MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 18 December 2020 - They say winning a title is hard but defending it is even harder. Despite the added pressure, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser managed it pretty well to successfully defend his 2019 Championship win and take the crown in MXGP this season, making it his fourth world title.
Tim Gajser started his journey in motocross pretty young, as he got his first bike at the age of three and then by the age of seven (2006) he entered the EMX65 Championship, where he finished 3rd. Back for more the following year, a young Gajser claimed the title that year and then repeated his success two years later in the EMX85 category.
In 2010, he made his debut in the EMX125 Championship and by 2012, at the age of fifteen, he dominated the class to win the EMX125 Championship title and become the FIM 125cc Junior Motocross World Champion that season too.
The following year, Gajser made his debut in the MX2 World Championship to finish 20th in the standings and the next season he was picked up by Honda Gariboldi (now known as Team HRC) and had a much better year as he finished the campaign in 5th, with 9 top five overalls and 6 podium finishes.
The 2015 season saw the Slovenian claim his first world title as he became the MX2 World Champion, that time around. Though he struggled in the beginning of the season, Gajser was able to turn things around when the series returned to Europe to get his first MX2 race win and GP victory at the MXGP of Trentino, Italy. He then fought an injury during a couple of the races, though was able to come back strong and clinch that title by the end of the season.
In 2016, Gajser made the move up to the premier MXGP class, where he was nothing short of extraordinary. The Slovenian won a total of 15 races, 7 Grand Prix’s and took a total of 15 out of a possible 17 podiums. Having showed maturity and strength all season long, Gajser made history to take back-to-back titles in MX2 and MXGP as he became the 2016 Champion.
The 2017 season was a tough one for Gajser, as he lined-up at the opening round in Qatar as the defending champion, but a year full of crashes and injuries made it hard for the Slovenian to fight back, which forced him to settle for 5th that time around. Then 2018 was another blow, as he entered the season with a big injury, which meant he had to skip the opening round, due to recovery. That year Gajser finished without any victories, though still managed 4th place in the championship standings.
The following year, 2019, Gajser regained his strength and it was consistency which helped him win his third title following a season that saw him win 16 races, 9 GP’s and make 15 podium appearances. The stand-out moment for many from that season was no doubt the epic battle between Gajser and Antonio Cairoli during the MXGP of Trentino, which was a turning point in the championship and a huge confidence boost for the Slovenian.
In 2020 Gajser lined up at the opening round in Matterley Basin as the defending world champion, once again, a label which is not easy to carry. The first race in Great Britain did not deliver the result the Honda rider would have wanted, though he was able to redeem himself in the second heat to take the race win and secure second on the podium. He followed that with another podium in the Netherlands and in Latvia, though the second and third rounds during the Latvian triple-header proved to be tough for the Slovenian who struggled with technical issues, as well as costly crashes and mistakes.
He was able to shake that bad luck to come back onto the podium during the MXGP of Città di Faenza, as well as the MXGP of Emilia Romagna in Italy, where he placed second overall once again. As the series headed to Mantova for another trio of races, the opening round, the MXGP of Lombardia would see Gajser finally take the red plate, before adding an overall two GP’s later as he won the MXGP of Europe. At the next 7 GP’s Gajser was consistently on the podium, winning Grand Prix’s in Lommel as well as the last two rounds in Pietramurata.
This season Gajser proved himself as the strongest competitor and a worthy winner in the MXGP class, as he claimed the title a round early during the MXGP of Pietramurata.
“It feels just unbelievable. Like I said many times, winning one is incredible but now four is just… I’m speechless. I’m really happy. It was a weird season, but anyway in the end everything came together, and we won another title” shared Gajser.
2021 will be another big year for the Slovenian who will no doubt rise to the occasion, once again, to defend his title and go after championship number 5!
For more details on Tim Gajser’s read our MXGP feature: ‘The Road to Gold’ by clicking HERE
Quick Facts…
DOB: 08/09/1996
PLACE OF BIRTH: Slovenia
RACING NUMBER: 243
BEST RESULT: 4-time World Champion
FIRST GP RACED: 2012 MXGP of Europe, Faenza, MX2
FAVOURITE TRACK: Matterley Basin
FAVOURITE FOOD: Everything
DREAM HOLIDAY: Croatia
HOBBIES: Mountain Biking, Football, Jet skiing, Xbox
2020 stats:
RACE WINS: 15
PODIUMS: 14
OVERALL VICTORIES: 5
LAPS LED: 226
FOX HOLESHOTS: 6
Other Results:
|
Year
|
BIKE
|
TEAM
|
Championship
|
Result
|
|
2019
|
Honda
|
Team HRC
|
MXGP
|
1
|
|
2018
|
Honda
|
Team HRC
|
MXGP
|
4
|
|
2017
|
Honda
|
Honda Gariboldi
|
MXGP
|
5
|
|
2016
|
Honda
|
Honda Gariboldi
|
MXGP
|
1
|
|
2015
|
Honda
|
Honda Gariboldi
|
MX2
|
1
|
|
2014
|
Honda
|
Honda Gariboldi
|
MX2
|
5
|
|
2013
|
KTM
|
KTM Marchetti Racing
|
MX2
|
20
|
|
2012
|
KTM
|
KTM Silver Action
|
EMX125
|
1
|
LINKS
Infront Moto Racing
FIM
MXGP Mag
Tim Gajser
