Another podium for Gajser as he continues his strong season in Sardinia

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put in strong show in the deep sand of Riola Sardo, Sardinia, going two-two once again for his third podium in a row as he cements his second place in the 2024 MXGP Championship. Debutant teammate Roan van de Moosdijk put in some good laps at the beginning of both motos, but in the end decided it was wiser to pull-off than risk injury in what were some brutal conditions at the island circuit.

Showing good speed all day on his Honda CRF450R, Gajser was actually fastest in the early Sunday warm-up, giving him some confidence as he headed into the motos later on in the day. And when the gate did drop, he was quickly up into second place after another good start and well-placed to challenge for the lead. Unfortunately, he was never quite able to make the necessary move that would have seen him take another moto victory, and he instead had to settle for second.

Moto two didn’t start quite as well, as he was just outside the top five around the first bend, but as he has done so far in 2024, he quickly made his way into third place and set about trying to close the gap up to the top two. Eventually he got it down to under five seconds, and as he did that, the rider in second crashed and he swept into his position with half the moto to go. Just like the first moto, he wasn’t quite able to get close enough to leader for a pass and kept up his run of podium finishes.

After signing with the team this weekend, v/d Moosdijk was always going to be facing an uphill battle in his MXGP-class debut, coming with little bike-time and without a good, solid off-season of preparation under his belt. And when the temperature gauges started rising, his job was made even more difficult on a track that has made even the best riders in the world struggle. As it was, he was just outside the top 10 in both races before removing himself from the race-track as a precaution to avoid making a mistake that could hinder his further development. He knows the speed is there, and now the work begins to make sure he can run that for a full moto.

This task should be a lot easier at the Pietramurata track next weekend, which definitely isn’t as physically demanding, and offers a much better opportunity for him to open his points account in this class. It’s also a track that Gajser calls his ‘home GP’ and the Slovenian will be very much looking forward to going for the win at the MXGP of Trentino.

Tim Gajser 243

I’ve got to be happy with second in the sand. I haven’t had good results here in the past but to finish second on what is probably the hardest track in the calendar is something I should be okay with. Of course I always want to be winning, and I felt there was probably more in the tank but I just couldn’t push as I wanted. Still, I am consistently on the podium and it is a long season and I know I am riding well and will be getting some victories soon.

Roan van de Moosdijk 39

Tough weekend, and not exactly how I hoped my debut would go. The conditions were extremely difficult and I felt it was better to fight another day, than to push over the limit and put myself in danger. Of course I’m not happy to have to do it, especially as my speed was good at the beginning of the races but I will now have another couple of sessions on the bike to get more comfortable and fitter and I expect to do a lot better next week in Trentino.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas

HRC General Manager - MXGP

This was a hard GP for everyone, coming into these hot temperatures when it’s been so cold in the rest of Europe and coupled with the brutal Riola Sardo track meant that it was a real test for these guys. Obviously Tim showed once again that he can rise to the occasion, putting in another pair of second place finishes, as he continues this strong run of form. We are sure it won’t be long before he’s on the top step of the podium.
Unfortunately for Roan, these were probably the toughest conditions to make a debut in, and he wasn’t able to finish either moto. We knew it would be difficult and there weren’t any expectations coming in, so we will assess everything and try to make sure that Trentino goes better for him, which we are sure it will.

Words and images from HRC honda