Former World MXGP champion, Romain Febvre retained the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship red plate after going 1-2 at the Grand Prix of Lommel last weekend and heading to the Swedish round in 10 days time, we all know this 2025 MXGP championship battle is a long way from being over. In fact, the intensity of Lommel showed us, the battle has just begun.

Now onto Sweden, where Febvre has been very consistent over the last decade. Febvre finished fourth overall in 2024 behind the big three, Prado, Gajser and Herlings. The Frenchman finished second in 2023 behind Jeremy Seewer, beating both Prado and Herlings in the process.

Another fourth place in 2022 behind Seewer, Gajser and Coldenhoff, and in 2019 (Sweden missed 2020 and 2021 due to COVID) Febvre finished in 10th place, with a 2-DNF result. In 2017, Febvre finished second to Gajser and he won the GP in 2015, his championship winning season.

Very consistent results, just as his 2025 season has been so far. With Lucas Coenen closing down the points gap to just nine points, maybe even being consistent won't be enough to retain the red plate in Sweden, he will more than likely need to win.

Back to the Lommel Grand Prix though, it was a 2-1-2 performance and nothing short of very consistent. The pace of both Lucas Coenen, the GP winner and Febvre was mind blowing and the fight for the GP went down to a better second moto result from Coenen, but Febvre was right in it.

Moto One

Romain Febvre: I knew Lucas would try everything here, but I also know I can win when I get a good start like in race one. He passed me once, but I attacked back straight away. It was important to react immediately, pass him back and break his rhythm as soon as possible. He tried again on the last lap, but I guess he made a mistake as suddenly he was no longer there.

Moto Two

Romain Febvre: I knew Lucas was there again in the second moto, but I didn't manage to change my lines; he was faster than me in two places, but I couldn't figure out where he was going. I tried to follow him when he passed but he made a gap straight away and I had to let him go. I managed my weekend well and only dropped one point; I like the remaining tracks on the schedule and stay confident."

Overall Result

Romain Febvre: To just lose one point here is really good. I thought I could win and that’s what I did in the first race, but in the second one Lucas (Coenen) had better lines and passed me. I couldn’t stay really close behind him and he pulled away, so congrats to him. Winning in Lommel is always special, so I was close. Just one point lost, in the end that’s fine."

Saturday Qualification Race

Romain Febvre: Fortunately, they had brought in a lot of fresh sand so that absorbed the rain, and they also worked hard to prepare the track, so the conditions were good for racing. Once again, I didn't get the start; if I start fifteenth, I have little chance to win. The consolation is that I only dropped one point today. Lucas also didn't get the best start, but he was still in front of me as we raced through the pack. If you have the skill and are in good shape you can make the difference here and Lucas (Coenen) and I are clearly faster than the others."

Saturday and Sunday

The Frenchman experienced a difficult start in the Qualifying race as he touched with rivals in each of the first two turns, but he needed just half a lap to surge from outside the top ten to seventh.

A further series of impressive passes in the demanding sand saw him advance to second by lap eight; he closed down the leader by a second a lap though the four remaining laps before running out of time to mount a challenge for victory.

He had added another nine points to his championship scoreline and can look forward with quiet confidence to tomorrow's GP motos, each over a race distance ten minutes longer, where his outstanding fitness and sand skills should play a role.

On the Sunday, the choice of the inside gate was the key to success in the opening moto as he rode a textbook Febvre tight line, drifting through the inside of the first 180 degree turn to claim a clear holeshot and control the race from the front. He immediately opened up a three-second gap over the chasers before settling down to a sustainable pace for the thirty-five-minute race around the most unrelenting track in the sport.

The Kawasaki leader's main rival for the title was soon second and there ensued a high-speed battle of cat-and-mouse which would take them more than half-a-minute clear of the remainder of the world elite.

An outrageous leap on the jump into pit straight at the end of lap twelve of seventeen saw a temporary change of lead but Febvre reacted at the first opportunity to dive under his rival with determination in a sweeping turn and immediately push the limits as the duo each defied the rugged track and dropped their lap times even further.

Such was the pace set by the man in Green that his chaser nearly came to grief halfway round the final lap in his attempt to stay in touch and Febvre had time on the run-in to the chequered flag to salute the KRT box as he swept to a big win by seventeen seconds.

A clever first turn again saw the Kawasaki emerge in the top three in race two and Febvre swept into second at turn three to stalk the leader before moving to the front as the race approached half-distance.

After leading for three laps line-choice at the back of the track cost the Kawasaki rider the lead and, despite maintaining his pace, he eventually settled for a share of the top points on the day and thus retained the red plate with a nine-point advantage as the championship heads into the final quarter of the series.

KRT team manager Antti Pyrhönen on Lommel

"It was another great weekend for Romain; he was very strong, won the first moto and had a big battle in the second. Lommel is always tough; it is so heavy technically and physically and even before the second moto you do not know if you will have the energy. We still have the red plate, and we keep fighting."

Pascal Haudiquert images