Round 16 of the MXGP Motocross World Championship will be held this weekend on a specially constructed venue within the Assen TT Circuit, utilising the road racing venue’s main straight and paddock area to end the European season with a bang.
On the third sand track in a row, and the last before the final overseas pairing of hard-pack tracks, everything is still very much to play for in the race for the MX2 World Championship.
After a stunning performance last weekend, which could well be the highlight of his season, Gajser is feeling stronger and stronger on the sand and positive about closing his four-point gap to the red plate.
With four overall victories this season and a further two podiums, Gajser is currently second in the World Championship standings aboard the Honda Gariboldi Racing CRF250RW.
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“Tim really rode a fantastic weekend last time in the sand in Italy, and I think that performance just shows how far he’s come since even the start of this year. To be just four points off the lead still after the last two sand races puts him in a strong position to end the season on the hard pack tracks, but even this weekend in Assen I believe he can be strong because he’s developed so much on the sand. I think this weekend will be a very interesting exercise, building a motocross track inside a permanent road racing venue. Of course it’s been tried before, but I hope for a good weekend for everyone in Assen.”
Tim Gajser, no.243
“I’m really happy with the last weekend, and we stay just four points from Jonass in the lead of the championship. I’m really looking forward to going to Assen and to the sand again. After three sand tracks in a row, I think I’m getting used to them now! We are all going really fast at the front and we’re all so close. For me it’s a little bit better on the hard-pack, but last weekend I think I showed good performance on sand too. Maybe it’s a little bit better to end the season on the last two hard tracks, and I took a win in Mexico last year, so I’m really looking forward to those, too. I’m just still going from race to race and trying to do my best each weekend. Everyone is pushing so hard, so I just want to have fun and we’ll see what happens at the front!”