Another podium for Team HRC's Tim Gajser in Spain
intu Xanadú - ArroyomolinosSituated just 26km south-west of Madrid, the Xanadú-Arroyomolinos International Circuit hosted Round 13 of the FIM World Motocross Championship this weekend.
Featuring a hard-packed surface, high speeds and many jumps the Spanish track naturally favoured riders more accustomed to the throttle-control challenges that such a circuit brings.
As the gate dropped on MXGP race one it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who led the Hondas into turn one with Team Honda SR Motoblouz’s Benoit Paturel riding the CRF450R in fifth.
Gajser soon moved into third place and set about a battle to reel in the two riders ahead of him. The Slovenian briefly made a pass into second place, but couldn’t quite make the pass stick. A frustrated Gajser then made some small mistakes, followed by a crash which dropped him to fourth position by the flag.
Meanwhile, Frenchman Benoit Paturel defended his top-ten position very well to eventually finish the race in eighth place and a well-deserved 14 GP points.
Race two saw Gajser in a better position in the early laps, pushing hard for the lead. Although Tim dropped to third place on lap two, he set about a come-back and managed to climb back to second place on lap 13. The four-time World Champion finished the race in second, taking third overall and now sits just 15 points away from the championship lead.
Again Team Honda SR Motoblouz’s Benoit Paturel took his CRF450R to a great result in race two, starting in ninth, defending his race position well and finishing in ninth after holding onto eighth place for eight laps.
Starting his home MX2 Grand Prix with high hopes, Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez fired his CRF250R into ninth place on lap one, but set about a tough push into eighth by lap two and held his position well, eventually finishing the race in seventh with hopes for a better result in race two.
Race two started for Fernandez with a eighth position on lap one, but the Spaniard was motivated and fast at his home GP and pushed into fifth place on lap seven, which he held onto until the finish giving him seventh overall - only six points away from a podium finish.
Once again it was a round where I did much better in the second moto than the first.It is frustrating to have made those mistakes in race one which cost me valuable points but I was very happy with how I started in both races and it was nice to ride well in the second moto.Now we head to the final five rounds in Italy with three in Trentino and two in Mantova and I really hope I get a lot of support because it really makes a difference around the track. I’m excited to get to get to Trentino as it is a place I love riding and I really want to make a big final push for the championship there.
Even though I didn’t have such a good Timed Qualification this morning, my race results were good so it was still a good day for me.The start was very wide and I managed to take two good starts and follow the pack.Finally I’ve had a good result. I’m really happy and looking forward to the rest of the season. I really like the track at Trentino, so I’m hoping to have three good GP results in Italy, starting next weekend.
I had a good day today and a good weekend overall. It was crazy with all the fans and very nice to see them. My shoulder is still very sore, but with the adrenalin flowing during the races I don’t feel it so much - only afterwards.I had some bad starts today, so this made my races complicated - especially the first one. It took me quite a while to get on the race-pace, but by the end of the moto I started to catch the riders ahead of me and finished the race quite close to the top five.I got a better start in race two and made it up to fifth and it was nice to ride again on the top pace with this guys after my injury.
Today here in Spain our young talent in MX2 performed well in both races.It was the home GP for Ruben Fernandez and he handled the pressure maturely and also coped well with the media demands and public engagements that come with being a home hero at your home GP.Seventh overall for Ruben with seventh and fifth we can accept, but I would have been very interested to see Ruben make better starts and not have to make so many passes through the pack.Stephen Rubini made life difficult for himself with a fall making him have to fight through the pack. Good speed and a never give up attitude carried him through well.In MXGP Benoit Paturel showed himself strongly with a superb eighth and ninth for eighth overall. Making great starts and holding position with brilliant lap times. His confidence will be boosted for sure and help in the next races.Tim Gajser had the pace to win but found some little mistakes held him back from gaining more points. Race two was his best and he feels strong heading to Italy for the triple round and happy to be making nice starts again.
