Gajser victorious in muddy Cozar qualification

Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser showed that his motocross skills in muddy conditions continue to be unmatched, as he swept through to win the MXGP of Castilla La Manche (Spain) qualification race.

Having posted the fastest time in practice, he had first gate-pick and rounded the first corner in third place. Navigating the Cozar track was difficult, after a week of rain had hit the circuit, but the Honda CRF450R rider showed that when the conditions are wet and muddy, he rises to the top. Taking his time to fine the right lines, he moved from third into second and then into first place with some calculated passes and the rest of the field couldn’t match his speed and smoothness as he took the win by over 10 seconds. The goal now is to repeat that effort tomorrow, when the forecast is predicting even more rain to hit the track, but if 2024 showed us anything, it is that not much can stop the #243 when he is in full flow.

Teammate Ruben Fernandez wasn’t able to get out of the gate quite as well, and although he fought the entire moto, he ended up finishing in 10^th place, scoring one point. The reward wasn’t just, compared to the effort the Spaniard put in, at his home GP but he knows that he has a chance to show what he is capable of in the two GP-scoring races tomorrow.

In the MX2 class, Ferruccio Zanchi showed that he really does enjoying riding this circuit, as the youngster placed sixth after a good race against the best MX2 riders in the world. He got a decent start, but it was the first few corners where his line choice was excellent and he swept around a good number of guys to come out in fifth after the first lap. In the difficult conditions he maintained a solid pace and crossed the line, with his best result so far in 2025. Now the goal is to that again, and perhaps even challenge for the podium spots in the longer-races tomorrow.

Unfortunately Valerio Lata had a tough race, crashing on the first lap and only being able to remount in last position. Despite his best efforts, and some excellent laptimes, he could only work his way as high as 18^th by the time the chequered flag came out and as such, didn’t score any points. However, if he can get out of the gate well tomorrow, his speed should give him the opportunity to score good points, and that’ll be his aim when he goes to the line.

SUNDAY:
08:45 EMX125 Race 2, 09:25 MX2 Warm-up, 09:45 MXGP Warm-up, 10:30 EMX250 Race 2, 12:15 MX2 Race 1, 13:15 MXGP Race 1, 15:10 MX2 Race 2, 16:10 MXGP Race 2.

MX2 Qualification Race

1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 26:41.124; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:05.954; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:10.162; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:22.030; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:29.110; 6. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:30.894; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:32.593; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:42.198; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:42.968; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:45.063; … 18. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +2:21.479;