MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser rode a strong qualifying race at the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara, placing third and maintaining his healthy points lead in the 2024 MXGP World Championship in the process.
The circuit, created at the old airport in the city of Mataram, on the island of Lombok hosted it’s first GP last year, but Gajser missed it due to injury, and as such first took to the track this morning. However, it didn’t take the Slovenian long to get to grips with the venue as he posted the fastest time in free practice and then backed that up with a second-fastest time in timed practice.
This gave the #243 second gate-pick for the qualifying race, which he then turned into first position after an excellent start on-board his Honda CRF450R. Leading this MXGP field around for the first few laps, Gajser looked like he had settled quickly, but with the sun-setting and the track getting a bit more treacherous, the championship-leader decided that it would be better to bring it home safely in third position that to risk it on a Saturday, when there are still five races left to go on this circuit in what is an Indonesian double-header.
This still gives him a good gate-pick for tomorrow in the GP-scoring motos when he’ll have the opportunity of winning back-to-back GPs and increasing his 33-point gap at the top of the MXGP standings.
MX2
Ferruccio Zanchi made his Indonesian-debut in the hot conditions at the Mataram circuit on the island of Lombok, putting in a solid ride to come home in seventh position. On the first lap, the young Italian fought through the field well to get up to fifth place as they crossed the finish line for the first time, and he was keeping good pace with the riders ahead of him. However, as the laps wore on, he gradually dropped a couple of spots and brought it home in a respectable seventh place.
It was still a good outing for the rookie MX2 rider and it gives him his first taste of what to expect for these upcoming two rounds, where conditions should be similar, although the layout should change for next weekend’s GP. First up though are the GP-scoring motos tomorrow, where he’ll be hoping to match the leading riders for a little longer and try to work his way into the top five.
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 25:05.501; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:05.880; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:07.339; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:10.013; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:21.661; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:23.264; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:52.813; 8. Jack Chambers (USA, Kawasaki), +0:56.321; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:57.682; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:01.138;
Tim Gajser 243
It was great to get another good start and lead the first few laps here. I did lose my rhythm in the middle of the race though and that cost me a couple of positions but I felt it was better to just keep it calm and under control for this race than risk it on a track that was pretty difficult with the low sun and hidden bumps. Still, third place is okay and I’m happy to get this day under my belt, and I’m looking forward to doing better tomorrow.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
It was my first time racing here in Indonesia, and it has been a fun experience so far. It was hot today and that is something I need to get used, but that will be something that will improve the more I ride here. Getting seventh in the qualification race was a decent result, but I think there is more to come and that’s what I’ll be hoping to achieve when we line-up tomorrow.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
We know the difficulty when racing here in Indonesia, with the heat and the schedule, but everyone in the team knows their job and we have done well to keep the performance level high for Tim and Ferro. We are very happy with the start Tim got and his pace was good in the beginning, so that is encouraging for the GP-scoring motos tomorrow, and we’ll work on trying to make things even better for both races. And the same with Ferro, who has had to deal with a brand-new set of circumstances this weekend, but has dealt with it really well. Overall, we are very excited for the two motos on Sunday.
