Gajser battles for every point at tough Teutschenthal GP

MXGP

The Teutschenthal circuit in Germany once again proved a really tough test for man and machine, with Team HRC’s fighting hard for his three-two results, giving him the second step on the podium and keeping him right in this 2024 MXGP Championship hunt.

After winning the qualification race yesterday, he had first gate-pick for the two motos today, but in vastly different conditions, he wasn’t quite able to get the starts he needed in either of the races. After there had been rain overnight and in the morning, the track was a lot heavier than yesterday and created much rougher conditions that the Slovenian wasn’t quite able to get to grips with for the majority of the first moto. He worked his way into second place but then had a tough period of the moto when he lost his rhythm and dropped down to fifth. However, like the five-time champion that he is, and knowing that every point is valuable, he fought until the very end to get back to third place as he crossed the finish line.

Working with the team to make sure that things went better in race two, he immediately looked more comfortable as he moved into third place early-on. Studying the two riders in front, he kept probing for possible passing spots on a track that was developing its traditional deep ruts on a large portion of the circuit. With just under two-thirds of the race completed he made an excellent pass on the rider in second and set his sights on the leader. Closing the gap down from 2.6 seconds to just 0.6, he looked poised to make the move, but he was forced to adapt his lines as he came into lapped traffic and had to concede a potential victory.

As it stands after eight rounds, he is just two points off the championship lead, and with 12 still to race, he is in a great position to add to his already impressive resumé. That opportunity continues next weekend in Latvia, and the sandy circuit of Kegums where Gajser has also enjoyed success in previous years.

MX2

It didn’t take long for Ferruccio Zanchi to put the disappointment of his points-streak coming to end in yesterday’s MX2 qualification race, by storming out of the gate in race one and placing himself firmly inside the top 10. The #73 then remained there for the entire moto, trying to get as high as sixth, before eventually crossing the line in eighth place.

It was a similar story in race two, with another good start on his Honda CRF250R giving him the chance to race with the top riders in the class. Once again, he stayed consistent for the entire moto, in what very were difficult conditions, receiving the chequered flag in eighth place. This was good enough to put him in eighth overall and brings him closer to the top 10 in the MX2 championship standings, an impressive feat given he missed three rounds through injury.

 

Race 1
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 35:07.874;
2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:03.664;
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:25.075;
4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:54.760;
5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:59.138;
6. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:10.063;
7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +1:15.887;
8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:17.707;
9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:35.788;
10. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +1:37.187;

Race 2
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 35:45.714;
2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:09.505;
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:11.179;
4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:12.866;
5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:26.367;
6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:42.902;
7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:59.027;
8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:09.723;
9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:14.332;
10. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:15.882;

Overall
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points;
2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 44 p.;
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 40 p.;
4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 33 p.;
5. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 32 p.;
6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 29 p.;
7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 28 p.;
8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 26 p.;
9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 24 p.;
10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 23 p.;

Tim Gajser  243

It was a solid weekend of racing, winning the qualification race and then going three-two here. I’m a bit disappointed in the first race, getting arm-pump and not being able to push how I wanted but I was still third. And then race two, I was able to ride a lot better and was a lot closer to the lead but I couldn’t quite get close enough to make the pass. Still, the championship is very close and I am happy, and healthy and I’m looking forward to Latvia next weekend.

 

Ferruccio Zanchi  73

Today was a much better day, riding consistently throughout in what were difficult conditions. Going eight-eight is a fair reflection of my speed and although I missed out on points in the qualification race, I am on a good run of form and each weekend is another chance to show everyone what I am capable of. And that starts in Latvia next weekend which will be a completely different challenge to this, as it is a lot softer and sandier but one that should be good.

 

Marcus Pereira de Freitas

HRC General Manager – MXGP

The way Tim rode in that second moto is how we always believe he can ride, with positivity and great speed. Unfortunately, lappers were in the way at critical points so he couldn’t make any pass to get into the lead but it was still an impressive performance and a good way to head into Latvia. Ferruccio also put in a mature performance on a tricky track and continues to ride really well. He is a pleasure to work with and each weekend he raises the bar to what we expect from him.

Race 1

Pos.       Rider     Num      Nation Points   Team     Time/Gap

1            Prado Garcia Jorge          1            SPA        25          Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing                36:00.648

2            Herlings Jeffrey                84          NDL       22          Red Bull KTM Factory Racing                0:12.895

3            Gajser Tim          243        SLO        20          Team HRC – MXGP           0:14.689

4            Vlaanderen Calvin           10          NDL       18          Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team       0:17.094

5            Jonass Pauls       41          LAT        16          Standing Construct Honda MXGP                0:22.867

6            Coldenhoff Glenn            259        NDL       15          Fantic Factory Racing MXGP                0:31.524

7            Bonacorsi Andrea            132        ITA         14          Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team       0:40.501

8            Bogers Brian      189        NDL       13          Fantic Factory Racing MXGP        0:45.931

9            Seewer Jeremy 91          SWI        12          Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP     0:50.795

10          Jacobi Henry                     GER       11                         0:57.896

11          Guadagnini Mattia          101        ITA         10          Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing                0:58.469

12          Guillod Valentin               92          SWI        9            Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz         0:59.256

13          Horgmo Kevin   24          NOR      8            Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz                1:00.375

14          Paturel Benoit                  FRA        7                           1:19.360

15          Tondel Cornelius             17          NOR      6            Schmicker Racing            1:24.319

16          Watson Ben       919        GBR       5            MRT Racing Team Beta 1:26.930

17          Gilbert Josh        326        GBR       4            Gabriel SS24 KTM           1:32.306

18          Östlund Alvin                   SWE      3                           1:37.969

19          Teresak Jakub    224        CZE        2            Wildcard Rider 1:46.593

20          Koch Tom                          GER       1                           1:55.555

 

Race 2

Pos.       Rider     Num      Nation Points   Team     Time/Gap

1            Prado Garcia Jorge          1            SPA        25          Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing                35:36.969

2            Gajser Tim          243        SLO        22          Team HRC – MXGP           0:03.329

3            Herlings Jeffrey                84          NDL       20          Red Bull KTM Factory Racing                0:07.378

4            Vlaanderen Calvin           10          NDL       18          Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team       0:41.166

5            Coldenhoff Glenn            259        NDL       16          Fantic Factory Racing MXGP                0:49.615

6            Seewer Jeremy 91          SWI        15          Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP     0:54.007

7            Paturel Benoit                  FRA        14                         1:11.756

8            Koch Tom                          GER       13                         1:19.029

9            Guillod Valentin               92          SWI        12          Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz         1:24.930

10          Guadagnini Mattia          101        ITA         11          Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing                1:26.354

11          Bogers Brian      189        NDL       10          Fantic Factory Racing MXGP        1:27.356

12          Tondel Cornelius             17          NOR      9            Schmicker Racing            1:29.501

13          Horgmo Kevin   24          NOR      8            Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz                1:40.301

14          Spies Maximillian                           GER       7                           1:42.477

15          Östlund Alvin                   SWE      6                           1:54.977

16          Pancar Jan          253        SLO        5            TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team     2:01.953

17          Ludwig Noah     300        GER       4            Wildcard Rider 1 Lap

18          Gilbert Josh        326        GBR       3            Gabriel SS24 KTM           1 Lap

19          Bonacorsi Andrea            132        ITA         2            Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team       1 Lap

20          Teresak Jakub    224        CZE        1            Wildcard Rider 1 Lap

 

Rider Standings

Pos.       Rider     Num      Nation Points   Team

1            Prado Garcia Jorge          1            SPA        402        Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing

2            Gajser Tim          243        SLO        400        Team HRC – MXGP

3            Herlings Jeffrey                84          NDL       336        Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

4            Febvre Romain 3            FRA        327        Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP

5            Jonass Pauls       41          LAT        274        Standing Construct Honda MXGP

6            Seewer Jeremy 91          SWI        267        Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP

7            Vlaanderen Calvin           10          NDL       263        Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team

8            Coldenhoff Glenn            259        NDL       231        Fantic Factory Racing MXGP

9            Horgmo Kevin   24          NOR      161        Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz

10          Guillod Valentin               92          SWI        151        Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz

11          Bogers Brian      189        NDL       135        Fantic Factory Racing MXGP

12          Watson Ben       919        GBR       110        MRT Racing Team Beta

13          Tondel Cornelius             17          NOR      106        Schmicker Racing

14          Pancar Jan          253        SLO        84          TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team

15          Paturel Benoit                  FRA        82

16          Bonacorsi Andrea            132        ITA         78          Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team

17          Gifting Isak         517        SWE      77          JK Racing Yamaha Active

18          Guadagnini Mattia          101        ITA         71          Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing

19          Östlund Alvin                   SWE      65

20          Renaux Maxime               959        FRA        63          Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team