Strong qualification performances for Team HRC in Sardinia

Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans both put in strong qualification races to give themselves good gate picks for tomorrow’s points-scoring motos, as the duo went two-seven respectively at the tough Riola Sardo circuit in Sardinia, Italy.

The Team HRC pair came into this MXGP of Sardegna with renewed confidence after a positive MXGP of Italy last weekend, but they knew it wouldn’t be easy as the deep sand terrain provided the most difficult challenge for the riders last year and with high temperatures forecast for the weekend, it really would be a test for man and machine.

Onboard their Honda CRF450R’s Gajser and Evans had decent timed practices, giving them fourth and twelfth gate-picks for the 20-minute qualification race. For the Slovenian, who is enjoying a current seven-moto win-streak, the aim of today was to put himself in a position to be able to continue that, whilst conserving as much energy as possible for the two motos tomorrow. And that is exactly what the #243 achieved, rounding the first turn inside the top three, before moving into second-place halfway through the moto. He pressured the leader a little bit, but decided second was good enough and settled for that as they crossed the line.

Evans was able to get himself into the top 10 as they rounded the first corner, which was an improvement over previous rounds and a positive start after a lot of work during the week. The Australian didn’t find his groove straight-away but once he got into the rhythm of the track, he was able to make a few passes and was even the fastest rider on the track nearing the end of the race. This gave him seventh place and a solid base to build upon for the races tomorrow, both of which should also be hot temperatures and difficult track conditions. First up though will be a morning warm-up at 10:45 before the two races at 14:15 and 17:10, for what is the eighth round of this 2022 MXGP World Championship.