It was a day in Latvia punctuated by downpours that soaked the track in the morning and sun that dried a line in the sand by the afternoon. It was also just as changeable on track for Tim Gajser who overcame two first-corner impacts to finish fifth overall. In doing so, he now trails the lead of the World Championship by just 46 points.
The day started with the sort of dominant performance now associated with Tim Gajser and the CRF250RW, as he topped the timesheets in morning warm-up by a huge 1.9seconds. Confidence was high heading into the first race, but aspirations of dominating that were cut short when a collision in the tight first corner sent him over the bars and to the back of the pack. Restarting last, he then delivered a master-class to scythe his way through the pack, setting his best lap on the penultimate of the race, to cross the line an impressive seventh.
In race two, Tim again was impacted at the first corner when the field bunched into the 180 degree hairpin right, but this time it didn’t affect his position on the track. It did however give him a knock to the ankle which compromised his riding and hampered his speed. In another typically tough Gajser performance, he took fourth at the line to secure fifth in the championship and 32 crucial World Championship points.
Unaccustomed to the sand, it was a difficult weekend for Jorge Zaragoza on the no.101 machine. As the track got ever-more rutted and, the Spaniard found himself starting races will but then tailing off toward the end of the 30-minute motos. Nevertheless, with another sand Grand Prix under his belt, his experience continues to grow.
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“It’s a pity for the crash at the start but I think he showed what he demonstrated on Saturday and in the warm-up this morning when he was very fast, even on sand which is not his best surface to race on. He did a great comeback to come from very last to seventh, so he did really well. In the second race he had contact with another rider and he felt some pain so he didn’t ride as he could. But still he could finish fourth and made 32 points overall which is very good for the championship and are very important at this point in the season. We knew coming into this race that the sand would be hard for Jorge, and I think that showed today. He needs to work a lot in the sand and in training which will help him a lot get to a good level in these conditions.”
Tim Gajser, no.243
“Yesterday and even this morning the pace was good here, but it was quite tough today because of the crash in the first moto. They had ripped the track quite deep and when I was on the brakes, someone hit my back and the front wheel dug in so I was right at the back. It was difficult to pass because most of the track was one line, but I had a couple of places where I was really fast, over the wave sections, and I could make many passes there to come back to seventh. Then in the second race, I had a knock to the ankle also in the first corner which made it uncomfortable and I could not ride as I wanted. Anyway we could finish fifth and get some good points. Of course we want as many points as we can for the championship, but honestly I’m not focused on that. After the start of this year, I focused on relaxing more and enjoying each race more, and not putting any pressure on myself but going to just have fun. This is still the same, so I just look at everything race by race, and we’ll see where we are at the end of the season. I’m just looking forward to Loket and getting back on the bike again and doing what I love to do!”
Jorge Zaragoza, no.101
“This weekend was very difficult. Already yesterday the weekend didn’t start so good, and it was very difficult to start well today from 21st place. At the beginning of the races it was good but then with the sand it was more tough physically. The track was completely wet in the warm-up and then with all the ruts the lines were completely destroyed. Towards the end it got a bit better, but it was very tough physically and because it was changing all the time. It’s more experience for me, but now in two weeks, I’m looking forward to getting back to the hard pack again.”
Overall results
| 1 | Max Anstie | Kawasaki |
50pts |
| 2 | Pauls Jonass | KTM |
44pts |
| 3 | Harri Kullas | Husqvarna |
36pts |
| 4 | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki |
34pts |
| 5 | Tim Gajser | HONDA |
32pts |
| 6 | Davy Pootjes | KTM |
30pts |
| 7 | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki |
28pts |
| 8 | Brian Bogers | KTM |
26pts |
| 9 | Ben Watson | KTM |
20pts |
| 10 | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki |
19pts |
| 21 | Jorge Zaragoza | HONDA |
3pts |