FIM MX3 World Championship points leader Klemen Gercar has recently been mixing it up in the FIM MX1 World Championship after jumping at the opportunity to ride for the well distinguished MX1 team ‘24MX Honda’. With a completely foreign bike and new team the transition has been a big learning curve for the twenty two year old Slovenian talent, but ever the aggressor, Gercar has welcomed the challenge with open arms and knows the experience he will gain is priceless.
Question: Did you plan, right from the start of the year to do some selected MX1 races?
Klemen Gercar: Actually, no, because my original plan was to focus on the MX3, I wanted to finish with a good result. So, my opportunity to race MX1 came really fast; Steven Lettani from 24MX Honda called me to ask if I wanted to ride 3 GP’s, so I said “Yes, but I have to call my boss from my MX3 team.” Luckily my boss from UFO Racing MX Team said “Yes, it’s ok, you can do it”.
Q: What do you think is the most challenging thing about racing MX1 compared to MX3?
Gercar: In the MX1 they are fast and aggressive, it is on another level. There are a lot of good riders and all of the top fifteen are really fast. Even the bikes in MX1 are on another level. The first few laps in the race are what I have to get used to; I have to push harder to stay with the faster riders because if I let them go in the beginning, I can’t catch up anymore.
Q: What’s it like joining a bigger team, is there a good atmosphere?
Gercar: The atmosphere here is really nice, all the guys are really nice and I like working with them. The most difficult thing was making a last minute decision to come to the MX1 right in the middle of the MX3 season, but my bike from 24MX is really good, the suspension is awesome, and there is a really good team working here.
Q: What are the differences on your 24MX bike compared to your MX3 bike?
Gercar: The biggest difference is that in the MX3 I am using a 2012 CRF450 and on the 24MX Honda I am using a 2013 CRF450, so I was not really used to it, but it is getting better and better every race. The bike from 24MX is awesome!
Q: So you normally ride a 2012 Honda in the MX3, why not a 2013?
Gercar: Yeah, I don’t know. The team decided to use the 2012 model because they have already got that bike to a good place and I did quite well in the 2012 MX3 season, so we decided to keep everything the same and stay with the same bike.
Q: During the German Grand Prix in Lausitzring you got your first 3 MX1 championship points, are you satisfied with the progression you are making?
Gercar: Yes, for me my first MX1 race was in Finland, this was really hard for me because all the races on the MX3 calendar are hard pack, so I didn’t train in the sand at all. In Germany things started to go better, but still these last races I have not really achieved the results I wanted. Maybe it was because I was not really prepared to make such a big change, but I hope things start to go better.
Q: What are your plans for the future are you looking to move to the MX1 for a full season next year?
Gercar: Yeah, I would like to move to the MX1 next year. Right now my biggest goal is to finish the MX3 with a good result. I am leading, so I would like to finish there. Then we will see. For me the most difficult thing is the financial side, because I don’t really have rich parents. So I need to have good sponsors and earn my position in a team with my talent.
Q: Okay and in the MX3; as we near the end of the season, you have the points lead and the MX3 world championship is right in your sights, are you feeling any pressure?
Gercar: Sure, when you have the red plate there is always a little bit of pressure. But I try to use it in a positive way and not think about the championship, only riding each race the best I can. I think that’s the key to finish with a strong result in the end.
Thanks Klemen and good luck for the future races!