Factory Kawasaki rider Romain Febvre is coming off what was probably his best season in his long career. Despite not adding a MXGP World Championship to his 2015 crown, the Frenchman looked to be the strongest for much of the season. However, early season crashes and injury stopped him from becoming a two-time World Motocross champion.
Now rested after a long winter, the world number two is ready to take a step higher on the MXGP title podium, and we caught up as he prepared for the 2024 season in Sardinia.
MXLarge: You had a really good 2023, with a lot of wins, but how has the winter been recovering from that tough, long season?
Febvre: Yes, of course. After des Nations, we did some testing for 2024 and after that I went to relax on holidays. I had some work to do at my place, so I was busy with that, but I took some time off the bike to recharge the battery. Then in December we went to Spain to train because the weather was bad in Belgium. We now spend January in Sardinia, like we do every year. Everything went to plan and it’s going pretty good at the moment. I’m happy where I am today.
MXlarge: Tell me something, you had such a good year, even though you didn’t win the title, you probably had the best season of your career, with so many GP wins and really looking unbeatable for a time there. It seems you are riding better than ever. Is that the way it feels?
Febvre: Yes, I mean, we had some ups and downs at the beginning of the season and then I could manage to put it all together and for many races. The season was good, I had six wins, which is a lot in one season. Overall, it was a good year, but also 2021 when we are battling until the last moto for the championship with Jeffrey [Herlings]. It was different, because that year I won only one Grand Prix, but I was really consistent from the start until the end. That was why I was able to fight for the championship. About winning, yes, last year was something special.
MXLarge: When you have a year like that, and everything is just going perfect, or at least after you came back from injury, is it a pity to stop for the winter, do you feel like just continuing with the momentum you had. You now have to start all over again?
Febvre: Not really. I mean, we know, I know the way I did things and I don’t care to start again because now I know the way to go. It was a busy season, and I was happy to take a break. Near the end of the season, you are pretty tired, everyone is tired, because we travel a lot. I am also not just going World Championship, but also pre-season races and then also the Dutch Masters, also some extra races, so I was ready to take a break. I did maybe 30 races and when it comes to an end, even if the season was so good, I don’t mind taking time to recover.
MXLarge: You have shown you can battle with Jeffrey and Tim [Gajser], as you showed in 2021, but last year he was injured, and Tim was also injured for a lot of the season. Because you found the way to win GPs, you must be excited to race them again, because for the last 10 years, they have been the guys?
Febvre: Yes, for sure. I mean, I am happy where I am at the moment, how things are going. I would say, the first pre-season races I will see Tim, because he does the Italian Championship, and I will see Jeffrey maybe in France and Hawkstone and we will see where I am against them. I am excited to do that, to race with them and battle for the win. I will try and be the best of the three.
MXlarge: It was a new bike last year, have there been changes to the bike for 2024?
Febvre: Yes, we changed, but not a lot. We now ride with the production frame, because last year it was a prototype bike. So, we had to adjust to this, but it was pretty easy and on most of the tracks this frame is better to ride, because it is stiffer, and I really like that. That is one of the main things, but we also had suspension changes and also the engine for better starts. We had some options, some new things, but I am really happy with how it has gone, the testing and the riding. For sure, I am not 100% yet, but I feel I can ride a bit more and also get those first few races done. I am looking forward to that, but for now, I feel really good about the changes.
MXLarge: Obviously your last two teammates, Ben Watson and Mitch Evans, had struggled and you were the only guy in the team getting results. This year you will have Jeremy [Seewer] on the team, and he is clearly a serious contender, as he has shown so many times in the past, finishing second in the world on many occasions. Does that make any difference for you, because they always say you have to beat your team-mate first and he will be tough in 2024?
Febvre: No, like you said, everyone says you have to first beat your teammate, but you can watch all my interviews, I really don’t care about my teammate, on the track it is just another guy, but I have to beat him anyway. I really don’t care, and we were on the last year when I was riding Yamaha and we have been on the team together and he is an easy guy and not making any trouble. I am happy to have him as a teammate and let’s see what he can do on the Kawasaki, but I don’t think about who my teammate is, no added pressure.
MXLarge: You are in Sardinia, you race this weekend in Riola, what else will you do in the pre-season?
Febvre: Yes, I am going to do this weekend, then Mantova and then the International in France on February 18 and then a week later Hawkstone Park. I am done with testing, but Jeremy is still testing. We finished testing last week, but we have the Japanese with us and that has been busy the last 10 days, but I am finished with that now and I can start my normal practice days. It is pretty good.