Treacherous Lommel awaits Team HRC

After the hard-pack terrain of Loket last weekend, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Ferruccio Zanchi now have the highly challenging deep-sand of Lommel, Belgium to contend with this week as they prepare for the 14^th round of the 2024 MXGP World Championships.

Last time was extremely successful for Gajser as he won in the Czech Republic for the first time in his career, going one-three-one over the course of the weekend and increasing his points lead to 36 with seven rounds remaining. It was an impressive performance from the Honda CRF450R rider and one that gives him a lot of confidence heading into what is possibly the toughest motocross track on the planet. A winner in 2020, Gajser knows what is required, but it is easier said than done on a surface where momentum and saving-energy is key. Still, a second-place in Riola Sardo earlier in the year suggests that his form in sand is amongst the best and after victory last time out, he’ll be hoping for more of the same this weekend.

Zanchi had a mixed-bag in Loket, with some good riding recovering from some bad moments, as the Italian came 12^th overall. Needless to say, that he is hoping that Lommel provides more good moments with an equal level of good riding, and if he is able to achieve that, he will certainly be making more of an impact inside the top 10, a place that he now occupies in the championship standings. It is a great effort from the youngster, especially considering he missed a couple of rounds earlier in the year and with seven rounds still remaining, he’ll be hoping to cement that position and end the season on a high.

With the forecast changing every time you look at it, the only consistent thing seems to be that the temperatures won’t be too high for this brutal event, but that is a small victory for Gajser and Zanchi, as they gear-up for their six on-track sessions – free and timed practice on Saturday, with the evening qualification race, and then a Sunday warm-up before the two GP-scoring motos. If they can negotiate all of that successfully, they’ll have overcome a major hurdle before the end of this 2024 campaign.