Although he beat Tim Gajser in Saturday’s qualifying race at Arco di Trento, Romain Febvre was forced to settle for second to the Slovenian rider on race day. After winning at Riola Sardo the previous weekend, the KRT rider had to settle for second place on the podium in Italy, behind his biggest championship rival. Tim and Romain once again dominated the weekend, clearly establishing themselves as the two main title contenders in the MXGP World Championship after five rounds.
“It’s not a bad GP,” Romain admitted after the Arco di Trento Grand Prix. “It’s the second time in a row we’ve had this kind of battle with Tim, and of course, I want to win. But in the end, someone has to win, and someone else has to finish second. I won last weekend in Riola; this weekend, I was close. I was fast all weekend. In the first moto, we had a great battle. I got the holeshot, which made things much easier. Tim managed to come back; I left the door wide open, and he passed me. I gave it everything until the end, but it wasn’t enough, and I lost the fight. I knew we had a gap over the other riders, so I really pushed. I lost the front in a corner on the last lap, and that was it.”
“I felt really good in that moto,” continued Romain, who had led 13 laps before opening the door for the Slovenian in race one. “The gap to Tim wasn’t huge, and after my mistake, I was able to close back in. It’s frustrating to feel so good and not get the win, but that’s racing. There were two yellow flags on track and we had to roll the jumps, and maybe I slowed down a bit too much and the others caught up. In the corner where Tim passed me, I’d been taking the inside because it was a good line. But I changed it up and went outside. In the moment, I asked myself why I’d done that, especially since Tim was so close … He passed me a few laps from the finish. I thought I could strike back, but like I said, I gave everything, maybe pushed too hard. I set the fastest lap, but I crashed on the final lap. Tim won because he was simply better.”
After grabbing the holeshot in race one, Romain Febvre found himself at the back end of the top 10 in the early corners of race two. Tim Gajser, meanwhile, took control of the race after passing his teammate Ruben Fernandez within the first few meters.
“In the second moto, I got a decent start, but Ruben (Fernandez) was on the inside and really pushed me wide in the first corner. I found myself around 10th place. I saw Tim was out front, and I knew I’d have to make quick passes to catch up, but on this track, it wasn’t easy. I’m not ashamed of this second place, but of course I want to win.”
Romain Febvre’s last four GP victories have all come in the sand: Lommel, Vantaa, Arnhem, and Riola Sardo. The Frenchman hasn’t won on hardpack since Loket in July 2023.
“I don’t count the days, weeks, or years since my last win, whether it’s on hardpack or in the sand,” says Romain. “I just do my best every race, that’s it. I don’t look at how long it’s been since my last win, I don’t check the stats. I just try to be the best I can be. I know that if I avoid injury and I’m at every GP, I’ll be in the fight.”
“Every weekend is different,” he continues. “Starts are important—maybe a bit less in the sand, because there you have more passing options. But on a track like this, if you don’t get a good start, it’s tough. Like we saw in the second moto—I started in 10th. Sure, I made it up to second, but by then, the gap to Tim was already big because it took me so much time.”
This past winter, Romain Febvre doubled down on his efforts to improve his outright speed and built a rock-solid physical condition.
“Last year, I didn’t have the raw speed, but I figured out how to work on that over the winter,” he explains. “Now, on any kind of track, I can put in good lap times. I think my fitness has never been this good thanks to my winter training. That’s why we’re able to push the limits like we are. When we start up front with Tim, we’re capable of building a 40-second gap over the rest of the field like in the first moto on this kind of terrain. We were also incredibly fast in the sand last weekend. Right now, it’s Tim and me at the top. Whoever starts better, manages their race better, and avoids mistakes—that’s who’s going to win.”
Romain, 33, shared the podium in Italy with Tim Gajser, 28, and Glenn Coldenhoff, 34. Three experienced riders who are now seeing the new generation arrive, including a certain 18-year-old Lucas Coenen.
“When I was 19, I wasn’t even racing Motocross yet, I was racing Supermoto,” Romain reflects. “There are a lot of things to take into account when you come into the class. First of all—experience. You have to learn, and no one can really teach you that. Every rider has to go through their learning phase. You have to pay your dues, as they say. You need to know how to manage yourself, surround yourself with the right people. You also need to be willing to accept things and make changes—don’t be stubborn or blind, be able to see what needs improving. You also have to accept defeats and work hard, otherwise it won’t work. Lucas is very young and I think he’s currently paying his dues every weekend. He’s very good, and he’s going to be very good, but he has to learn. He’s going through that phase right now with his brother. We’ve all been there in the past.”
