Yamaha’s Romain Febvre is the new MXGP (450cc) World Champion. Photography courtesy Yamaha Racing
Factory Yamaha Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre clinched the 2015 MXGP-class Championship at the MXGP of The Netherlands in Assen, August 30. Febvre didn’t get the overall win on the day, but the Frenchman’s 5-1 was good enough to sew up his first World Championship title and the first for Yamaha since 2009 with Antonio Cairoli.
After a bad start in the first moto, Febvre turned everything around in the second moto to nab the win. The only rider who could stop Febvre was Honda’s Gautier Paulin but when he took the checkered flag in fourth in the second moto, that was just enough for Febvre to clinch the title with two rounds still to go.
“I started slowly on Saturday and showed good speed in qualifying already,” Febvre said. “I knew with some good starts I could be on the podium again and that was the goal. I knew also if I finished in front of [Gautier] Paulin then the championship would be done. It didn’t happen in the first moto but my start was a lot better in the second and I could pass everybody to win…and the 2015 World Championship! I cannot thank everybody enough. The team did such a good job and gave me a chance last winter…I’m so happy.”
The overall victory on the day went to KTM’s Shaun Simpson who won the first moto and finished third in the second moto. Febvre was second overall, while The Netherlands’ own Glenn Coldenhoff was third overall with a 4-2.
The MX2 class sees a new championship leader with just two rounds left on the schedule. Honda’s Tim Gajser took full advantage of a bad day for former points leader, KTM’s Pauls Jonass. After Gajser and Jonass went 1-2 in the first moto, Jonass was caught up in a first-turn crash in the second moto, damaging his bike’s front brake. He soldiered on to finish outside the top 10.
Kawasaki rider Max Anstie went on to win the second moto ahead of Gajser, who now leads Jonass by 13 points. Anstie, who crashed in the first moto, ended up second overall on the day, followed by podium newcomer, Belgium’s Brent Van doninck (Yamaha).
RESULTS
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 34:06.986; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:07.820; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:17.408; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:21.124; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.726; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:33.041; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:50.954; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:56.817; 9. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:04.682; 10. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:27.079
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 33:54.650; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:08.684; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:15.773; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:20.569; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:24.983; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:26.774; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:41.941; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:21.248; 9. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:25.816; 10. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, Yamaha), +1:30.051
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 45 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 41 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 40 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 40 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 36 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 24 p.; 9. Dean Ferris (AUS, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 20 p
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 638 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 536 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 499 p.; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 437 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 416 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 414 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 394 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 361 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 331 p.; 10. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 324 p
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:39.248; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:04.445; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:07.381; 4. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:10.620; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:18.777; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, Kawasaki), +0:23.741; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:57.762; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:02.306; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:17.932; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:19.774.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 33:49.752; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:12.125; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:18.973; 4. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.462; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:27.709; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:31.134; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:31.299; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:35.111; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:08.426; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +1:09.258.
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 points; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 37 p.; 3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 31 p.; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Harri Kullas (FIN, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 28 p.; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, KAW), 25 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 11. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 18 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 518 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 505 p.; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 474 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 446 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 440 p.; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 423 p.; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 393 p.; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 391 p.; 9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 320 p.; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 301 p.
