MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser wasn’t quite able to pull-off his sixth world title, as despite a second overall at this MXGP of Castilla La Manche, he missed out by just 10 points. It was still an excellent effort by the Slovenian though and he deserves a lot of credit for the way his has battled for the duration of this longest ever World Motocross Championship.
Coming in the weekend, he knew he needed everything to go right if he was to stand on the top step of the podium, but unfortunately on a track that was exceptionally difficult to pass on, he wasn’t able to get into the positions in order to close up that points gap. A second place in the first moto still left him with a chance, but after being forced off the track in the first turn of race two, he salvaged as much as he could by ending up in third place, but that wasn’t quite enough for either the GP overall or the championship.
After 59 races, to lose by only 10 points was difficult to handle but as Gajser handled himself with dignity and true sportsmanship when speaking to the associated press afterwards, paying due credit to the eventual champion, but promising that he would be back again in 2025 looking to regain the title that he won in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
In a season filled with a lot of highs – including a maiden victory at the MXGP of Czech Republic, and an excellent one-one performance in Switzerland, the #243 now puts on the Slovenian colours and tries to get the tiny country their best ever finish in the Motocross of Nations, at the Matterley Basin track in England next weekend.
After an excellent outing in China last time out, Ruben Fernandez was hoping for more of the same in what is a home GP for the Spaniard. Unfortunately, the tight, hard-pack terrain wasn’t to the #70’s liking and although he fought hard every lap, he was only able to manage 13-8 results in this season-finale. It wasn’t what he was looking for, but it is still another good effort after returning from injury just over one month ago. Like his teammate, Fernandez will also be lining at the Motocross of Nations, where Spain have a great chance of getting on the podium, which would be their countries best ever result.
MX2
Ferruccio Zanchi put in his best points result of 2024 at the MXGP of Castilla La Manche, rounding out the year with five-six moto scores for seventh overall. Combined with his qualification result yesterday, he scored 34 points, with his fifth in the first moto also being his highest race finish of the season. It was a great way for the young Italian to end off his rookie season in the MX2 class and gives him a lot of motivation that he can do even better in the future.
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Tim Gajser 243"Obviously to come second in the championship and be so close to winning is difficult, but overall I can’t be too critical of the year we had. There were a lot of positives to take away from this year, and even though it is hard to see those right at this moment, I am still proud of what we achieved and to be the second-best motocross rider in the world is still incredible. The team and I did everything we could to make it happen and a big shoutout to all of them for their work in what has been a long and intense year. I couldn’t do it without their support and wish I could have made it happen for them. Now, I have the Motocross of Nations next weekend and then it’s a bit of a break before trying to do it all over again next year." |
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Ruben Fernandez 70"I never really had a good feeling with this track, which was a bit of a shame because I wanted to do well in front of my home crowd. It was still nice to have all that support around the track though and I’m excited to have Spanish GPs in the future. Overall, I am happy with how the season went after my injury, I had some good results and progressed well, and now I want to put everything into Team Spain for the Motocross of Nations." |
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Ferruccio Zanchi 73"It is great to get my highest points score of the year, at the final round. Putting in three solid results is what I’ve been aiming for all year and I think it is a good sign that I was able to keep trying and trying and finally get it done at round 20. A big thank you to the team because it hasn’t always been easy but together, we’ve worked through the difficulties and this result is down to all our work. I’m really happy with the year, but I’m also excited for the future too." |
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Marcus Pereira de Freitas HRC General Manager - MXGP"We are all really proud of the effort Tim showed this weekend, and throughout this year. Competing at the highest level for over six months, 20 rounds, in all different conditions isn’t easy and he was so very close to taking the title. Regardless, he is a class act and always displays a champion personality and we can’t wait to try again next year." Congrats to Ferruccio who saved his best until last and rode excellently. He has been a pleasure to work with this year and never gave up in some difficult moments, and this weekend was a great showcase for the real potential that he shows." "Ruben also has been great since he’s comeback after the injury. He always brings great energy to our team and it was a real shame that he missed so much of the season. Still, he wants to finish on a high at the Motocross of Nations and we’ll do our best to support him." "Lastly, a big thank you to every member of Team HRC, both those who attend the races and those who do all the unseen work. So much time and effort goes into this championship and the group that we have here are the best group ever, so I truly appreciate everything they’ve done." |