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Latvian Beat Down Story and Images Honda and Bavo
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser won the MXGP of Latvia in dramatic fashion to secure his fourth overall win in a row, extending his lead at the top of the championship to 33 points. Held at the sandy Kegums track, an hour south of Riga, Gajser didn’t have an easy weekend after a qualification crash left him with a bad gate pick. However, after two good starts, he rode solidly in the first moto for a sixth place before storming to the front in race two to seal another top step performance. Team mate Brian Bogers also put in a good second moto to place just outside the top 10, something he can build upon as we now head into the second half of the series.
For Gajser though, he couldn’t have expected such an outcome after starting each moto with 18th gate pick on a Kegums track that definitely favoured the inside positions. However once again this season he proved that when it really matters, a good reaction time, plus the power of the Honda CRF450RW can get him right near the front of this highly competitive MXGP field. In the first moto he wasn’t able to really find his rhythm on this sandy surface and despite a top five start, he dropped a position to take the chequered flag in sixth place. This meant he really needed a good placing around the first bend of race two, which is exactly what he was able to deliver as the #243 swept through into second place early on. Still with work to do, Gajser found a much better flow around the track and after dropping into third for a few laps, he put his head down and charged through to take the lead with 10 minutes remaining. As time expired, results elsewhere meant that three riders ended up tying on 40 points, but with the second moto victory, Gajser took the overall on the tie-breaker. His points tally also meant that he was able to increase his point’s gaps from 13 points at the beginning of the weekend to 33 with nine rounds of the 2019 motocross world championships still to race. Dutch rider Brian Bogers wasn’t quite as fortunate at the beginning of the races as he was involved in a first turn pile-up in the first moto that left him right at the back of the field. In the first half of the race he put on a great charge to get himself back into the top 20, but he wasn’t quite able to maintain that momentum and ended up 18th. Race two started off better as he was able to move into 12th by the end of the first lap. With consistent laptimes and showing good line selection, Bogers was able to remain there for the rest of the moto and cross the line for his jointthird best result of the season. Next weekend sees the championship head to Teutschenthal, Germany on 22-23 June for the third event in a row and the 10th round of the season. This track is another one that suits Gajser’s smooth style and there is strong possibility he’ll be able to add to his 10 moto wins and five overalls of what has been an extremely successful MXGP champi-
onship campaign so far. Tim Gajser: I’m really happy because I really didn’t expect this after yesterday’s performance. I had 18th gate pick after a horrible crash and I wasn’t feeling great in that first moto today either. I couldn’t find good lines or a good rhythm so I was only able to finish sixth. In the second race I had an even better start and although it took a few laps, I passed my way into the lead with about 10 minutes remaining. I’m really happy to win another overall and a big thanks to all of the team who work so hard, because that hard work is really paying off so a big thanks to everyone. Still there are a lot of races to go so I will continue to go into each GP trying to have fun, giving my best and hoping to come out on top and remain leading this MXGP championship. Brian Bogers: It wasn’t too bad today as I was able to turn it around after I crashed in the start of the first race. That definitely isn’t how you want to begin the motos. That crash left me at the back of the field, but that made me want to try too hard and although I passed a lot of guys to begin with, I got held up behind one rider and that really halted all my momentum. I went from completely last to 18th which is a couple of points but not really what I wanted. This made me extra focused for the second heat where I had a better start and was around 20th. Then in that first lap I was able to get up into 12th and that’s where I stayed for the whole race. I was really happy with my riding in that moto because I showed some good speed in the first 20 minutes. I pushed as much as I could and I’m happy to get one solid result and I hope this can continue next week in Teutschenthal. Marcus Pereira de Freitas - HRC General Manager – MXGP: After yesterday, it would have been hard to predict that Tim would be able to win the overall but once again he proved that he can perform under pressure and deliver results at just the right time. He certainly didn’t seem to be riding like himself in race one, but when he needed a good performance he raised his game and took another moto win for yet another overall. All of Team HRC, both the people at the track and everyone in Japan working behind the scenes deserve a lot of credit because this really is a massive team effort from everybody involved. Tim is the person the fans see on the track but a lot of people around the world put in a lot of work to help him achieve these performances and I just want to make sure they get some recognition for their efforts. It was also nice to see Brian bounce back from a tough first moto to get a 12th in race two. It is always good to see riders put disappointment behind them and that’s exactly Brian was able to do after that first turn crash in race one. Now we head to Germany and it’s another good track for Tim and another race where he’ll be riding with the red plate, which is something we hope to keep all the way through the season now.
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Hard Pack Lesson Story and Images Honda and Bavo Swijgers
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser made it five GP overalls in a row after sweeping the MXGP of Germany with a superb one-one performance. His two moto victories here at the rutted Teutschenthal track made it nine wins in the last ten races and 12 now for the season. It also means he extends his lead at the top of the MXGP championship to 83 points over his nearest rival with eight rounds still left to ride. Fellow HRC rider Brian Bogers had his joint second-best moto score of the season with a ninth in a race one, backing that up with an 11th in race two to just miss out on his pre-race aim of a top 10 overall.
For Gajser though, everything is going really well right now and his confidence is sky high after yet another impressive double moto victory. Getting the holeshot in both races on his Honda CRF450RW, he then kept control from start to finish, pulling out to a comfortable lead before settling into a pace that meant he won by over five seconds in each moto. As others around him struggled to adapt to the deeply-rutted Teutschenthal surface, Gajser showed good speed every time he hit the track, posting the fastest laptimes in every session, and usually by more than a second to the next fastest. As he received the chequered flag the second time around, his lead stretched out to 83 points in the MXGP championship, which has come about after a run of results that has seen him take 240 out of a possible 250 points available. While the next round in Palembang, Indonesia is an unknown quantity, the following events in Semarang and then Loket, Czech Republic should suit his style and give him the opportunity to really stamp his authority even more on this title chase. Despite just missing out on a top 10 overall, Bogers was still pleased to be in the mix for that target, especially after posting a ninth place finish in race one. A solid qualification result of 12th gave him the opportunity to join that battle and that’s exactly what he was able to do in the first race, eventually crossing the line in ninth place for his joint second-best finish of the season. Hoping for a repeat in race two, Bogers just slipped outside the top 10, finishing 11th overall and missing out on his first top 10 GP finish by just one single point. However with eight rounds still left, his confidence is growing and he is excited to line up in Palembang for the next gate drop. Both riders now have a weekend to recover, relax and prepare for round 11th of the 2019 world motocross championship which takes place in Indonesia on July 6-7. The series then stays in that country for round 12 the following weekend at the impressive Semarang circuit where Gajser will be hoping to improve upon the second place his achieved at the 2018 edition. Tim Gajser: I was enjoying riding on the track this weekend. It was a really technical circuit with deep ruts which
made line selection really important. I’m also really happy to take the holeshot in both races, as well as the qualifier yesterday, because we weren’t able to do that in the early part of the season but now we are getting the perfect jump out of the gate. In the first moto I did make a little mistake but I was still able to pick up the bike and remount as the leader, so that went okay. Then in the second race, I didn’t want to push too hard. I pulled out a lead of about five seconds and then kept it smooth because the track was a little sketchy in that second moto. The shadows and the sun was quite low which caused problems on certain parts of the track. However overall I’m very happy to win another overall and to extend my lead in the MXGP championship. I’m feeling really happy with how I rode and how the whole of Team HRC is working together. Brian Bogers: It actually went pretty good today, I felt comfortable most of the day and even the starts went not too bad. In the first race I started around 15th and was able to move directly into around 10th place. I made a couple of passes and I was in eighth for most of the race before a small mistake near the end of the race dropped me to ninth. It’s in the top 10 and that’s where I want to be so I’m happy with that. The second moto I never felt happy and I couldn’t find a good rhythm. I was around 10th in the start and then dropped a couple of spots but I ended up 11th, which wasn’t too bad but still, I felt I could have done better. Unfortunately that meant I was 11th overall which is still just outside where I want to be, but overall it was a decent weekend. Marcus Pereira de Freitas - HRC General Manager – MXGP: After the events of Latvia, it was a completely different feeling coming into this weekend in Germany, but once again Tim handled everything like the professional he is. He was fastest in every session on both days and then he grabbed the holeshot in both races and that meant he could stay out of any trouble. It was exactly what he needed to do, and I think he could’ve gone faster if he needed too. The lead is now 83 points in the championship but it is still too early to think about that too much so we want him to keep approaching the races the same and to enjoy his riding. good to
NEXT BIG THING KTM story images Ray Archer
Jorge Prado is in a dominant frame of mind and winning all the Grand Prix’s he has attended in 2019 is really something special. Check out this comments from Germany and Latvia and also his comments about racing MXGP in 2020. “It was another good weekend and I’m happy because I was struggling a bit yesterday. I felt better in the second moto, on a track that was far from easy, because it was tough to get a flow. It was enough to get the job done today. We’ve had a lot of races recently but I will go back home in this small break and keep training. My goal this season is to keep improving.”
“This weekend was a bit down for the team. There were some ‘ups’ like my victory and the good ride by Tom but then Jeffrey and Tony getting injured is upsetting. I wish a speed recovery for both of them. From my side it was a perfect weekend. I headed every single session, so really good. Teutschenthal next and I won there last year. Big ruts! Hopefully we can train well this week and keep focussed on the goal.” Prado will remain a Red Bull KTM rider and part of the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship for the next four years, until 2023, after signing a contract extension at the Grand Prix of Germany last weekend. The eighteen year old Spaniard is acknowledged as one of the hottest talents on the international motocross scene. He made his debut in Grand Prix in 2016 and scored a podium finish at Assen in the Netherlands at his first full attempt. Prado toasted his maiden victory in Italy a few months later in his rookie MX2 term with the KTM 250 SX-F and then memorably duelled with then-teammate Pauls Jonass to win the 2018 FIM World Championship in his second season. After the German fixture last weekend Prado is currently unbeaten in the nine rounds of ten he has contested in 2019 and had 14 holeshots. He leads the standings by 44 points in what has so far been a comprehensive title defence. If the Galician claims back-to-back titles he will be the third Red Bull KTM rider to do so in the last ten years, joining Marvin Musquin (20092010) and Jeffrey Herlings (2012-2013). Prado will also need to join the MXGP class and teammates Tony Cairoli and Herlings for 2020. Jorge Prado: “KTM have supported me since I started racing and winning my first world title in the 65s. They offered me a great opportunity for MXGP because if I win this year then I’ll need to be on a 450 and so this all came together very easily. I’m very happy to stay another four years and we’re both excited about it. Since I joined this team and worked with Claudio [De Carli] I’ve really felt that my place was to stay here and learn. He has a lot of experience and I’m sure we’ll make a good pass to the 450s. I have a great team behind me and it is difficult to find a better place than where I am right now.” Claudio De Carli, Red Bull KTM MXGP Team Manager: “In our sport we can never take anything taken for granted, so it is always satisfying when renewals like this happen and we can continue our journey.
It is the sign that we are working in the right direction and the continuity in relationships means that the group is solid and close-knit. With Jorge I have had again the chance to help a young rider, which has always been one of my priorities, and I thank KTM for this. In the last two years I can only say that with Jorge we have always worked with the utmost commitment and with a smile, even in difficult times. He is a fantastic boy that deserves all his success.” Robert Jonas, VP of Offroad: “Jorge has been a KTM rider from the beginning and it has been special and rewarding to watch him develop so fast to reach the top of the sport. Full credit must go to Claudio and Davide De Carli, Tony Cairoli and the crew inside the team for the way they have mentored Jorge and helped him unlock that final touch needed to bring the results we all knew he was capable of. Making this new contract was pretty easy because it was something both of us really wanted to happen and we’re excited to see what he can do next.”
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