Gajser retains the MXGP red plate in Czech Republic
LoketWith just seven days passing since the last FIM World Motocross Championship race, the MXGPs today visited the scenic Loket circuit in the northwest of the Czech Republic, close to the German border.
This hard-packed hillside track has long history of hosting World Championship motocross races and is notorious for its fast pace, exciting racing and spectacular landscapes.
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser came to Loket with one thing on his mind - to add hard points to his MXGP account and retain the World Championship leader’s red plate.
As the gate dropped on race one, the talented Slovenian slipped his CRF450RW nicely into a top-three position in the first turn and secured a safe second place by lap one. As the race played-out Gajser pushed his HRC machine closer and closer to the lead, but by the chequered flag Tim just ran out of time and came home in second place by just 0.529 seconds after 35 minutes of fast racing.
JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi had a good race one on his CRF450R, battling hard throughout the moto to defend a hard-earned 10th place - swapping places in the latter stages of the race.
As the gate dropped on MXGP race two the skies hung heavy as the threats of thunderstorms loomed over the drying track.
Gajser once again battled hard into the first turn, this time rounding lap one in fifth place with some work to do to push to the front. By lap two the four-time champion had made it into fourth position, but an unfortunate and hard fall dropped Gajser down to 22nd place.
With damage to the bike’s clutch lever Gajser came into pit lane for repairs - rejoining the race in 28th with a mountain to climb. A heroic charge followed as Tim cut his way through the pack to finish the race in 15th place, adding six points to his GP tally, sufficient to retain the lead of the World Championship.
Honda’s continued presence towards the front of the MX2 World Championship brought more hope and expectation for Team Honda 114 Motorsport this weekend. With just eight points separating the top three championship leaders, Spaniard, Ruben Fernandez was keen to defend and retain his position in the championship.
Race one saw the 22-year-old hit the first lap in fifth position and climb to fourth by lap two, which he held onto until the finish. Race two saw a repeat of race one with Fernandez in fifth position on lap one. He held onto this until lap nine and then dropped a few positions and fought back towards the end of the race finishing the moto in seventh.
Fernandez finished the day in fifth overall and sits in third place in the championship, just 14 points from the lead.
The first moto was good today. I was happy with how I was riding and it was good to finish second.
Then in the second race I had another solid start made a quick pass to move into fourth and then on the fourth lap I had a crash and I had a bit of bad luck as my clutch lever went into the hand-guard so I couldn’t use the clutch.I had to roll into pit lane where they were able to fix it and by the time I re-joined I was near the back.Thankfully I was able to ride well and saved some points, coming back to 15th, but overall I am of course a bit disappointed.
The first moto was good today. I was happy with how I was riding and it was good to finish second.
Then in the second race I had another solid start made a quick pass to move into fourth and then on the fourth lap I had a crash and I had a bit of bad luck as my clutch lever went into the hand-guard so I couldn’t use the clutch.I had to roll into pit lane where they were able to fix it and by the time I re-joined I was near the back.Thankfully I was able to ride well and saved some points, coming back to 15th, but overall I am of course a bit disappointed.
My Timed Qualifying session wasn’t so good in P21, but we managed to find a good setup for the first race. I got a good start in around 10th place and stayed there for most for the race. I felt that I was faster than the riders in front of me at the midway point, but my speed wasn’t quite enough to pass, so I settled for 10th place and was still satisfied with the result.For the second race I struggled a little on the first lap. I was in around 10th place, but had a small tip-over in one of the turns and lost around five or six positions, which dropped me to around 16th place and then struggled with arm-pump and couldn’t hold on so well.I was 12th overall today, which is my second best result for the year and I think we’re going in a good direction with the CRF450R. I really enjoy the bike a lot.
My Timed Qualifying session wasn’t so good in P21, but we managed to find a good setup for the first race. I got a good start in around 10th place and stayed there for most for the race. I felt that I was faster than the riders in front of me at the midway point, but my speed wasn’t quite enough to pass, so I settled for 10th place and was still satisfied with the result.For the second race I struggled a little on the first lap. I was in around 10th place, but had a small tip-over in one of the turns and lost around five or six positions, which dropped me to around 16th place and then struggled with arm-pump and couldn’t hold on so well.I was 12th overall today, which is my second best result for the year and I think we’re going in a good direction with the CRF450R. I really enjoy the bike a lot.
I managed to set a good qualifying lap today as soon as timed practice stated, so that gave me a good choice on the start gate.In the first moto I didn’t have such a good start but managed to get myself into the top five in the first few corners. By lap two I’d pushed up to fourth place and I finished the race in fourth position and that was OK.In race two I was riding quite well and staying up in the top five but towards the end of the race I lost a little rhythm and stated to make some bad line choices and wasn’t feeling myself. Still, I was quite consistent today with two solid motos, but the final results weren’t what I wanted.I’m staying positive and still third in the championship going into Lommel.
I managed to set a good qualifying lap today as soon as timed practice stated, so that gave me a good choice on the start gate.In the first moto I didn’t have such a good start but managed to get myself into the top five in the first few corners. By lap two I’d pushed up to fourth place and I finished the race in fourth position and that was OK.In race two I was riding quite well and staying up in the top five but towards the end of the race I lost a little rhythm and stated to make some bad line choices and wasn’t feeling myself. Still, I was quite consistent today with two solid motos, but the final results weren’t what I wanted.I’m staying positive and still third in the championship going into Lommel.
In the MX2 class Honda are still featuring strongly with just 14 points separating the leading three which includes Ruben Fernandez on the CRF250R.Although Ruben lost a few points to his rivals this weekend, his position as a front-runner is still strong and we’re pleased to see this.Henry Jacobi also had a strong first moto today riding the JM Honda Racing CRF450R - battling hard to come home in a well-earned 10th place in a talent-stacked racing class. Henry unfortunately had a small spill in race two that cost him some valuable places in the race, but still managed to finish the weekend in 12th overall.HRC’s Tim Gajser showed heart and determination today following a hard crash in race two and sustaining some damage to the bike. His race one second place though means that Tim still leads the MXGP World Championship going into the next round at Lommel in a week’s time.
In the MX2 class Honda are still featuring strongly with just 14 points separating the leading three which includes Ruben Fernandez on the CRF250R.Although Ruben lost a few points to his rivals this weekend, his position as a front-runner is still strong and we’re pleased to see this.Henry Jacobi also had a strong first moto today riding the JM Honda Racing CRF450R - battling hard to come home in a well-earned 10th place in a talent-stacked racing class. Henry unfortunately had a small spill in race two that cost him some valuable places in the race, but still managed to finish the weekend in 12th overall.HRC’s Tim Gajser showed heart and determination today following a hard crash in race two and sustaining some damage to the bike. His race one second place though means that Tim still leads the MXGP World Championship going into the next round at Lommel in a week’s time.
