Febvre takes a wild moto to keep his lead in Latvia

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory rider Romain Febvre roared back from a dropped motorcycle on Sunday and went on to win the second moto in Kegums and finish on the podium in Latvia. The French rider finished 3rd overall and held on to the 2016 World Championship leader’s plate by a one-point margin.

Teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek built on engine work during the week to finish in the Top-5 twice and improve his Championship standings while Kemea Yamaha Official MX rider Valentin Guillod struggled on the tricky circuit to crack the Top-10 in the second moto.

Febvre slipped in the sand early in the first moto on Sunday, and lost valuable time and position despite a quick remount of his YZ450FM. The French rider could not pass higher than fifth and watched as Slovenian rider Tim Gajser gained nine valuable championships points in the sixth round of MXGP.

In the second moto Febvre passed Italian rider Tony Cairoli more than halfway through the race and never looked back, winning by 12 seconds to take back seven points from Gajser. The 2015 FIM Motocross World Champion now leads the 2016 World Championship by one point with 12 more rounds to go.

Van Horebeek worked with team mechanics and staff during the week to find engine tunings suited to him and quickly demonstrated his improvement in Latvia, with good starts in both motos and a solid pace throughout. the Belgian finished ahead of teammate Febvre in the first moto and then went on to reach the podium in the late race, but was edged out of a final result by a resurgent Gajser in the final lap.

Guillod showed a turn of speed in the first moto with a very fast start, and held a solid line through the shifting turns, but the Swiss rider struggled with the unpredictable corners and faded in the first moto. In the afternoon race he came back more determined and cracked the Top-10 just ahead of Yamaha Tip-Top 32 privateer Milko Potisek. Guillod finished MXGP Latvia 11th overall while Potisek finished 10th by going 11-11 on the day.

Van Horebeek is now fifth overall in the World Champhionship, with three points separating him from riders both in front and behind ahead of round seven in Germany. Guillod holds on to 10th overall with a 4-point gap behind him, and Potisek is 14th, three points from lucky 13.