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Romain Febvre keeps the red plate with podium #13
Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP's 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.
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. 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.
Romain Febvre: "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 pass 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."
Antti Pyrhönen (KRT team manager): "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."