Honda Gariboldi Racing and Tim Gajser head to the penultimate round of the MX2 Championship in Leon, Mexico, with the coveted red plate on the CRF250RW, marking #243 as the championship leader.
With three defining performances, the last three Grands Prix have seen Tim hunt down the championship leader, close to just four points, and then triumph at the last Grand Prix in Assen to hold a 13-point lead. It is the first time a Honda rider has held the MX2 red plate since Marvin Musquin in 2009.
The championship hunt is far from a foregone conclusion however, as technically the top five riders can all still challenge for victory and the fight will almost certainly go down to the wire. Despite leading, Gajser, who celebrated his 19th birthday this week, remains calm and also aware that, with four motos still to go, anything can happen.
Held in Leon, Guanajuato, the event will see the competition return to a hard pack track after the last three races in the sand. Gajser has not traditionally been seen as a sand specialist, at least not until the last three races, but as a hard pack rider, and last year in Mexico he took his second career moto win to finish second overall.
Action gets underway on Saturday 12 September with the qualifying race followed by the first of the two races which starts on Sunday 13th at 1200hrs local.
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“Tim is very relaxed and calm and he goes to Mexico to continue as always and have fun. It’s the same for the team too – we don’t think about the championship as we know anything can happen, so we just need to focus on each race as we’ve done all season. We know Tim is good in Mexico as he took a moto win last year. And all is very well with him at the moment after his very strong recent GPs and testing for the Nations and racing in Slovenia last weekend. He’s feeling fit and ready, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Tim Gajser, no.243
“Finally after three races on the sand we’re back to the hard pack tracks! I really like the track as it’s kind of like supercross with jumps and waves and triples, and I really love the ground. It’s my favourite type of surface. I’m fit and ready to fight and really looking forward to the GP. This last weekend I went to the European Championships in Slovenia which was very good training. Going to Mexico with the red pleat doesn’t mean anything different. We approach it just the same – to have fun and put no pressure on myself. The winner this season will be the one who can stay most calm and not make mistakes. I try to not think about the championship. It’s not easy, but you must try and focus on the race as anything can still happen.”