid all the way to the end and I made some good passes to finish sixth. In the second moto, I got out of the gate much better and settled into second early. I did my best to stay with Simon but he was just that little bit sharper in a few key sections. Still, a 6-2 score and third overall is something to be happy with. It’s nice to head into the short break on the podium and with good momentum.”

Ruben Fernandez: I have to admit I’m a little disappointed not to get on the podium, considering how well I rode, especially in that second moto. Still, I am really pleased with that race and it has given me a lot of confidence that I can start with those guys and run the entire moto at a really fast pace. I closed up to the leader a lot in those last few laps and if I’d passed him, I’d have got on the podium. Now I have a couple of weekends off to get stronger for this next run of races.

Antonio Cairoli: “It was a very nice weekend here in Matterley Basin. We expected a better track yesterday, but it was in very bad condition. Plus, I had a little tip over in the pre-qualifying practice, and I banged up my knee a bit, which swelled up during the night. So today I wasn't really pumped about my condition. But actually I was feeling better, and the track was more technical. And yeah, I got two okay starts. I expect to have better starts, but I was a bit too wide on the starting lane but I could still fight for a good position. In the first moto, I finished P7, and in the second moto, I was P8, which gave me seventh overall. So it's good - it's positive. We are really happy about the riding considering the knee problem.”

Jeremy Seewer: “Well, it wasn’t easy—without any starts today, overtaking was really difficult. I think even in the second moto, I’m not sure anyone actually made a pass. We worked our way in a better direction during the weekend, but like I said, the starts. I could have been 6-7 or maybe fifth in both motos if I started there, but if you are 10th at the start, maybe you finish ninth. But yeah, we are learning, we are trying, we are changing, we are improving and now a few weeks off, which will help us to regroup. We'll keep grinding.”

Brian Bogers: “Another solid weekend! I already felt good on the track on Saturday, even though it was really dry and not exactly the kind of conditions I enjoy. But we made some good progress with the bike, and you can see the improvement in my riding. Ninth in the qualifying race, eighth in race 1, and I was running eleventh in race 2 but crashed with three laps to go. It happened in one of the slower sections, but it was a pretty big one. That was a shame, because the riding was good again – but thankfully, I am okay. Now we get a bit of a break, and I am feeling motivated to step things up for the rest of the season.”

Andrea Bonacorsi: “It was a tough weekend. I struggled a bit to find the right feeling with the bike and the track. Starting from the outside definitely didn’t help either, but in race 1 I still managed to make a decent recovery, all things considered. In the second race, however, I wasn’t feeling well – I even threw up. I did what I could, and the good news is that we now have two weekends off, so there is plenty of time to recover. A big thank you to the whole team for the support – see you at the next one.”

Valerio Lata: After yesterday it was always going to be tough to get any decent results. Having last gate-pick and just feeling how I was feeling made things difficult and although I fought as much as I could, 12th overall was the best I could do. I know I had higher hopes coming into the weekend, but sometimes these things happen and now I just have to make the most of these next two weekends off and recover in time for Finland.

Mathis Valin: "My start was not the best in the first moto but I made some good passes in the beginning and was fighting with the guys who run at the front every week. The second start was much better but I went a little too fast into the turn and ran wide. I had a good rhythm and was again battling with the top guys who are fighting for the title like De Wolf, and now I can push for two times thirty-five minutes."

Kay de Wolf: “It was definitely one of those tougher weekends. Crashing in practice and then again in qualifying meant I was on the back foot right from the start, but I gave it everything in both motos. I wasn’t able to fight right at the front, but we still took points, and limited the damage. Now it’s about resetting, using the break to come back stronger, and closing that gap to the top. There’s still a lot of racing left, and I’m fully focused on turning things around in Finland.”

Guillem Farres: “That’s the weekend in England over now. I had a small crash in the qualifying race and finished 12th, so that wasn’t the best, but the start at this track is quite fair, so it wasn’t too bad for my gate pick. Both GP races were good. I was running fourth in race one until I had a small crash and Camden passed me. Then in race two, I was running fourth for a while until Andrea Adamo passed me. So, two fifths for fourth overall. I felt good on this track this weekend, and the team did a great job with the bike to prepare it for the dry conditions, so I’d like to thank them a lot for their hard work.”

Camden McLellan: “The home GP for Triumph is done, and it’s been a bit of an up-and-down one. My speed was much better on Saturday, so that gave me a good spot for the qualifying race, and then I finished seventh. My first moto was pretty decent, but the second one wasn’t. I know what I need to work on, so the goal at the next race in Finland is to put everything together.”

Thibault Benistant: It’s been a good weekend for me. My speed was good on Saturday, and then I was second in the Qualifying Race, so that set me up well for the GP races. Unfortunately, in the first one, I tangled with someone off the start and I was right at the back. I came through quite well, but as the track was watered a lot, I quickly ran out of tear-offs. Race Two was much better. A good start, good speed, and a strong result. Besides the first race, it’s been a positive weekend.

Rick Elzinga: It’s nice to be back racing after my crash in France. I took some time off the bike and I’m still recovering from my injuries, but I’m feeling better all the time. My riding was OK this weekend, nothing spectacular, and I pushed when I could. We have two weekends off now so the focus will be on recovery, but also more time on the bike.

Karlis Reisulis: It was quite a tough weekend. The track was quite flat and wide open. I didn’t really have a good feeling on it, but I tried to push through. Eleventh in qualifying was okay, but I missed the start in Race One, and then I crashed in Race Two. My front brake was a bit damaged or clogged up with mud after that, so I fell again soon after. It’s frustrating to end the weekend like this, but I’ll go home, regroup, and do everything I can to come back stronger in Finland.

Calvin Vlaanderen: Solid points for me this weekend. No excuses, I just wasn’t fast enough today. My speed yesterday was better. This is something to work on, although I can’t be too disappointed as I haven’t been riding much since hurting my knee in Germany. My riding was good and I was consistent all weekend with very few mistakes, so that’s a positive. If I can find one second a lap then I can be fighting for the podium, so that’s the focus going forward.