Honda HRC are down to three riders at the MXGP of Portugal, as five-time world champion and current red-plate holder Tim Gajser will not make the trip to Agueda. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the rider and all the medical personnel helping the Slovenian since leaving Switzerland, the injury hasn’t improved enough to cope with the rigours of world motocross racing.
After a tough Monday of racing in Switzerland – which followed an excellent Saturday where Ruben Fernandez and Gajser went one-two in qualification – there were question marks surrounding the status of the Gajser, after a nasty crash involving a solid man-made mound of dirt that was meant to be marking the track boundary but was instead inside the markers. And after some excellent treatment once he left the on-site facility, the Slovenian was hoping that he would be fit enough to attempt to battle the demands of MXGP motocross and continue his fight for title number six. Sitting 27 points clear of second place, the #243 knew he would have his work cut out to ready to make the start-line, but an intense week of physiotherapy saw his condition reach a level where there was optimism that he would be able to jump on a plane for round seven. Instead, he, along with his qualified medical team decided that sitting it out was the necessary call and now there will be further tests to determine the best course of action. It is a massive disappointment for Gajser as before the crash, he was 49 points ahead of his rivals, having won three of the first six rounds, and been on the podium for all of them.
Now running solo in the MXGP class is Fernandez, who always looks forward to racing in Agueda, as it is a local track for him, where he is cheered on by lots of fans from the region. The Spaniard doesn’t live too far from this Portuguese track and raced there a lot when growing up and loves the loose nature of the soil and the exciting layout that always delivers top racing. The #70 is also highly motivated to get himself onto the podium after some unfortunate results which has seen his speed not get rightfully rewarded with points. He won the qualification race in Switzerland but wants to turn that into similar results on Sunday, so he can stand on the podium and payback all the fans and team members who support him.
In the MX2 class, both Zanchi and Lata competed in the Italian Championship race in Montevarchi, where Zanchi came out on top with a pair of wins, ahead of his teammate. The duo are separated by just two points in the championship standings and are determined to rise higher as they try to put themselves and their Honda CRF250Rs in positions to fight it out with the best MX2 riders. Lata has had a couple of good starts in recent weeks, including a holeshot in the Swiss qualification race and is trending upwards as he grows into this competitive class. Zanchi hasn’t been able to reach the levels of his early-season form where he won a moto and stood on the podium in Spain, but he hopes the win in Montevarchi will give him the boost necessary to battle for the top spots once again.
Unfortunately, the weather isn’t looking good, with rain scheduled throughout the weekend, which brings back painful reminders of the horrible conditions which the riders’ faced in 2024. However, whatever the status of the Agueda track, all four Honda HRC riders are motivated for the job at hand and will try their upmost to maximise their points haul.
Tim Gajser 243
Obviously, everyone knows that I dislocated my shoulder in Switzerland, but despite the best care possible since leaving the track, I will be unable to line-up for the MXGP of Portugal. I tried my hardest with all the physiotherapy and we did everything we could to be ready for this weekend, but it just hasn’t worked out. There was hope earlier in the week, as things were going well, but this is an injury you can’t force or rush to be better than it is. Of course, I am extremely disappointed to be missing any racing and now we will see what we can do in the coming days to figure out our next move. I’d like to say a big thanks for all the messages of support I have received from all my fans, and I hope to see you at the races soon.
Ruben Fernandez 70
I have to say that I was pretty frustrated and annoyed when I left Switzerland. I felt the DQ was harsh and the procedure that is in place afterwards, isn’t correct and leaves a rider in a dangerous situation. Still, I am hoping to channel that and focus on reaching the podium in Portugal – a reward, I feel my riding level deserves. I really like the track and I love visiting the area as I have a lot of friends and fans there, so this is a weekend I always look forward to, and I can’t wait to get there and go racing.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
I chose to race an Italian Championship round in Montevarchi in the weekend off and I felt really good there. I won both races, which is a nice feeling after some performances in the GPs where I haven’t felt my best. Now I want to carry that momentum into Portugal and start fighting closer to the front of the field, which I know is possible for me. Big thanks to the team for all their continued support and we will keep working.
Valerio Lata 18
I feel like I have made some big improvements already this year, and I am starting to understand what I need to keep working on, to be at the front of this MX2 class more consistently. I had some good moments in Switzerland and led some parts of the race, so that was nice, but now I want to make that happen more often, so I have to keep working hard. I believe we made some good steps with the bike during this weekend off, where I did a race in Italy, so I’m looking forward to going out in Agueda and making it happen there.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
It has been a stressful weekend off from the championship as we’ve had a lot to deal with, after three GPs in a row and just with everything that happened in Switzerland. Sometimes things can be going so well, but then disaster strikes so quickly in motocross and you have to be ready for that. It is a big shame that Tim won’t be with the team in Portugal. He had been riding so well and dominating the championship, and he was doing everything possible to try and line-up this weekend, but it was just too soon. We will see what happens over the next few days and make a plan from there, but now we have to make sure that Ruben, Ferro and Valerio are riding their best and help them as much as possible.
Rider Standings
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team
1 Gajser Tim 243 SLO 305 Honda HRC – MXGP
2 Febvre Romain 3 FRA 278 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
3 Coenen Lucas 96 BEL 227 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
4 Coldenhoff Glenn 259 NDL 224 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
5 Renaux Maxime 959 FRA 188 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
6 Fernandez Ruben 70 SPA 178 Honda HRC – MXGP
7 Bonacorsi Andrea 132 ITA 163 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
8 Horgmo Kevin 24 NOR 163 Honda SR Motoblouz
9 Seewer Jeremy 91 SWI 138 Ducati Factory MX Team
10 Vlaanderen Calvin 10 NDL 126 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
11 Watson Ben 919 GBR 102 MRT Racing Team Beta
12 Pancar Jan 253 SLO 91 TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team
13 Jonass Pauls 41 LAT 86 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
14 Geerts Jago 93 BEL 86 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
15 Guadagnini Mattia 101 ITA 84 Ducati Factory MX Team
16 Gifting Isak 517 SWE 78 JK Racing Yamaha Active
17 Guillod Valentin 92 SWI 72 Wildcard Rider
18 Herlings Jeffrey NDL 65
19 Bogers Brian 189 NDL 61 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
20 van de Moosdijk Roan NDL 49
21 Sterry Adam GBR 38
22 Brumann Kevin 87 SWI 32 Wildcard Rider
23 Koch Tom 226 GER 24 MRT Racing Team Beta
24 Stauffer Marcel 411 AUT 23 Wildcard Rider
25 Ludwig Noah GER 19
26 Spies Maximillian GER 13
27 Gilbert Josh GBR 13
28 Cairoli Antonio 222 ITA 10 Ducati Factory MX Team
29 Lupino Alessandro 177 ITA 9 Ducati Factory MX Team
30 Tonus Arnaud 4 SWI 8 Wildcard Rider
📸 @shotbybavo
