Febvre Perfect at Lierop
Romain Febvre of the Kawasaki factory team has won the Dutch International at the Lierop circuit with a perfect 1-1 performance. The former World MXGP champion rode solid all day long and despite some big support from the crowd for local rider, Glenn Coldenhoff, the Frenchman hung on.
Coldenhoff went 2-2 for second overall and third was Pauls Jonass with 4-3 finishes. Jago Geerts finished fourth with 3-4 and Valentin Guillod fifth with 5-5 results.
MXGP Moto Two
Febvre led the second MXGP moto from Coldenhoff, Geerts, Ludwig, Sterry, Guillod, Van Der Mierden, Nickel, De Waal and Fobbe, with Jonass 21st and Van De Moosdijk last. By lap one the lead by Febvre was 1.2 seconds, with Geerts already 10 seconds behind the leader.
By lap two Febvre was looking strong, but Coldenhoff wasn’t letting him get way, but both had moved well away from Geerts, who was now 17 seconds back, and Sterry in fourth was 28 seconds off the pace. Guillod rounded out the top fiv, while Jonass was up to 11th and Van De Moosdijk out of the race.
Jonass moved into ninth place as he made his way through the traffic and had a handful of riders just ahead, so making his way into the top five was very possible. Coldenhoff cut the lead to 1.2 seconds on lap six and was looking to try and take the overall.
With the large Dutch crowd behind him Coldenhoff got onto the back wheel of the Frenchman and in typical “The Hoff” style really started to look hungry in the deep sand. Now 25 seconds behind Geerts was racing a lonely third place. On lap seven Febvre put in a time of 1.47.156, which was better than Coldenhoff and the gap was again nearly two seconds. The two front guys were doing lap times some five seconds a lap quicker than Geerts.
Febvre showing his experience as he continued to push hard and get even more of a gap between himself and the Dutchman. Coldenhoff again cut the lead to just 1.5 seconds and wasn’t giving up. A bad lap by Coldenhoff, some two seconds slower than Febvre meant that the Kawasaki riders lead was now nearly four seconds, and he was looking safe for a 1-1 score today.
Jonass a great comeback from way, way back to move into fourth place and his lap times were similar to those of the two lead riders. Lap 10 and it was Febvre with a 2.2 second lead, then Geerts a whopping 40 seconds behind in third. Jonass after his charge through the field was a minute behind his team-mate.
Coldenhoff was fighting back, bettering the lap times of Febvre and getting back on his back wheel. The crowd were going mental in support of their home rider. Lap 12 and again Febvre got away with a much better lap time than Coldenhoff and the gap went to 1.6 seconds, so much can change in the rough sand of Lierop.
The front men are lapping into the top ten now with a handful of laps remaining. Even Geerts in third place is nearly a minute off the pace. Then came Jonass and Guillod in fourth and fifth. Febvre wins the moto and the overall from Coldenhoff and Jonass, who put in a brilliant charge from the back. Febvre and Coldenhoff lapped up to Adam Sterry in sixth position.
MXGP Moto Two
MXGP Moto One
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