It is the final showdown this weekend for Romain Febvre and the rest of the field. On the eve of the MXGP World Championship finale in Australia, the Kawasaki Racing Team rider lines up with a more than a comfortable advantage in the standings. But Febvre remains level-headed, well aware that nothing is ever guaranteed in motocross. Torn between the eagerness to seal the crown and the determination to stay focused until the very end, the Frenchman shared his mindset ahead of this decisive weekend.
“A 47-point lead is a nice margin. But nothing is ever won in advance,” Febvre told Lisa Leyland. “Of course, I feel more comfortable coming here with this lead than I did going into China last weekend. I’d love to clinch the title as soon as possible. I’ll give my best on Saturday, see where we stand, and if it doesn’t work out, I hope to wrap it up on Sunday. I just want to stay focused on what I’m doing. It would be cool to win the GP while also taking the title. We’ll see.”
After a pivotal round in China last weekend, Romain Febvre managed to regain valuable ground in the championship, stretching his lead over Lucas Coenen, who now sits 47 points behind the Frenchman. While that gap looks comfortable heading into the finale, Febvre hasn’t always enjoyed such a position of strength. Despite being a rookie, the De Carli KTM factory rider has been a formidable and consistent rival this season, even closing to within nine points of the red plate after the Lommel GP.
“It’s always good to score big points in the championship, but it’s never easy,” Febvre admitted after catching his breath in Shanghai at the perfect moment. “Lucas has been strong all season. At the start of the year, I was a bit better because he wasn’t quite ready yet, and I believe he was also coming back from injury. I was able to build a lead early on, but he quickly became very strong and started winning GPs. Bit by bit, he closed the gap in the standings. After Lommel, there were only nine points between us – that’s nothing. In the end, I managed to pull clear again afterward, and once more in China last weekend. But it was a pretty stressful situation. Seeing him come back to within nine points was really close. I worked hard to maintain the gap and build it back up again. It wasn’t easy.”
Romain Febvre already has one MXGP World Championship title to his name. Ten years ago, as a rookie he secured the crown with two rounds to spare. Six years later, he entered the 2021 finale carrying the red plate, only to lose it to Jeffrey Herlings by a mere five points. This season, however, the Frenchman has put all his experience to good use – consistent, composed, and climbing the podium 16 times in 19 GPs, he has withstood the pressure all year long.
“Managing a championship can be simple or complicated,” the Frenchman admitted. “With experience, it’s better to approach races in the right frame of mind, under the right conditions, and not stress too much over small things. After Lommel, the gap was down to nine points, but I kept telling myself I was still leading the championship. It could swing my way or Lucas’. The best way to deal with that stress is to train, stay focused, and give your best. A lot can happen in this sport – you can crash, your bike can have a problem… we’re all aware of that. But with experience, these situations become easier to handle. Still, you can never control everything in this sport.”
“This title would mean the world to me,” says Febvre when asked about what a second world crown would represent. After a few seasons marred by injuries, the Frenchman — who will turn 34 in December — could finally see all his sacrifices pay off. For him, this second title would not only be a sporting reward but also a way of putting all the hardships behind him. “It’s a lot of personal sacrifice, but also sacrifice from my family, my girlfriend, my daughter. If I win this title, I’ll be able to look back and erase all the tough times I’ve gone through over the years, especially the injuries. Some seasons, I simply wasn’t good enough to be champion. Mentally, it’s tough to know you’re capable of winning races or even a championship, but not getting it done – or getting injured. It’s hard to keep going. I’m almost 34 now, and with age you start telling yourself you’ve had your time. Winning this title would be the perfect way to put all those bad moments aside.”
This weekend in Australia, Romain Febvre has the chance to carve his name into the history books once again. The Frenchman could become the first rider ever to win a world championship with the Kawasaki KX450, the first to capture two world crowns ten years apart, and the oldest rider to ever clinch the MX1/MXGP title – edging out Stefan Everts, who won his last crown at 33 years, 8 months, and 11 days.
