Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1538605
Febvre, Laengenfelder Extend Points Leads T he 16th round of the FIM Mo- tocross World Championship took place at the classic Uddevalla racetrack for the MXGP of Swe - den, August 16-17. Crowded hill- sides of eager fans played witness to one of the most exciting grands prix of the year as the champion- ship enters its home stretch. Both points leaders, Romain Febvre and Simon Laengenfelder further extended their points leads with the overall wins. MXGP Romain Febvre needed this win. After losing out the past few rounds to MXGP rookie Lucas Coenen, the Kawasaki veteran fired back with a perfect 1-1-1 weekend in Sweden. After winning the qualifying race on Saturday he came out hot with two holeshots on Sunday. Moto one saw him lead all the way to the checkers despite constant pressure from Jeffrey Herlings in second. Still, Febvre withstood the challenge and started the day with the moto one win. Race two put Febvre into the lead once again with second and third hot on his heels all the way to the final lap. He was momentarily overtaken on the last lap by the hometown hero, Isak Gifting, but the privateer fell soon after and re-gifted the lead back to Febvre. The championship leader scored maximum points while his rival Coenen finished a distant eighth overall on the day. He continues to lead the series by 41 points. "I won't lie, this was a good weekend," said Febvre. "Going 1-1-1 feels awesome, and it's a big boost for the championship. It's not done until the last round, but I was riding well here, and it feels great to win again in Swe - den after such a long time. Now I just want to keep this momentum going and fight until the end." Herlings had one of his best results of the year with two consistent second-place finishes. The Red Bull KTM rider pressured Febvre in both motos and chal - lenged for the lead early in race one. Again, in race two, he kept Febvre in his sights but never got close enough to make a pass stick. Herlings found himself as far back as third late in the second moto but reclaimed the runner-up spot once Gifting fell. A 2-2 on the day put Herlings second overall. "Two solid races today with 2-2 for second overall," said Her - lings. "In the second race, I was really close to Romain and push- ing hard, but just when I went for it, I ran out of tear-offs, and then WIND IN THE P50 Romain Febvre turned in a clutch performance with a sweep of the Swedish GP. (Above) Simon Laengenfelder extended his points lead with the MX2 overall win.