Home hero Romain Febvre didn’t hold back following a dramatic and controversial MXGP of France weekend, with the Kawasaki rider openly criticising the FIM over rider safety and race management during the post-race press conference.
The Frenchman was visibly frustrated after a chaotic day that saw incidents in both motos. In the opening race, fellow French rider Thibault Benistant crashed heavily and remained at the side of the circuit for several laps under yellow flags before eventually being airlifted to hospital. Febvre questioned why a red flag was never shown despite the severity of the situation.
“First of all, again, nobody from the FIM is here (at the press conference). They have no respect for the riders. In the first moto on the first lap, we had a bad accident with Thibault (Benistant). He was lying on the floor. We had the yellow flags out for at least 5 laps, he was unconscious, and now he didn’t feel his leg and he has to go in the helicopter. So when are they going to put the red flag? Do they wait for somebody to die? I just don’t understand. We are at the top level, and they act like we are on the national races at a low level. They have no respect for the riders. Nobody is here (at the press conference), but for sure they are somewhere”, Febvre stated.
The drama continued in race two when a first-turn pile-up resulted in a red flag. According to Febvre, confusion followed as officials appeared uncertain over whether Tom Vialle and Tim Gajser could restart on their spare bikes.
“We had the red flag in the second moto and they didn’t know what to do. They didn’t know that if someone came if they were able to go again and no, they cannot. They are just out of control. I just don’t get it. But anyway, it will not change anything. I can speak for 10 minutes, but it’s really bad to be like this, honestly”.
Despite the frustration and difficult conditions, Febvre still managed to secure a podium finish in front of his home crowd. The Frenchman admitted he had to dig deep throughout the weekend after battling through adversity both on Saturday and Sunday.
“I’m happy to finish on the podium. I had to fight hard. I feel good to be on the podium in France. Because, like I said, I had to fight from yesterday and today again. I’m happy to be on the podium”.
Febvre also reflected on his starts and how experience continues to play a major role in helping him salvage strong results, even when he doesn’t get the perfect launch off the gate.
“Of course, I try to analyze (the starts) as much as I can. I think I have a lot of experience. Maybe sometimes I’m not the best starter but with my experience, I can manage to do it. Like this weekend, even with seventh in the first moto, I could still manage to be on the podium. So I play with that and I try my best. You can see so many things from the MX2 races so I try to be smart and that’s it”.
The Kawasaki rider also shared his thoughts on the race track itself. While he praised the organisers for the work they did preparing the circuit in difficult weather conditions, he still felt the venue fell below the standards expected for a Grand Prix.
“Honestly, I think with the preparation they could not do better because of how the track is because we raced here before in 2021, and the ground was harder so at least we have it rough. Honestly, I think they did their best, this morning was quite muddy and soft but it’s good because it was 30 degrees. So if they didn’t do that, then after at 1 o’clock it would be dry and dusty”.
However, Febvre was far more critical when discussing the layout of the circuit and the lack of passing opportunities during both MX2 and MXGP races.
“I think on the preparation side they could not do much better but the track, honestly, it’s more for a national race than a GP. Like you can see not so many passes happen in MX2 or in MXGP. I think everybody agrees that it is a really a narrow track. In sector 1 and 2, it’s impossible to pass. When you go on the front of the pit lane, it’s really like a little bit of an enduro style. For a GP, we have so many good tracks in here France. I don’t want to be against the club but for sure, it could have been a little bit better”, Febvre concluded.
While Febvre still walked away with a podium result on home soil, his comments are likely to spark wider debate within the paddock regarding rider safety, race management and circuit standards at the highest level of the sport.
