Gajser perfection at the MXGP of Trentino

A perfect day for Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, as the #243 won the MXGP of Trentino with his first one-one performance of the season, extending his lead at the top of the 2022 World Motocross Championship to 33 points.

The Pietramurata circuit is one of the most beautiful on the calendar, nestled in the Dolomites Mountain range, and for the first time in its history, they reversed the layout to give the riders a new challenge for what is the seventh race here in just three years. That change didn’t seem to affect the Team HRC duo though, as on the Saturday, the pair finished one-three, with teammate Mitch Evans showing his improvement by leading a good portion of that qualification race, after a holeshot, before ending up with third gate-pick.

That form continued onto race-day with Gajser ripping around turn one in second position, with Evans just behind in fifth. The pair maintained those positions for the first half of the race, with Gajser stalking the leader and looking for any opening, before gradually turning up the pressure and making his move on lap 10. From there, the #243 put in a couple of hot laps to break free and control the race until the chequered flag. Evans, meanwhile was under intense pressure from this competitive MXGP class, and ended up 10^th.

In race two, Gajser was third around the first bend but midway around the opening lap he had made the necessary moves to get into the lead and from then on, he once again put down a pace than none of the field could match to take his a well-deserved one-one, much to the delight of thousands of Slovenian fans who had made the trip over the border. Unfortunately, Evans hadn’t made such a good start and was down in 13^th at the end of lap one. However, he was determined to once again break into the top 10 and achieved that goal with a finishing place of ninth, for an eventual ninth overall.

Gajser’s fourth overall victory in five rounds, including six race wins, moves the Honda CRF450R rider 33 points clear, as his early stranglehold on the MXGP championship continues. Up next for Team HRC is Kegums, Latvia where the sandy surface always provides a stern challenge, but one that Gajser has mastered in 2016, 2019 and 2021. This year’s event takes place on April 23-24, giving Gajser and Evans a weekend off to get in some good training sessions as they hope to keep up these strong performances for another round.