In what has been the sixth race at the Latvian facility in seven days, Gajser then took the holeshot in the second moto before an issue robbed him of the chance to get his first overall.
Gajser just missed out on the holeshot in the first corner of Race 1 but quickly moved into the lead by the time they crossed the line for the first time, going on to lead every lap of the moto for what was a comfortable win. This was the fourth time the Honda CRF450RW rider has crossed the line in first place, more than any person in this highly competitive MXGP field.
Unfortunately in race two, whilst looking to move into third place, an electrical issue struck and he was forced to withdrawn from the race, which meant he lost ground in the championship battle. It also meant that he wasn’t able to collect his first overall of the season, something he has fully deserved after his excellent performances in the five rounds of what has been a testing campaign.
“After such a great first moto, where I led from the very start and just felt really good on the bike, I am very disappointed with how the second moto finished,” said Gajser. “I was in a position to get my first overall but now I just need to put it out of my mind and concentrate on doing as well as possible when we have the next MXGP. I know my team work extremely hard and I will too in this break to keep improving and I am still in second place in the championship and we still have plenty of racing to complete, so I will definitely keep fighting for every point.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas HRC General Manager – MXGP. “It has been a tough return to racing for this week in Latvia. Three races in seven days isn’t easy but I think everyone in the team coped well and there was a lot of good moments. Unfortunately, it ended in a disappointing way for Tim, but he showed his speed in every race and in that first moto he looked so fast and comfortable. It was also good to see Mitch getting better and better and we know he’ll keep improving in this break and get back to the level of riding he showed at the earlier rounds. Now though, we must make sure to keep working and making sure everything is ready for the next round of the MXGP championship.”
