Today was something of two distinct halves for the Honda Gariboldi Racing team, as on one hand Jorge Zaragoza made two fantastic starts and showed again some of the potential the team know he has, whilst on the other Team Slovenia were knocked out of the B Final, meaning that Tim Gajser’s programme was cut short.
In both races, Spaniard Zaragoza made great starts on the CRF250RW and was firmly at the front of the pack. Whilst he suffered a couple of small mistakes that cost him positions, he ran for a long time firmly within the top ten and even in the top seven in his first competitive outing since taking a break to recover his throat back in August.
It was a disappointing Nations for MX2 World Champion Tim Gajser though, as yesterday’s crash meant that Team Slovenia were in the B Final, with only the winning nation progressing to the rest of the day’s racing. Although Gajser dominated the B Final with a runaway win and the fastest lap it wasn’t enough and Team Slovenia finished second to Japan. It has also emerged that Tim has fractured his left thumb after yesterday’s crash, so whilst he nursed it during this morning’s race, he will now give it time to heal itself.
Both on-track and in the paddock the atmosphere at the 69th Motocross of Nations, held in France, was electric. A full-to-capacity crowd was on its feet until the last lap of the last race, cheering their national heroes to the finish. Alongside teammates Jose Butron and Ander Valentin, Zaragoza’s performance put Team Spain 11th overall.
Giacomo Gariboldi, Team Principal
“Today was frustrating not to see Tim at the start of the three races, but maybe it’s actually a good thing because after the crash yesterday he has a little fracture in the thumb. It will be ok in a couple of weeks, but better not to push it too much today. I was pleased to see Jorge taking very good starts, and especially in the second race he rode really well. He still needs some more fitness, but it’s great to see his potential coming through again.”
Jorge Zaragoza, no.62, Team Spain – 11th overall
“I’m happy with my riding and my starts today, especially at the start of each race when it was great to be running back towards the front again. Unfortunately I made some small mistakes towards the end, but my feeling is getting better as I train more so now I have a great motivation to work hard over the winter. The crowd today was just amazing, and it feels great to have raced in my first Nations for Team Spain.”
Tim Gajser, no.60, Team Slovenia, 21st overall
“Today was disappointing. I did all I could in the B Final with the win, but that’s the thing about the Nations – it’s all about the team and overall results. Yesterday was pretty good and I was feeling great on the bike. It was working well and we were ready to fight. In the qualification race I had a pretty good start and soon got into second, but then I had a stupid crash. I think I was too hungry, and too quick to push to pass Webb. Maybe I wasn’t calm enough, but anyway we learn something from this weekend. From every mistake we learn, so I can take that. The thumb is ok and I just need to rest it to heal for a few weeks.”
2015 Motocross of Nations
| 1 | Team France | 14 |
| 2 | Team USA | 16 |
| 3 | Team Belgium | 56 |
| 4 | Team Estonia | 66 |
| 5 | Team Switzerland | 67 |
| 6 | Team Netherlands | 72 |
| 7 | Team Australia | 77 |
| 8 | Team New Zealand | 92 |
| 9 | Team Germany | 97 |
| 11 | Team Spain | 106 |
| 21 | Team Slovenia | B Final |