Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider Romain Febvre landed on the podium on Sunday at MXGP of Switzerland at Frauenfeld on his YZ450FM in front of 25,000 cheering fans.
Teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek put together a steady pair of top 10 motos over the deeply-rutted hardpack.
Swiss rider Valentin Guillod dazzled the home crowd in the first moto aboard his YZ450F, but crashed in the second moto and left the race early. The Kemea Yamaha Official Team rider was not injured, and did not require medical assistance after crossing wheels with another rider in the air during a 30-meter tabletop jump.
Febvre was on his way to a podium finish in the early moto, but sunk his footpeg in the deep ruts on a right turn and came off his motorcycle with three chasers more than midway through the race. By the time the 2015 World Champion remounted he had slipped to eighth and remained there until the finish. Motivated to do better in the second moto, Febvre set his mind on victory, and was head-to-head against Slovene Tim Gajser until two laps to go. As the ruts ruled the race and would not allow for many passing opportunities, Febvre came across the line in moto two in second, for third overall.
Van Horebeek finished a strong and steady fourth in the first moto, capitalizing on the work he and the team have done on starts throughout the 2016 season. But the Belgian was no luckier than the rest of the pack in the late race, or the cumulative carving effect of six race categories over two days on the newly-constructed motocross circuit in Fraunfeld. Van Horebeek finished 10th in the second race and eighth overall in Switzerland.
Guillod raced for the first time in his native Switzerland at an MXGP event, and drew thousands of cheering voices each time he crossed the temporary stadium bleachers that organizers built at Frauenfeld. In the first moto he finished a very fast fifth, passing Tommy Searle of the United Kingdom. Jordi Tixier of France and even his own Yamaha colleague Febvre. But an unforced error on a long jump midway through the second moto put Guillod on the ground, and he finished 14th overall in the final standings.
In the 2016 FIM World Championship points standings, Febvre moves closer to third overall after round 15 in Switzerland, and now sits just 10 points behind German Max Nagl. Van Horebeek remains sixth overall, 24 points behind Russian Evgeny Bobryshev. Guillod is seventh, more than 130 points behind Van Horebeek but just one point ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff of the Netherlands.
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:08.501;
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:07.545;
3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:10.443;
4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.257;
5. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:19.403;
6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:23.488;
7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:25.625;
8. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.295;
9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:31.260;
10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:31.694.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:24.265;
2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:11.791;
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:20.333;
4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:22.574;
5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:23.071;
6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:24.626;
7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:37.348;
8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:42.562;
9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:49.442;
10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:54.840.
MXGP Overall Top Ten:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41 points;
2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 37 p.;
3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 35 p.;
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 32 p.;
5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 30 p.;
6. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 29 p.;
7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 29 p.;
8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 29 p.;
9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 27 p.;
10. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 25 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 644 points;
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 545 p.;
3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 509 p.;
4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 499 p.;
5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 472 p.;
6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 446 p.;
7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 308 p.;
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 307 p.;
9. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 298 p.;
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 279 p.