Third for Gajser, Bogers 15th in MXGP of the Czech Republic qualification

Team HRC’s duo of Tim Gajser and Brian Bogers both had to battle hard for their qualification results on a hard-packed Loket circuit in the Czech Republic. In what was another day of hot temperatures, the dry track didn’t form too many lines and it meant throttle control was at a premium, but both riders can be pleased with their overall performances as they look forward to race day tomorrow.

Coming off the back of a seven-round win streak all eyes were on Gajser, with a lot of Slovenian fans making the trip north to cheer on their hero. He didn’t disappoint them in free practice, posting the fastest lap time on board his Honda CRF450RW and then backing it up with the second fastest time in timed practice. A superb jump out of the gate saw him leading the field down the start straight, but he was just forced wide in the first corner and crossed the holeshot line in second place. A small mistake on the first lap dropped him into third place before another mistake dropped him down to fifth a couple of laps later. Taking a bit of time to settle down, the Slovenian rider set about working his way up the field again and two passes in the final three laps saw him cross the line in third place, giving him a good chance of another overall victory in tomorrow’s main races.

Team mate Bogers also started the day off well, posting two top 10 results in free and timed practice. However, a bad jump in the qualification race undid all that hard work and he was forced to battle through from the back of the field. Crossing the first lap in 26^th position, Bogers put his head down and made passes almost every lap to eventually cross the line in 15^th spot. It was a little disappointing after promising beginning to the day, but he showed good speed coming through the field and he also proved that he can make passes, on a track that wasn’t easy to do so.

With storms forecast for tomorrow morning, the Loket track could be very different by the time the gate drops for the motos but both Honda riders are feeling confident that they should be able to get the job done, whatever the conditions. The MXGP warm up session is at 10:45am with the races starting at 14:15 and 17:10 on Sunday 28^th July.