Romain Febvre and the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP enter their fifth season together, confident that they can secure the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship title they so narrowly missed in 2021 and 2023.
Interview and Images by Kawasaki EU
Romain, you must feel completely at home in Green as you enter your fifth season with the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP?
“Yes, for sure … and everything is going perfectly. This winter we only had to concentrate on some small adjustments to the bike so it was much easier than last year when we had to understand a completely new bike. And of course it makes everything much easier when you have already been working with the same people for a couple of years.”
Last year you spent a lot of time testing; could you focus more on your training and physical preparation this winter?
“I had a very good winter preparation and, even though I haven’t peaked yet because the season will be long, I’m very happy with my physical condition. We didn’t need to spend too long with testing as we already knew the bike, but every year there’s some new parts to test; we always need to keep on top of development as the level is very high in MXGP but I would say that the main novelty this year was the chassis as we now use the production one. We started testing straight away at the end of last season, and we soon found the best settings.”
Last year you spent a lot of time developing the bike, doing the fine tuning; did you enjoy this aspect of the job?
“It’s always nice to be involved in the development of a new bike as you can request what you want; for sure it can sometimes take time for the new parts to arrive, so you also have to adapt your style to the bike at times, but the final result was very satisfying. Sometimes last year I was looking for solutions; it was a good experience and it’s great to see that the new chassis is really good for me, especially in the sand. I’m very happy with the bike.”
Last year you had one of your best season, so you must be confident for 2024?
“As always it is most important not to get injured during the season; last year I had the concussion in Spain and missed that GP, but apart from that I had no other injuries. It’s important because you can continue to progress from race-to-race and stay consistent. You keep your rhythm, you can train physically, and from race-to-race you improve your results. That’s what I did last year; I had the speed and it was a really good season so everything is in place for another great campaign.”
