Gajser ends amazing 2022 season by winning the MXGP of Turkiye

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser finished the season as he started it six months ago, winning the MXGP of Turkiye in and ending this amazing 2022 MXGP World Championship on a high. It ended up being his 10^th GP overall of this season, and his 100^th career podium and was a fitting finale to another record-breaking year in another excellent event at the Afyonkarahisar track in Turkey.

In race one, a small tip-over in the second corner meant that Gajser started from right near the back of the field, and gave him a lot of work to do on a track that wasn’t easy to pass on. Gradually, every lap he moved further and further forward and soon he was inside the top five. Just as it looked like fourth would be his ceiling, he put in the fastest lap of the race and closed right up to third with a lap to go. In what ended up to be a crucial pass, the #243 made his move and crossed the line in an impressive P3 finish.

Knowing that he would have to improve upon that in race two, he made a much better start and was soon battling in the podium positions. Knowing that all his main rivals were behind him, the five-time champion knew he just had to keep consistent and try to pick off riders when he could, and on the halfway mark that strategy moved him into second. Despite not needing to, the Slovenian tried his best to track down the leader, and another fastest lap of the race got him almost within striking range. However, time expired and he instead settled for second place and his 10^th GP victory, in what has been a truly incredible championship.

In what was a day filled with ups and downs, Team HRC teammate Mitch Evans proved he can battle with the very best, leading a number of laps in race one, and then battling for the lead in race two. Unfortunately in both races he was unable to maintain that level for the duration of the moto and he had to retire from race two after a crash just before the finish line. With a couple of weeks off before the Motocross of Nations, the Australian has time to rest up and recover, before preparing himself for what is the biggest event on the motocross calendar, when the ‘Olympics of Motocross’ takes place in RedBud, United States on September 24-25.

For Gajser, he will take a well-deserved break before preparing his assault for next year’s title where he will attempt to become a six-time champion and write himself even further into the world motocross championship history books.