Gajser dominates Great Britain, to end the 2023 MXGP season on a high

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put his stamp on the 2023 World Motocross Championship by taking a thoroughly impressive one-one GP victory at the final round of the season, at the always amazing Matterley Basin circuit in Great Britain.

Ruben Fernandez also finished the season with a great third place in the second moto, as Team HRC’s Honda CRF450Rs went one and three, further proving the strength and speed that this duo possesses when they are both fit and healthy. A finish which also bodes well for the 2024 campaign, which the pair will now prepare for – after the Motocross of Nations – filled with confidence that they will be challenging right at the sharp end of this highly competitive MXGP class next year.

In race one, both riders rounded the first bend well-placed, with Gajser in third and Fernandez a couple of places behind. They were able to maintain those positions for the early part of the race, before Gajser swooped through into second after a mistake by the rider in front. He then began pressuring the leader for the next 15 minutes, trying everything to make a move, before finally getting the job done just before the two-lap board came out. Unfortunately, a couple of mistakes dropped Fernandez to sixth, but it was still a good ride and he knew he had more to give in race two.

Much like race one, the Team HRC duo swept around the first corner in the top five, ready to try and finish this season on a high. The #243 was especially in no mood to hang around, taking only a couple of laps to move into the lead, and quickly pulling out an unassailable gap, as he put in laptimes over a second faster than anyone else. Gajser eventually took the win by almost six seconds, producing his customary whip as he received the chequered flag.

Behind him, Fernandez was involved in a big dogfight for the other podium spots, and on the final lap, he made his move to get third, and fifth overall. Although he wasn’t on the box, it was still a great display of riding and after his third place in Maggiora last week, he can still be extremely proud of how he finished out the year.

Fernandez ended up in fifth place in the championship with one overall victory at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina and four visits to the podium, while Gajser made it two GP wins, and three moto first places after his return from injury with eight rounds left of the series.

The pair now have a week off before heading to Ernee in France, for the Motocross of Nations where they will both be hoping to another successful weekend as they represent Spain and Slovenia in the MXGP class at this prestigious event.