Qualification victory for Gajser at the MXGP of Trentino

Tim Gajser repeated his Matterley Basin qualification success by winning again here at the MXGP of Trentino. After posting the fastest times in both free and timed practice, the Slovenian rider took the holeshot in the qualification race and never looked back, holding off some late pressure to cross the line and take first gate pick into tomorrow’s main races.

With a vast number of Slovenian fans watching in the crowd, Gajser didn’t disappoint, proving in every session that he and his Honda CRF450RW were the combination to beat at this hard packed Arco di Trento track, which had been by rain earlier on this week. As the Slovenian corner cheered their approval, the #243 machine swept to the holeshot and began setting about breaking free of the chasing pack. Unfortunately lappers late in the moto allowed a chasing rider to close up, but Gajser remained calm and held on to another victory.

Unfortunately a late crash by Brian Bogers meant that was unable to challenge for a top 10 position and instead had to settle for crossing the line in 18^th place. It was a shame as the Dutch rider had worked his way up from 20^th place, all the way to 13^th, which is very difficult on this tight and technical track. However, with the holeshot coming from a number of different gate positions, it will still be possible for Bogers to fight amongst the top 10 in tomorrow’s races.

The MXGP bikes are on track again at 10:25am local time (GMT +1), with the first gate dropping at 14:15 on Sunday 6^th April.

Tim Gajser ²⁴³

It was a good day here in Trentino and although the track was quite difficult with the water from yesterday creating problems, I was still able to win the qualification race. I got the holeshot which is always nice and led the whole race, holding off Antonio Cairoli at the end when he put pressure on me, and when I started getting affected by the lappers. Still though, I am very happy with how it all went, getting the win and also having the fastest laps in free and timed practice. I received a lot of support from the Slovenian fans and I hope even more of them arrive tomorrow for the races.

Brian Bogers ¹⁸⁹

It wasn’t the best day I had today, it was a difficult day because the track was so one-lined in a lot of places so I just couldn’t find my rhythm. I struggled a bit in the first practice and the timed practice, the times weren’t too bad but still I wasn’t happy with how it went. In the qualifying race I didn’t get the best start but I quickly made my way up to 13th position. I was there until the last four laps, but then I had a small crash because I went out of the line and into the mud. I ended up 18th which still isn’t too bad because it is possible to get the start from a lot of places on the grid. I’m looking forward to tomorrow because I feel like I’m improving every time I get on the track.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas

HRC General Manager - MXGP

It is always nice to see Tim win a qualifying race, especially here in Trentino. He gets a lot of support from the Slovenian fans and he really appreciates it, every time he goes past that corner on the track. He rode a very impressive race today, after two great practice sessions and the feeling he seemed to have on his CRF450RW was great to see. Hopefully there isn’t any more rain tonight and the track can dry a bit, but I am confident that Tim can get the job done in any conditions.
Brian also showed good speed to move through the pack early on, especially as this track is difficult to pass on. Unfortunately he crashed near the end to drop him down the field but his laptimes were good and I expect him to challenge his season-best result tomorrow.

MXGP 2019 Saturday, April 6th 2019

Qualifying Round 4 MXGP of Trentino Trentino