MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser got himself back on the podium at the MXGP of Sweden, held at the rocky Uddevalla track in front of a hugely vocal crowd. After a day of torrential rain on Friday, conditions were nearly perfect for the two motos today, where Gajser was able to go two-three for second overall.
In race one, the Honda CRF450R rider got a good start inside the top five, before gradually working his way forward. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the circuit, passing was at a premium and it took until the 13th lap before he finally got into the lead and after all that effort, a small error in judgement then saw it slip from his fingers. He regrouped quickly and put pressure on the leader for the rest of the moto, eventually crossing the line less than a second behind the winner.
Race two and the Slovenian didn’t have the best first bend, but a few passes on the first lap got him into third place. From there, the trio checked out from the field opening out a massive gap to the riders behind. Pushing hard, Gajser tried to keep in touch with the front two, but a combination of lappers and tricky conditions meant that he lost contact and couldn’t fight for the win. Still, a third place meant that he was back on the podium and he still leads the championship by 17 points as they head into the final five rounds of the season.
Next up is Arnhem, in the Netherlands, which a return to sandy terrain, where the #243 will be hoping to put in a strong effort and maintain his grip on the 2024 MXGP World Championship.
MX2
Ferruccio Zanchi had an excellent second moto in Uddevalla, Sweden, finishing seventh and riding a fast and consistent pace for the duration of the moto. Unfortunately a bike issue in race one when fighting for eighth robbed him of the opportunity for a strong overall position, but after a sixth in the qualifying race yesterday, the young Italian can be very happy with how he rode on what is a difficult challenge.
In what is the second of this triple-header, the series heads to Arnhem, Netherlands for what will be another sand track, where Zanchi will be trying to repeat his excellent riding from Lommel a few weeks ago.
Race 1
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:58.112; 2. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:07.163; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:12.891; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:14.217; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.235; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:50.887; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.471; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:08.937; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:15.671; 10. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:27.442;… 23. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), -15 lap(s);
Race 2
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:39.588; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:05.003; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:06.761; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:07.375; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:22.323; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:27.740; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:33.660; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:34.783; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:40.382; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:42.612;
Overall
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 40 p.; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 37 p.; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 28 p.; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 23 p.; 10. David Braceras (ESP, FAN), 20 p.;… 14. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 14 p.;
Tim Gajser 243
It was still a good weekend for the championship, going two-three after winning the qualification race yesterday. I would to like to have won that first moto but I was close when we crossed the line so I was still happy with my riding. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the same rhythm in the second race but it was still okay and I’m looking forward to these next few rounds.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
It was good to get that second moto result and overall, I am happy with the weekend. My riding was good throughout and I felt like I kept a good pace over the course of all three races. Next up is Arnhem, which is a sand track and after Lommel, I am very excited to get back to riding the sand and show what I’m able to do once again. A big thanks to the team for all their work and I really want to finish the season on a strong note.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
After yesterday’s win, we hoped that Tim would be able to go out there and take more good points today, and I think he was very close to making that happen. Just a small mistake when he got into the lead meant that he lost the position and, on this track, passing is just so critical that he couldn’t regain it. Still, he is back on the podium and with five rounds remaining, is in good position in the standings and we’ll keep fighting for every point.
Ferruccio also showed over the weekend that his level has gone up in recent weeks. He was inside the top 10 in all the motos and we’ll be hoping this kind of form continues next weekend, when we head to Arnhem, which is a track he actually won a moto at in his EMX250 career.
@shotbybavo
