FEBVRE AND EXPERIENCE IN 2025

Romain Febvre of the Kawasaki factory team might have turned 33 on the 31st of December, but the man from Epinal, in France doesn’t think for a second that he cannot compete for many more years against the likes of Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser. When you consider, MXGP rookie man, Lucas Coenen is just 18 years of age, maybe a few years older than Febvre when he arrived on the Grand Prix scene, it says something about the longevity of the 2015 World MXGP champion.

It is crazy to think that it was 13 years ago the Frenchman rode his first Grand Prix race, finishing 20th overall, in a GP at Valkenswaard, won by fellow veteran, Jeffrey Herlings. Now, with a load of experience and clearly still, one of the fastest riders in the World, Febvre prepares to try and add the 2025 MXGP championship to his title a decade ago.

“With the age and the experience,” Febvre said. “It is easier to manage your season and also your fitness, because you know where you have to push and what you have to do. Also, what you shouldn’t do, or don’t need to do. So, for that it is easier, but I do feel, and I think everyone feels this, is when you get older, you need to keep that speed. The level of the speed, it’s harder to get when you are older, so you need to work on that, to keep that speed. As you get older, you think more, but you really need to work on keeping the speed. So, to keep that speed on one lap and maintain it. Also, the overall speed, I also have to work on that.”

Retirement isn’t something that Febvre spends much time thinking about and with a great relationship with the Kawasaki team, and his results still proving to be more than enough to compete in the toughest motocross championship in the World, he isn’t about to start planning an end to his successful career.

“No, for the moment, I don’t think about that at all, which is good, because I think when you start thinking about that, it means it might be harder to fight at the top level. I don’t think about that at all and also, I don’t think about my family situation either. When I start to think about those things, then maybe it is time to stop.”

As for that second World title, being so close in 2021, where he ended the season just a couple of points off the score of Tim Gajser, who was crowned World champion that year, that type of finish makes sure he remains focused on the goal at hand and there is no stopping him from being this year’s MXGP title winner.

“I mean, 2021 was close and I might think about that a little bit, because when you battle until the last race and are just say two points off, then you feel as though that could have been your championship, but the others, in 2024, when I fought with Prado, it was a bigger gap and I don’t think about that. It is always the same and we all have a chance at the beginning, and you have to make it happen, that’s it.”

So, as he works away in the warmth of Sardinia, along with his veteran team-mate, Pauls Jonass, you know that experience will play a major part in this years title fight and as he tries to keep his speed in check, you know that consistency will win the title in 2025, and lets hope Romain Febvre is in the battle come seasons end.

Photo Credit: Pascal Haudiquert

Author: 
Geoff Meyer

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