Fernandez wins Swiss qualification ahead of Gajser as Honda HRC go one-two

Ruben Fernandez and Tim Gajser went one-two respectively in the MXGP of Switzerland qualification race, dominating the MXGP class by nearly 30 seconds and making a statement for the Honda HRC team. Fernandez’ holeshot followed on from Valerio Lata’s holeshot in the MX2 class, showing the power of the CRF machinery at the Frauenfeld circuit.

On a track that isn’t his favourite, Fernandez’ performance was truly an excellent result, showing speed and consistency after powering away at the beginning of the race. After one lap, he was being chased around the track by fellow CRF450R rider Gajser, and pair put in lap-times that the rest of the field didn’t come close to matching. Gajser probed and prodded but couldn’t find a way past, settling for second place – and still increasing his championship lead to 42pts –  as Fernandez kept his composure and his pace to pull 27 second gap to the rest of the field. It is the second Honda HRC one-two of the season, after the muddy race one in Spain and further proof that both the bikes and riders are working extremely well together.

This was also on display in the MX2 class, as Lata rocketed out of the gate on his Honda CRF250R and led the first few laps of his qualification race. This was a result of an excellent fourth place in timed practice and another example of the potential that the young Italian has. He did end up dropping to sixth, in this highly competitive field but these are still positive steps and he is ticking off a lot of boxes that should stand him in good stead for the rest of the season.

Ferruccio Zanchi wasn’t quite able to have the same impact, placing 10^th in timed practice before coming from outside the top 10 to finish ninth in the qualification race. On the tight and twisty Frauenfeld circuit, passing was extremely difficult so starts are going to be crucial when the racing resumes on Monday. Now the team have Easter Sunday off to prepare themselves for the longer GP-scoring motos, but all four are feeling good about their chances and are excited to get going again for this sixth round of the 2025 MXGP World Championship.

MX2 Qualification Race
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 24:19.016; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:01.798; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:03.052; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:04.463; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.511; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:14.429; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:14.989; 8. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:16.472; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:18.684; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:20.236;