Gajser holds strong third in Lommel sand, as Zanchi fights back for ninth

MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put in a solid performance in the deep sands of Lommel, Belgium to finish third in the MXGP of Flanders qualification race. The Honda CRF450R rider had another excellent start, putting him in second round the first bend and that allowed him to avoid the first-lap craziness behind him.

From there, he followed the leader for a large portion of the race, keeping the gap close but never really threatening. He did drop a position midway through the moto, but the priority on such a difficult track is to keep upright and make sure he avoids any big mistakes and that’s exactly what he was able to do throughout the entire day.

A fifth in timed practice, followed on from a fifth in free practice, but with so many riders on the track and the fast line ever-changing, it wasn’t always easy to put in a clean hot-lap. This didn’t hinder him too much for the start of the qualification race though, as his run of good starts continued in the sandy conditions. This gave him the perfect platform to score another good points haul, which allows him to still lead the 2024 MXGP World Championship by 34pts.

Tomorrow, it seems like conditions will be similar to today, but with more races the Lommel track will get even more treacherous and Gajser will have to work hard to get himself on the podium, which was his goal coming into Belgium.

MX2
After placing 10^th in free and timed practice, Ferruccio Zanchi fought through the MX2 field, to cross the line in ninth place in the MXGP of Flanders qualification race. His job was made difficult, when he was caught up in a first lap incident and had to remount last, but as he has proved on numerous occasions this year, the #73 doesn’t mind a challenge and he was soon working his way inside the top 20. By the fourth lap he was already up to 12^th, and then a couple of laps later he was into 10^th with a big gap in front of him to try and close. Putting in some excellent laptimes, his hard work was rewarded and he was able to score two points and move himself closer to ninth in the championship standings.

1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 26:15.748; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:06.539; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:42.429; 4. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:46.790; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.680; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:49.153; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:12.016; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:32.898; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:56.757; 10. Scott Smulders (NED, Honda), +2:15.150;