Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP's Romain Febvre retained the red plate of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship series-leader at the halfway stage of the series with his eighth consecutive season at Teutschenthal in Germany. Kawasaki extended their points-lead in the Manufacturers' Championship.

"Everyone has a bad weekend during the season, so I am happy that I was still able to make the podium; we are only halfway through the series and consistency will be the key. It was just so challenging to pass here; everyone saw that, particularly in the first moto when we went 1-2-3-4 in each other’s wheels the entire moto and could not pass. My speed was good, and I tried everything, but the inside line was the fastest everywhere and I was inevitably making mistakes when I tried other lines to pass. My starts were not so good all weekend and I paid the price. The track opened up a little in race two after the rain, but it was really annoying with the lapper when Jeffrey passed me. I am just happy that we go to Kegums next weekend because in sand you can pass."

On the Saturday, the Frenchman lost drive out of the gate in the Qualifying race but held a tight line through turn one and found good lines in traffic to advance quickly to fourth. But he then experienced a frustrating race as a single racing line had developed early. He eventually lined up a pass for third on lap seven of thirteen to close down the leaders but ran out of time to mount a serious challenge in the twenty-minute-plus-two-lap sprint.

"I didn't get a good start and that is the key here. I was able to make some good moves through the first few turns but it was almost impossible to pass after that unless the rider in front makes a mistake. The speed is there; when I finally passed for third, I could catch Herlings, but it was too late."

On Sunday, the Kawasaki rider was quietly confident after setting fastest time in morning Warm-Up but lost traction halfway down the start straight in the opening moto; turning tight at turn one he emerged fifth and pushed hard in first-lap traffic to advance quickly to third.

A loss of momentum as his front wheel bogged in a deep rut temporarily cost two positions on lap two but he was soon back to fourth and, lapping two seconds a lap faster than the leaders, was soon on their rear wheels before being confronted with a frustrating half-hour as he endeavoured inside and outside his rivals to find a way past on the one-line track.

A second-placed start in race two augured well but overtaking remained extremely difficult after a storm during the interval left riders searching for grip on the greasy surface. The decisive moment occurred on the tenth of sixteen laps as the Kawasaki rider was badly hampered by a back marker to relinquish second and eventually he settled for a third-placed moto finish which secured his eighth consecutive GP podium and a thirty-six point lead in the series standings at the halfway stage of the championship. His weekend haul also means that Kawasaki extends their lead in the Manufacturers' Championship to twenty points.

Pascal Haudiquert story and images