Team HRC back to the Iberian Peninsula for round 5 at Agueda

Team HRC is heading to the very west end of Europe to contest the fifth round of the 2018 MXGP World Championship, which takes place this weekend at the ‘Crossodromo Internacional de Agueda’. With weather forecasts predicting a very wet scenario, Tim Gajser and Calvin Vlaanderen are keen on jumping back aboard the Honda CRF450RW and CRF250RW machines, respectively, to contest the second of two back-to-back rounds before the trip to Russia.

The Agueda motocross track is one of the riders’ favourite among the venues currently present on the world championship calendar. With an interesting layout and a red clay surface that is soft on top and hard underneath, it allows riders to choose more than one line – providing therefore higher chances for overtaking manoeuvres.

After racing in front of his fans at Pietramurata, Gajser is looking forward to keep building momentum with the goal to challenge for honours and improve what is currently his personal best Sunday moto result in 2018 – a fifth place in race one last weekend in Trentino.

Last year, Vlaanderen had to sit out the Portuguese round due to injury, so he is therefore eager for the racing weekend to begin. The 21-year-old South African is back to full fitness after landing hard on his shoulder at the start of race one in Trentino following a coming together with a rival – of which he was not to blame. With a brave ride to fifth place in race two, Calvin showed his true potential and he is now keen on stepping up his game further.

Motocross action at Agueda will begin this Friday at 11:30 local time (GMT +1) with the free practice session for the MX2 class, which will be followed at noon by the MXGP counterpart. The two MX2 races will begin on Sunday at 13:15 and 16:10, while the MXGP motos will get underway at 14:15 and 17:10.