All three Team HRC riders – Tim Gajser, Ruben Fernandez and Ferruccio Zanchi – are making the trip to Turkiye for this weekend’s 18th round of the 2024 World Motocross Championship, where they’ll be tackling the challenge of the Afyon circuit buoyed by events at the previous round in Switzerland.
For Gajser, that was a highly momentous season-first one-one performance, and one that increased his points lead to 18 points with just three rounds remaining. The tight and technical track was perfect for the Honda CRF450R rider and he swept through the field on his way to victory to give himself a bit more breathing room as the end of the season approaches. And having won in Afyon in both 2023 and 2022, he knows that this is a venue he can perform at the highest level on, and will be aiming to repeat the feat from Frauenfeld and increase his lead even further.
After returning to action in Switzerland after almost six months out, recovering from a knee injury, Fernandez is also looking forward to racing again. His comeback went exceedingly well, leading some laps and fighting inside the top 10 and having now had a weekend off to assess how that went, he heads to Turkiye excited to try and work his way closer to the front for the duration of the motos.
Having had a season-best moto score of sixth in race one in Switzerland, MX2 rider Zanchi has also got some momentum behind him as he tries to finish his rookie campaign on a high. The young Italian has already raced far more than in any other year, so it is already impressive that he is still able to perform at a high level, but with him seemingly getting better, there are hopes he can break into the top five before the season is over.
So while the three riders have different targets, Gajser, Fernandez and Zanchi are all confident that this weekend’s racing in Afyon, Turkiye will be a successful one, which will put them on the right path for a great ending to this 2024 season.
Tim Gajser 243
Switzerland was an important weekend for me, on a track I’d never raced GPs on before. Going one-one gave me maximum points and now my target it to try and do the same again in Afyon, which is a track I really enjoy riding. Last year, it was where I won for the first time after my leg injury so I know I am good there and it is a track that suits my style, so I just want to go out and perform like I know how and if I do that, I am sure the results will be good.
Ruben Fernandez 70
It was great to be back in the paddock again after such a long layoff. And it was even better to be able to lead some laps and just enjoy racing with everyone. Now, having got that under my belt and seen where I am, I know what I need to do to perform better and that is what I will try to do in Turkiye this weekend. It is a fun track and another good step for me, as I want to end the season well. The last GP is in Spain, and I also got picked for the Spanish Motocross of Nations team, so it is important for me to build my level quickly so I can do well in those events.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
I’m excited to head to Turkiye, which I did okay at last year, with a second place in a moto. Switzerland went well and with China and Spain being new races for me, this is a pretty cool part of the calendar for me and one that I’ve been looking forward to. I’ve definitely had some ups and downs this year but I’m fit and healthy and my riding is good. I got to spend some time at Tim’s track in Slovenia this past week which was also really cool, so I’m really in a good place and can’t wait to get going in Afyon.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
Having three riders in Switzerland really put everyone in a great mood, and then to have them all performing well just made it even better. Tim showed really good speed and racing ability to win those motos, in what was a perfect time to do it, and heading into Turkiye which is a track he likes, we’re going to be trying our hardest to help him do it again. Ruben also came back with a bang, and while he is a completely different stage, we want to get him finishing as high as possible in these last few rounds.
The same with Zanchi who is really looking close to those top five riders. It’s an interesting part of the year with these new experiences for him like Switzerland and China, but he has shown his riding is at a good level and it won’t take much to have that breakthrough.
Rider Standings
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team
1 Gajser Tim 243 SLO 860 Team HRC – MXGP
2 Prado Garcia Jorge 1 SPA 842 Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing
3 Herlings Jeffrey 84 NDL 818 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
4 Seewer Jeremy 91 SWI 587 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
5 Vlaanderen Calvin 10 NDL 550 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
6 Febvre Romain 3 FRA 527 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
7 Coldenhoff Glenn 259 NDL 514 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
8 Horgmo Kevin 24 NOR 386 Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz
9 Guillod Valentin 92 SWI 329 Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz
10 Bogers Brian 189 NDL 295 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
11 Jonass Pauls 41 LAT 274 Standing Construct Honda MXGP
12 Bonacorsi Andrea 132 ITA 268 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
13 Guadagnini Mattia 101 ITA 260 Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing
14 Pancar Jan 253 SLO 218 TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team
15 Paturel Benoit FRA 197
16 Tondel Cornelius 17 NOR 192 Schmicker Racing
17 Gifting Isak 517 SWE 166 JK Racing Yamaha Active
18 Watson Ben 919 GBR 110 MRT Racing Team Beta
19 Renaux Maxime 959 FRA 100 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
20 Koch Tom GER 99
