This Sunday, Romain Febvre made a winning return to the top step of the Grand Prix podium by taking victory in the deep sand of Riola Sardo. The French rider secured his first GP win since Arnhem in 2023 – a drought that lasted 595 days. A strong performance for Febvre, who came out on top at one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar, despite starting both motos from a poor gate position.
“Winning, of course, always feels good. I’m not going to complain,” Romain said after the race in the press conference. “I can’t even remember when my last win was, because I don’t really focus on stats. I just wanted to be consistent, do my best every time, because I’m not the kind of guy who counts. Especially now, it’s still early in the season. I try to avoid making mistakes and I’d say I’ve been pretty consistent so far, apart from Spain.”
Inside the top five during Saturday’s qualifying race, Febvre was forced to pass through the pitlane to change his rear wheel after a mechanical issue. He rejoined from the back of the pack and could only salvage 20th place. He lost an additional 10 points to Tim Gajser – who won the race – and was left with a poor gate pick for Sunday’s motos.
“On Saturday, I had a mechanical issue and that cost me a lot of points again. I managed to get some of those points back on Sunday — and that’s always the goal. I’m happy to win, and to win like this. I started 20th on the gate and still managed to get two good starts in Riola.”
With a 4-1 score in Riola Sardo, Romain Febvre returned to GP-winning form this weekend with Kawasaki Racing.
Struggling to find his rhythm at the start of the first moto, Romain fought his way back to claim 4th place – just ahead of Tim Gajser. In the second moto, with a better start, he passed Jeffrey Herlings and then Isak Gifting to take the race lead. From there, he resisted constant pressure from red plate holder Tim Gajser to hold on for the win.
“In the first moto, I had a really bad opening lap and got passed by two or three riders,” Febvre explained. “After a few minutes, I passed the guys in front of me, but the top three were already out of reach. I did my best and closed the gap a bit, but they were still too far ahead to hope for more. I knew I couldn’t afford to make the same mistake in the second moto. I had to be more aggressive in the opening laps — and that’s what I did. Then I found my rhythm, didn’t take any risks. Isak Gifting was leading, but I wasn’t too worried because I knew it would be a long moto. Once I took the lead, it felt like practice for me. I didn’t really make any mistakes, apart from the last lap where I missed a jump, but I rode really well so I’m happy.”
Despite taking the overall win on Sunday, Romain Febvre still lost five points to Tim Gajser over the course of the weekend – but that hardly mattered. With his 22nd career GP win now under his belt, the Frenchman resets the counter heading into Arco di Trento and will look to carry this momentum to close the gap in the championship.
“This win definitely helps build confidence. It shows we’re working in the right direction. Along with Lommel, I’d say Riola Sardo is one of the toughest GPs on the calendar. And to win here at 33 years old — that’s not too bad [laughs]!”
The French rider claimed his 9th GP win aboard Kawasaki in Sardinia.
