Strong showing for Gajser in Sweden as Fernandez fights hard
UddevallaTeam HRC’s Tim Gajser put in his best performance since returning from injury, to finish second at the MXGP of Sweden qualification race, held at the picturesque Uddevalla track. Teammate Ruben Fernandez also put in an impressive display as he rode for the first time since Finland a couple of weeks
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put in his best performance since returning from injury, to finish second at the MXGP of Sweden qualification race, held at the picturesque Uddevalla track. Teammate Ruben Fernandez also put in an impressive display as he rode for the first time since Finland a couple of weeks ago, finishing seventh.
A lot of rain had hit the area in the week leading up to this race, and there was even some more overnight, but overall, the track was in good shape, if a little one-lined for the MXGP riders. That meant that getting a good gate position and then getting a good start were imperative to making tomorrow’s GP-scoring motos an easier task.
While Gajser was able to put in a fourth placed time, for his timed practice lap, Fernandez was trying to find his groove as he rode his machine for the first time since having to withdraw from the Finnish GP due to injury. The 13 days since the incident gave him a chance to heal up, and he used that time as best he could so that he would arrive in Sweden in a position to still score points. In the practice sessions he worked with the team to find a comfortable setup, and then he utilised that in the qualification race to get a good start and finish in seventh. It was a good effort and one that sets him up well for the motos tomorrow.
And lining up ahead of him will be the #243 after his excellent second-place, in what was a much-needed result for the reigning MXGP champion. It hasn’t been easy for the Slovenian since returning from his broken femur, but he has gradually got better in the three rounds since, and after this mini-break he continued that trend by placing highly in all three sessions. A third in free practice, preceded a fourth in timed practice, which gave him the chance to challenge with the front-runners out of the gate in the qualification race. That’s exactly what happened as he steered his Honda CRF450R around the first turn in second place and he didn’t look back, pulling out a comfortable gap behind him and crossing the line to give him nine championship points and second gate-pick for the two motos.
The forecast is a little uncertain for tomorrow, but both riders are in good positions to take advantage of whatever the weather throws at them, as they try to put Team HRC back in the podium positions.
I felt good all day and I’m very happy with how the qualification race went. With the track being a bit one-lined, I knew the start was important and getting around the first bend in second place made my job a lot easier. Still, I knew I had to keep a good pace to not let the riders behind near me and that’s what happened. I made a little gap to third and just rode a solid speed until the chequered flag. Very happy though and I’m looking forward to doing it again tomorrow.
I knew it would be a struggle getting up to speed after not riding since Finland, and feeling just a bit beaten up. In practice, it took a bit of time to find some settings to make me comfortable but eventually we got there, thanks to some good work by the team and that made the qualification race a lot easier. I started in eighth place and was able to make one pass but it was difficult to make too many moves so seventh is where I finished. Still, it was a good result after how the day started.
We knew this round would be a good one for Tim, as he’s done well here in the past and he’s just a bit more comfortable on this type of terrain. A second place shows that he’s now ready to challenge for those podium spots again and if he can get out of the gate as well as he did today, we’ll be very happy. Ruben also showed his toughness to fight through today and come out with a seventh place. Tomorrow will also be a tough day but we are very pleased with his determination to keep working with the team to find a solution, and then the effort he showed out on the track.
