Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Tim Gajser has placed fifth overall at the MXGP of Sweden. Racing at Uddevalla in the south of the country, Gajser crashed while running fifth in Race One and finished ninth, before charging to third in the second race. At the same time, teammate Maxime Renaux overcame poor starts to secure ninth overall.
Having placed third overall at the previous round in Lommel, Belgium, Gajser was eager to once again contend for a place on the podium. And after finishing second in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, the Slovenian clearly had the speed to compete at the sharp end of the field.
The Yamaha YZ450FM rider capitalised on his strong start in Race One to sit fifth through the opening laps. While battling for fourth, Gajser fell and dropped downfield, ultimately finishing the race in ninth.
A great start in Race Two saw Gajser in second place. By the end of lap one he dropped to third, but from there he maintained a similar pace to the leading duo and finished the race in third, just over 11 seconds from victory. The points secured rewarded Gajser with fifth overall and with Lucas Coenen absent from racing in Sweden, the 29-year-old moves up to third in the championship.
The MXGP of Sweden was one to forget for Renaux. Mid-pack starts in both races prevented the Frenchman from challenging at the front and he posted a 7-11 result for ninth overall. With four rounds remaining, Renaux sits eighth in the series standings.
From the hardpack of Sweden, the team now returns to the sand with a trip to Arnhem in the Netherlands next weekend for round 16 of the MXGP World Championship.
Tim Gajser
5th MXGP of Sweden, 32-points
3rd MXGP Championship Standings, 575-points
“Tough day again. In the first moto I didn’t have the best start, but I pushed from the beginning. It was so difficult to pass and I just wanted a little too much early on. I made a couple of mistakes and then crashed, which cost me a lot of positions. I then caught the guys in front of me but it was just difficult to make any passes. In the second moto, I had a better start and my riding was decent, although I made a few mistakes again. But I was there with the front guys. It was another difficult weekend because I want to be at the front, and on a track like we had today, I feel like the start was probably 70% of the race. I messed up a little bit with my crash in race one, but I want to say a huge thank you to the team for working hard and never stopping trying to improve. We go again next weekend.”
Maxime Renaux
9th MXGP of Sweden, 24-points
8th MXGP Championship Standings, 449-points
“I had a really bad start in every race this weekend and when the track is very hard to pass on, and pretty much everyone has the same speed, it makes things difficult. Obviously, I’m disappointed, but I have to take it and move on. I hurt my rib yesterday, so it was a bit painful today, although my health in general is getting better. It’s just a pity that we aren’t getting the starts at the moment.”
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