Gajser shows speed after processional Maggiora qualifying

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser continued his good recent form with a second-placed finish in the MXGP of Italy qualification race, held at the historic Maggiora track in the northern region of Italy. Teammate Mitch Evans, had to come through the field to finish 12^th, but there was very little passing elsewhere at this hillside venue.

With a threatening weather forecast hanging over the facility all week, the rain held off for qualification day, leaving the track under-prepared and creating a flat surface on a circuit that is already traditionally hard to pass at. Both Team HRC riders gave themselves the best chance of good starts in the race by getting second (Gajser) and fifth (Evans) gate-picks after timed practice, but while Gajser was able to take advantage, Evans was caught up in some first lap carnage and had start from almost dead last.

Rounding the first bend in second place, the #243 tried his hardest to make the pass happen on the first lap, when positions are easier to take, but he was denied and instead had to settle into a roost-dodging mission for the rest of the moto. He did come close on a couple more occasions but there just weren’t the line-options available and despite setting the fastest lap of the race, he had to be content with second place, with the hope he can reel off holeshots when the gate drops tomorrow.

While Gajser was battling up front, Evans was able to make some passes down the field, to move up from 22^nd to 12^th, after a crash involving another rider at the top of the hill on lap one. The Honda CRF450R rider was one of the few guys to make multiple passes in this MXGP field, with only two passes taking place inside the top 10 the whole moto. This highlights the importance of the start tomorrow, although conditions could be much different by the time their motos begin.

Rain is forecast overnight and for parts of Sunday, which could have a big impact on how the hard-pack surface looks. The riders will get a chance to see this in their warm-up session at 10:45am before the two motos begin at 14:15 and 17:10, in this seventh round of the 2022 MXGP World Championship.