Gajser and Geerts: Red Plate

Team HRC factory rider Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jago Geerts are without question two competitors racing the crest of a wave that could easily see them extend their MXGP and MX2 championship points lead in Sardinia this coming weekend.

Both sensational in the deep sand, after they took victory at the hard pack of Maggiora last weekend, their confidence is at an all-time high. For HRC factory rider Gajser, the taste of victory champagne will never become boring.

“Winning never gets boring,” Gajser said. “I am super happy you know and so proud of the team and myself, we really work hard for this in the off-season and made some changes with the bike and myself. I couldn’t be happier with the first seven GPs, and I hope we can continue this run. We want to continue this run. You know I don’t really concentrate on how many wins I have, maybe I should and will when it becomes more. Now the numbers are getting bigger I should maybe take more notice and to be up there with such a big names, which is special. I am very proud.”

The 25-year-old Gajser has himself mentioned that he is riding better than ever in his illustrious career and has learnt more than any time in his racing life how to change a track to his liking, even when it seems there is just one racing line.

“This year, I don’t know, it is just such a great year. I can create my own lines and when the rut isn’t deep enough, I can go somewhere else, off the main line and create those lines, lines nobody else is using. The lines I can create are completely off the other lines. When the track gets so rough in the second part of the second moto, when it is brutal, then it is nice if you can find new lines.”

As for Geerts, he took yet another GP win last weekend, making it 13 in his career and is also slowly climbing up the all-time list and is currently the 14^th best Belgian rider of all time when it comes to Grand Prix victories. With a long list of Belgian legends still ahead of him, you just know that with every GP victory his country will follow that progress. For now though, Geerts is just concentrating in holding his nerve and being consistent.

“I feel really good and strong,” Geerts said. “I feel better than ever. I want to keep going like this and try and be as consistent as possible and not make any mistakes. We will see how it goes in the coming races. I just ride with more confidence now and make less mistakes, so that helps. I also make better starts and also, I do better in timed practice, because that is important and now, I make the times practice better and it makes the weekend a lot easier.”

And now, as a Belgian rider everyone will be watching Geerts in the deep white and of Riola, where he could very easily score yet another GP win and take control of that MX2 championship points lead.

“I headed to Sardinia for 10 days to prepare for this next race, rather than head home in between. I travel more alone, and I have more experience how to set-up the bike and that is a point we can’t make small mistakes. It is a long season, but we can’t make mistakes on Sunday now. We have really had a lot of different types of surfaces this year and I really like that, changing from sand to hard pack to clay. Before we had maybe 10 hard pack and one sand track, but now there are many different types of tracks and I really enjoy that change.”

So, while both fields in the MXGP and MX2 classes will be trying to stop Gajser and Geerts, the two red plate owners will be doing everything to not only win in Sardinia this weekend, but also put even more points between them and their rivals.