Tim Gajser and the Honda Gariboldi Team move swiftly on from Assen to the East Coast of the USA this weekend, and to the new venue of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
On another purpose-built track, the race will be held on Saturday evening inside the famed motorsport complex in North Carolina around the aptly named ‘Dirt Track’ venue.
With a healthy 65-point lead, Charlotte provides Gajser with a chance to wrap up the MXGP title chase he has dominated in his rookie season aboard the CRF450RW. Ten points more than title rival Antonio Cairoli would see the Slovenian take the crown in the first moto, but so long as his lead still exceeds 50 points by the end of the second race, the title will be decided on Saturday.
The race at The Dirt Track is the second in the season’s triple back-to-back finale, sandwiched by Assen last weekend and the traditional season-ending Glen Helen, taking the MXGP paddock from East Coast to West over the course of the next twelve days.
Tim Gajser, no.243
“I’m really excited to race in America this weekend. You try and concentrate on the racing, but for sure at times in weekends like these you have the championship in the back of your mind. I wasn’t relaxed in Assen since the start of the weekend, but we learned a lot from it and we can reset for this weekend in Charlotte. It’s exciting to be racing in the US, especially alongside the big names from American racing. I think the nature of the track will suit me very well, and I have good memories of racing in the US last year in MX2, so I’m feeling positive and relaxed ahead of Saturday night and I can’t wait to go out there and just have fun and enjoy myself.”
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“We have good memories of racing in the USA because it’s where Tim took his MX2 title last year, but the important thing this weekend is not to go in focusing on the championship but just to enjoy the racing. That’s what we’ve done all year and it’s taken us to a dominant lead of the series, so we will continue to do the same in Charlotte this weekend. There are a lot of American racers coming out for the event so we can expect it to be very popular, and will give us another flavour of American ‘stadium’ racing before the Monster Energy Cup in October.”