Romain Febvre is everything a motocross rider is meant to be. There is no bullshit with the French factory Kawasaki rider, no drama, no acting like a superstar, and no false signals. He is as old school as it gets, with his head down and working hard. Straight forward and honest. On the track, generally a clean racer, who gives respect to his rivals when in the heat of battle.

Mentally, as strong as anyone in the paddock, and probably getting stronger with age. If Glenn Coldenhoff retires, or heads to America, with both options open, Febvre will be the oldest rider in the paddock. Rather incredible, considering he will turn 34 on December 31 and enter yet another season in a career that started way back in 2011.

Born in Epinal, France, Febvre competed in motocross and supermoto as a youth, winning the 2007 French 125cc Supermoto national championship. In 2011, he won the 2011 European Motocross Championship. He then progressed to the MX2 class of the world championship with his best result being a third-place finish in the 2014 MX2 championship while riding for the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team.

With two MXGP world championship and 26 Grand Prix victories, he is in good company, with equal GP wins with Alessio Chiodi (also on 26) and some legends ahead of him in GP wins are Heikki Mikkola 32, Gaston Rahier 30, Georges Jobe 28, Andre Malherbe 28, Paul Friedrichs 28, Dave Strijbos 27. Another season like 2025 and he may well end up passing all these guys in the all-time GP winners list.

Of course, another world title in 2026 and he becomes the greatest French GP rider of all time and would without question become a GP legend. Presently, with two titles, he is equal with names like J. M. Bayle, Seb Tortelli, Fred Bolley, Mickeal Pichon, Marvin Musquin and Tom Vialle.

We gave him a call soon after he touched down in Europe from his podium finish at the 2025 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations.

MXLarge: It is a few weeks now that you became the world MXGP champion, how does it feel, has it sunk in yet?

Febvre: It feels good and now to come back to Europe I need to meet a lot of sponsors and friends. After the Nations, I forgot that a little bit and when I see people now, they all remind me I am a two-time world champion. Whenever somebody tells me that, it means a lot. It is a really good feeling.

MXlarge: Two titles and you win the first one in 2015, it was a strange season that one, with a lot of injuries and guys like Cairoli and Villopoto leaving the series early and again this year, with Gajser and Herlings getting injured and Lucas Coenen starting the season with some problems. You are without question a deserved world champion on two occasions, because you have battled the best of your era on many occasions, but does the fact riders were injured bother you at all?

Febvre: It is always difficult to judge, because some years I maybe could have been world champion, and I got injured. We all had the same chance at the beginning of the year and some years I got injured, some years Gajser or Herlings, or Prado, so it was over, but you need to manage the season and not always be the fastest, but consistent and don’t get injured. I don’t really care if somebody was injured, so long as I got the championship.

MXlarge: You have had many good years and many great fights with Herlings, Gajser, Prado and Cairoli, but this year, you seemed maybe better than ever. So consistent and so strong and some races against Lucas, you really had to dig deep, to show your authority. You must be proud of that?

Febvre: Yes, it was. I think, I am pretty sure I was the most consistent and I was always there. Even if I had one bad moto, I could cool down and then the next one and keep the championship points gap, it was always there. I could always keep some points. With Coenen, he is young and from the middle of the season, he had proved everything and anything after that was his job done and after it was a bonus. I think he was trying to win and beat me every time, even if he had to take some risk. He showed everything as a rookie and then, after, it was harder for me. I could not manage the gap, but I also needed to go for it and at some GPs I really needed to go for it and not make a mistake. In Sweden for example, I felt like if I get the holeshot, I really needed to win and that is what I did, and he then had a bad GP at that time.

MXlarge: You always come across as a very level-headed guy, you are not out partying, you are not saying or doing stupid stuff. Two or three races, it was so intense between yourself and Lucas, just a really high level, but you remained calm. Did you surprise yourself, how level-headed you were this year?

Febvre: Yes, a bit, just a bit. I mean, to manage that gap, because sometimes, he came really close to me in the points. In Lommel, I knew, it is his home GP, and he is going for the win, for sure. I was really surprised, I could win the first moto and then with him the whole race and when I won that first moto, I felt I did something great, because he should have maybe had an easy win there, but I could win the first moto. The second one, he got it, but I thought, that is fine, I didn’t lose any points there and I told myself; I have a big chance of winning the championship if I keep it like this.

MXLarge: In Lommel, there was a moment you pushed him off the track. Did you think that you needed to maybe get a bit aggressive with him, to unsettle him a little bit?

Febvre: Yes, sure. By the time we got to Lommel, the points gap had gotten closer and closer. At some point, you need to go for it. I knew also, that if he had the chance, he would have done it to me. It was a little aggressive, but we were going for the moto win and at that point, everyone is trying everything to win, so I tried to be a little bit aggressive and show him, I am going to battle until the end. That was a good time in the championship for me.

MXLarge: I actually interviewed Lucas after that race in Lommel, and we talked about that move, where you guys nearly touched, and he said it was now a chance for him to return the favour, as you started the aggressive racing. Did you see those comments from him, and did it change your attitude towards how you would race him in the final rounds?

Febvre: No, I didn’t see those comments. Also, at the point, it was aggressive, but we didn’t touch each other, and I was on the inside, and he saw me coming, because I remember the video and he didn’t want to break, so he went outside the track. It was aggressive, but not dirty. For sure, after that, I knew if he had the chance, he would block pass me or something like that. He was never in the positions to be dirty after that.

MXlarge: Going to the Nations in America, I remember in Australia you mentioned that you were not that excited to go, as you had just won a championship. Nations has always been a great race for you and Team France, but after all the travel, I can imagine you might have not been that motivated to go and travel even more. How was the trip to Ironman, and did you enjoy it?

Febvre: Motivation is always there, but the travel was heavy, Turkey, China, Australia, back to US, so the biggest challenge was the travel, and it was getting heavy going to the Nations. I was happy to ride there, a track that I wanted to ride once in my life, because it’s a nice track and also, Nations in US, is always special and I was happy to be there. Maybe I wasn’t feeling on my best level, because of the travel and after the championship. I had a vibe, that the stress and everything was low, and I was tired after a long season. I found I rode well and the European riders, we were okay against them. Maybe Australian won with Jett and Hunter, but some European riders, like Tim, or Lucas or myself, we were sometimes close to them. It was nice to see where we are compared to them.

Pascal Haudiquert images