Fresh from his second win of his debut MXGP season in Argentina, Tim Gajser, Jorge Zaragoza and the Honda Gariboldi Racing team head to Mexico for round five this weekend.
The track in Leon, Mexico has been good to Tim and the team in the past two years, as it’s where the Slovenian took his career-first MX2 moto win in 2014 with the CRF250RW, and then stood on the podium last year with second place in a race which was one of the decisive moments in the championship chase.
After temperatures of around 13 degrees Celsius in Argentina, that is set to rise to a forecast 32 degrees on race day, but both riders have shown in Thailand that they are capable of coping with the heat.
For Jorge, it will be his first time in Mexico on the CRF250RW as he missed the race at the end of last year, when it was held as the penultimate round on the calendar. Still, it’s hard-pack surface should suit the Spaniard, who is hoping to bounce back from something of a bruising MXGP of Argentina where two crashes made life hard for him on Sunday.
Tim Gajser, no.243
“I have good memories of Mexico because I won my first heat race in MX2 there in 2014 with the Gariboldi team. I really like the track as it’s kind of a supercross style and I enjoy riding those sort of tracks, so I’m really looking forward to it. The start of this season has been just amazing. I’m just going to each race and having a lot of fun, and I think that’s one of the keys to success.”
Jorge Zaragoza, no.101
“I had a big crash in Argentina and injured my knee, but even in the second race it was ok to ride on. Now before Mexico I have one week to recover more so it should not be a problem. I think the track and the ground will be good for me as it’s hard-pack and quite fast, so I’m looking forward to going. I missed it last year so it will be my first time in Leon with the team.”
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“It was a very tough weekend last year in Mexico for everybody because of the conditions which were so muddy for the first race, but the second race was more what we’d expect from the track. The weather this year looks fine, so we’re unlikely to have a repeat of that. We know Tim is very good at this track because he took his first MX2 moto win there in 2014 and then was on the podium last year to extend his championship lead into the last round. This year he is honestly exceeding expectations, but still we treat each weekend with no pressure, not looking at the championship and just having fun. This is the same for the team too, who are all working very well and are like a close family. I think Jorge will have no problems after his crash in Argentina, so I’m looking forward to see how his weekend develops, and hopeful that he will be consistent and continue to make progress.”