Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Tim Gajser has secured third overall at the 14th round of the MXGP World Championship in Belgium. Competing at the deep sand circuit of Lommel for the MXGP of Flanders, Gajser was on form all weekend, finishing third in Race One and fourth in Race Two. Teammate Maxime Renaux faced a more challenging weekend and ended the Grand Prix in 13th.
Having placed third in Race Two last weekend in the Czech Republic, Gajser carried the same speed into the 14th round of the campaign and finished the Qualifying Race in fourth. It was an exciting start to the opening Grand Prix race as the Yamaha YZ450FM rider moved from third into second on lap one. Gajser was then demoted to third a few laps later by Kay de Wolf, but he was able to latch onto his rival and finished the race in third, just over one second behind.
In the second race, Gajser executed another great start and held third for a few laps. He then slipped to fifth near the end of the race before reclaiming fourth on the final lap when one of the riders ahead encountered an issue. Placing third overall marks Gajser’s fifth podium appearance of the season, and he remains fourth in the championship standings.
At the same time, the MXGP of Flanders wasn’t quite so fruitful for Renaux. Still suffering from a lingering illness, and combined with one of the toughest circuits on the calendar, the former MX2 World Champion finished 13th overall. Renaux continues to lie seventh in the series standings.
Since returning from injury three rounds ago, JK Racing Yamaha’s Isak Gifting continues to build momentum and in Belgium he finished eighth in both races for eighth overall. Up next is the Swede’s home Grand Prix where he’ll be aiming to continue with his upward trajectory.
With a mixed Grand Prix complete, the season continues in two weeks’ time with a trip to Uddevalla in Sweden for round 15, with round 16 taking place one weekend later in The Netherlands.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of Flanders.
Tim Gajser
3rd MXGP of Flanders, 38-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 534-points
“It was a tough day at the office. The track changed a lot from yesterday and became much more difficult, so I knew after warm-up that it was going to be a long day with two demanding motos. I got two good starts, which was really important because it kept me with the front group from the beginning. My pace was good, especially in the first moto, and I was able to run with the leaders. The second moto started well too, but I made a couple of mistakes that cost me a lot of time. It was difficult to find my rhythm after that, but towards the end I noticed the riders ahead starting to make mistakes, so I pushed hard and closed right up to them. I’m happy to finish on the podium, but there’s still plenty of work to do. We’ll keep working hard and hopefully I’ll soon be fighting consistently with the front runners.”
Maxime Renaux
13th MXGP of Flanders, 17-points
7th MXGP Championship Standings, 425-points
“It was a really tough weekend. The heat made everything harder, and this track is already one of the most physically demanding on the calendar with the deep sand. With the health issues I’ve been dealing with, I was running on empty and couldn’t ride the way I wanted to. I ended up off the track in the second moto, and crashed. Luckily, I’m okay, so I just need to recover, regroup and
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
