Former MXGP World champion and current red plate holder Romain Febvre raced to his thirteenth podium in fourteen rounds of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship with second overall at Loket in the Czech Republic to retain the series points-lead.

On the Saturday, Febvre was victorious, winning the MXGP qualification race in stunning fashion. Febvre had already been in scintillating form in a rain-affected Timed Practice as he set the fastest lap time by more than two seconds and in the MXGP Qualifying race he swept to a clear holeshot from his chosen position mid-gate.

Another rider had a more advantageous line heading into turn two, but the Frenchman remained cool, evaluated his rival's lines and made an immaculate inside pass to retake the lead on lap two. He immediately moved clear to build a seven-second advantage for most of the race before coasting across the line for his second Qualifying victory of the season.

“Fortunately, it stopped raining just before Qualifying but the track was still really muddy, and the start counts for even more in these conditions. I finally got the start, but Glenn had the inside at turn two and I didn't want to take any risks. I wanted to save my goggles on the first lap but on lap two I managed to pass him downhill and could pull a gap as security. We needed that start as we head into the final third of the season.”

On the Sunday, the Frenchman rode a superb first turn in moto one to come out fourth after being closed down out of the gate but overtaking proved difficult as the fast sweeping hillside track dried out and it was the third lap before he could take over second with an identical pass to that which had seen him take the lead in the previous day's Qualifying race.

“I know I can win the race if I make a decent start and we have made a good step on the starts this weekend, just the first moto not. We don't really understand what happened at the gate in that first moto today, but I rode a good first turn to come out fourth and passed Gifting for third but then I spent twenty-five minutes behind Pancar.”

“He was riding really well and every time I closed on him, he had another good sector. It took me a long time to figure out a way to pass him but I eventually managed it four laps from the end and was OK for second until I made a mistake on the last lap; I hit a little hole coming out of the turn, my hand came off the gas and I got sideways on a jump. I wasn't injured but I lost three positions and was really disappointed. I took the lead quickly and made a gap to win the second moto; I won two races out of three this weekend and I would have won the GP if I hadn't made that mistake on the last lap of race one.”

Frustration then kicked in as the inspired local hero in second defied every move until four laps from the finish when the Kawasaki leader made a decisive pass for what appeared to be a secure second until a simple error halfway round the final lap saw him fall to fifth.

A great start in race two saw him narrowly edged out for the holeshot but another superb pass on lap three saw him take the lead and race clear to lead by eight seconds by half-distance and bring home a secure moto victory - his second win from three starts over the weekend - for second overall. He now leads the championship points-standings by ten points heading into the final third of the series.

Antti Pyrhönen the KRT team manager knows that the fight for the MXGP championship isn’t going to be easy, but no doubt, he knows his man is more than capable of taking his second World motocross championship in 2025.

"The battle is real in MXGP. We try to stay strong and consistent, and Romain has been on the podium nearly every GP. We worked really hard on the starts during the break since Finland and will continue to do so. The next GP in Lommel is going to be a tough one but it is like a second home GP for us with the team workshop just down the road."

Now onto Lommel, a circuit Febvre has ridden well and also taken GP wins. The fight for the title isn’t over for Febvre or Lucas Coenen, but the next three rounds in Belgium, Sweden and The Netherlands will tell more of the story, of what has been a brilliant battle between young and old, or if you prefer, the rookie and the gatekeeper.

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