Team HRC back for more at Matterley Basin

Team HRC has crossed the Channel to take part in the ninth event of the 2018 Motocross World Championship, which will be contested this weekend at Matterley Basin in southern England. Both Tim Gajser and Calvin Vlaanderen are eager to get back in action aboard their Honda CRF machines following an encouraging trip to Germany.

After hosting the MX of Nations last year, the stunning 1950m hard-pack motocross track located in the South Downs National Park is back on the Motocross World Championship calendar – much to the delight of the riders. Only a one and a half hour drive away from Great Britain’s capital city London, Matterley Basin is a must-see venue for every motocross fan.

Tim Gajser has fond memories of the English track: he was second overall at the MXoN last year, while in 2016 he literally dominated the MXGP of Great Britain by finishing twice atop the podium on his Honda machine. He now heads back to Hampshire with fresh confidence after the second place overall scored at Teutschenthal two weekends ago – his best result so far in the season.

Calvin Vlaanderen put together an impressive performance last time out in Germany as he claimed his first MX2 rostrum finish of the season, as well as his maiden top-three aboard the all-new Honda CRF250RW. With a little bit more time to prepare and a test performed with his team mate last week in the Netherlands, the young South African rider now hopes to keep the momentum going and achieve some more great results.

Tim Gajser ²⁴³

I’m looking forward to the weekend as I really like the track and I enjoyed some great results there in the past. We come from a very positive weekend in Germany, where I was able to find the type of performance I’ve been looking for since my season debut, so now I’m hungry for more. I will give my best as always: the key is to be consistent and always stay near the front, so hopefully we’ll be in the mix for honours again this time out.

Calvin Vlaanderen ¹⁰

Matterley Basin is always a fun track to go to: there are big jumps and many lines that can work really well for us, plus the organisers really prepare the track well for the races. I haven’t done my best results in the past there but I really like the track and I love to ride on it, so I look forward to two solid results there. Obviously coming off a podium two weeks ago in Germany I’m hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend. I’m feeling good on the bike: we’ve had two days of testing after Teutschenthal and we improved some small things, so I can’t wait to get back on track.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas

HRC General Manager - MXGP

We are happy to get to Matterley Basin with both riders fit, ready and very motivated. We are coming from a very positive round in Germany, so the goal is to keep things this way heading into this very important stretch of the season. The team had a few days to relax and regroup, and this is very important. Matterley Basin is without a doubt one of the best tracks on the calendar and if the weather will be on our side, I’m sure we’ll enjoy a great weekend of racing surrounded by a great crowd.

MXGP 2018 Wednesday, May 30th 2018