Following the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, Romain Febvre found himself at the centre of attention after voicing strong criticism regarding the handling of an incident involving fellow French rider Thibault Benistant. The Kawasaki factory rider was frustrated that the race continued without being red-flagged after Benistant’s crash, expressing his concerns in the immediate aftermath of the Grand Prix.
The incident sparked considerable discussion throughout the motocross paddock, with rider safety once again becoming a major talking point. However, after taking time to reflect on the situation and with more information becoming available, Febvre has now clarified his position and issued an apology to the FIM.
Speaking after the MXGP of Germany, the Frenchman acknowledged that his comments were made in the heat of the moment and that the governing body did not have all the information regarding Benistant’s condition at the time.
“I want to apologize to the FIM for some words I said last weekend because it is now clear that they did not have all of the information about what was happening with Benistant. I should not have criticized them but it was in the heat of the moment after racing and we never want a rider to be injured like this; hopefully this situation will never happen again”, Febvre stated in a KRT press release.
As for Febvre on the track, he has now moved up to third in the MXGP World Championship standings after a difficult start to the season. He did miss the podium in Germany but if it wasn’t for the lack of speed – a few mistakes cost him.
“When I was battling with Fernandez for third in the first moto Renaux got alongside me and I made a small mistake and I fell; my clutch was broken so it was difficult to start again and I lost many positions. I was riding strong in the second moto but I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time when Adamo made a mistake so he took my front wheel as I was close to passing him. I had a really good pace alone to come back to him again but there was nowhere to pass so I finished fourth. I’m still third in the championship but I’m a little disappointed; I could have made up a lot of points today and I didn’t. I am really happy for Mathis; he was riding strong and did it the good way with 2-1; he really deserved it”.
