Gajser a convincing second in MXGP of Asia qualifying
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was second in today’s qualifying moto of the MXGP of Asia, which took place at Semarang, at the end of 12, demanding laps of the new red-sand circuit located near the outskirts of the Indonesian city. His team mate Todd Waters took part in the race despite poor health conditions, and was 14th at the chequered flag.
Gajser had a convincing start to the race and tailed leader Jeffrey Herlings from up close as the two swapped positions briefly on lap two. Despite some early attempts from the Dutchman to pull away, the two-time world champion managed to stay within reach as he powered his Honda CRF450RW in style around the fast Indonesian track.
After setting the fastest time of the race on lap five – which was bettered towards the end by Romain Febvre – Gajser cut his gap to the lead down to half a second but was unable to get to the front of the field, and began losing ground from first place. Tim had to push hard to keep himself ahead of Jeremy Seewer, who kept himself within close range for the entirety of the moto, eventually crossing the line 0.5seconds ahead of his opponent.
With a debilitating sickness bug affecting him in what was a very hot day, Todd Waters was nowhere near 100% fit but managed in any case to finish the race in 14th position.
Tim Gajser 243
Today went well. The track is really nice and I enjoyed it a lot: it’s quite wide so you have many lines available, and I felt good on the bike straight away. My performance in timed practice was good and the speed was there. I took a great start to the qualification race and it was nice to be battling with Jeffrey at the front. I really look forward to tomorrow; the start is going to be crucial as there are only two-three spots where to overtake. I will push as hard as I can and try to be consistent, and hopefully we’ll go home with two great results.
Todd Waters 42
Definitely not my best day. I haven’t been feeling well since last night and this stomach bug has hit me really hard. I was completely out of energy, so all I could do was to make sure I showed up and finish the race, which I did. It wasn’t easy, though, but hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow because I really like the track and it’s not fun to ride around here in this physical condition.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
Tim rode good today and was near the front in all sessions, which was very encouraging. In the race he couldn’t stay with Jeffrey, but he still held on to second until the chequered flag and he looked very comfortable aboard his Honda. The situation is promising for tomorrow; these are the track conditions he likes so hopefully he can be up there battling for the top spot. Todd unfortunately was not feeling well today so hats off to him to get out on track and finish the race. Fingers crossed he’ll feel better tomorrow so that he can push to get closer to the top-10.
Qualifying race
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
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Location Information
Semarang, Semarang City, Central Java, Indonesia - View in Google Maps
