Dominant Gajser gets Swiss 1-1 to double MXGP Championship lead

MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put in two superb motos to take victory at the MXGP of Switzerland, scoring a maximum 50 points and increasing his lead from nine to 18 points, with three rounds remaining of the world motocross championship. It was the Honda CRF450R riders’ first one-one performance of the season and a timely one, given the fast-approaching end to this highly competitive 2024 series.

After a second place in yesterday’s qualification race, the #243 used this to his advantage to round the first corner of each moto inside the top 10, on what ended up being a much ruttier and more technical track due to overnight rain. From there, he made a number of quick passes on lap one, so that by the time they crossed the line for the first time, he was already into the lead. It was exactly what he needed to do with his competition right behind him, but they ended up having no match for the speed the Slovenian was able to show, and he pulled out a gap very quickly and controlled the moto, receiving the chequered flag 14 seconds ahead.

Knowing the job was only half done, and that every point counts at this stage, he tried his best to replicate the same in race two, but starting from a bit further back, his job was made a bit more difficult. Still, once he found his rhythm, he moved from fourth to first in four laps, putting on a masterclass in passing, before once again pulling out a gap to cross the line and spark scenes of celebration amongst Team HRC.

With rounds in Turkey, China and then finishing in Spain, Gajser knows that he needs to keep this momentum up if he wants to win his sixth world championship, but he is very confident and highly motivated to finish the job after what has been an excellent 2024 so far.

Teammate Ruben Fernandez also showed some great fighting spirit on his return to GP racing, going 17-9 for 11th overall, which could have been a lot better had another rider not collided with him midway through race one. This dropped him from 11th position and meant he was in survival mode for the rest of that moto. It certainly didn’t deter in race two though, as the Spaniard got a top 10 start and kept himself there for the rest of the moto. With a weekend off before Turkey, Fernandez can assess his performance and work on some things before heading east for the overseas double-header that sees the series go back to China directly after the round in Afyon.

MX2
A season-best sixth place for Ferruccio Zanchi in race one of the MXGP of Switzerland, meant the Team HRC rider was able to equal his best points total and continue showing everyone that he is closing in on the top five guys. The conditions were at their most difficult as the MX2 riders took to the track for the first moto but that didn’t deter the Italian and he rode consistently and error-free to grab 15 points. Race two wasn’t quite as successful, but ninth place is still an excellent result and gives him some confidence for the final three rounds of the 2024 MX2 World Championship.

Race 1
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:29.269; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:01.313; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.749; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:16.506; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:36.702; 6. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:56.030; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:03.550; 8. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:50.398; 9. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:30.119; 10. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +1:41.699;

Race 2
1. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), 34:39.275; 2. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:12.029; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:15.975; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:17.720; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:18.398; 6. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:22.041; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:23.845; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:37.770; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:45.287; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.114;

Overall
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 45 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 43 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 34 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 27 p.; 9. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 21 p.;