MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser continued his high level of performance, by reeling off a pair of second-place finishes, giving him second overall at the MXGP of Lombok and increasing his lead at the top of the 2024 MXGP World Championship back to 34-points – the same margin as when he arrived on Indonesian shores before the previous round.
After his holeshot in the qualification race yesterday, the Honda CRF450R rider made it three holeshots out of three, with two more excellent starts today, giving him perfect track position for this reversed-circuit layout at the old Mataram airport.
In the first race, he was able to lead the majority of the race, but was never able to pull a convincing gap ahead of second place, and as a result, after a couple of small errors, he had to concede the lead with five laps remaining. It was still a good result as he gained more points in the all-important championship battle.
Like race one, he grabbed the holeshot in race two but this time wasn’t able to hold onto the advantage for too long and instead settled in behind the leader, watching and waiting to make his move. Keeping the gap under three seconds, and even closing right up to under a second, the #243 tried his best to make the pass, but on the tricky terrain, he eventually decided that it was better to come home safely in second than to perform a high-risk manoeuvre. That position was still six-points ahead of his nearest championship rival, moving the gap back to 34-points with eight rounds remaining.
Next up is the MXGP of Czech Republic, held at the historic Loket track which is known for it’s hard-pack surface on hilly terrain. It is a track that Gajser has never won on, but given the way he is performing this year, he will enter into the weekend looking to right that wrong.
Tim Gajser 243
I felt much more comfortable this weekend and I think that showed in my riding. Getting three holeshots is a great accomplishment for me and for the team and I must thank all of them for all the work they do. I am very happy to be heading back to Europe with the red-plate and to be fit, healthy and still feeling like I’m riding well. Now we have Loket, which isn’t my best track but I always get a lot of support and I’m excited to see all my Slovenian fans. And also, a big thank you to the hospitality shown by all the Indonesian fans and supporters who really add so much to this race and I hope to see you all again next year.
