GAJSER MISSES PORTUGAL AS HONDA HRC HEAD TO AGUEDA WITH THREE RIDERS

Honda HRC are down to three riders at the MXGP of Portugal, as five-time world champion and current red-plate holder Tim Gajser will not make the trip to Agueda. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the rider and all the medical personnel helping the Slovenian since leaving Switzerland, the injury hasn’t improved enough to cope with the rigours of world motocross racing.

After a tough Monday of racing in Switzerland – which followed an excellent Saturday where Ruben Fernandez and Gajser went one-two in qualification – there were question marks surrounding the status of the Gajser, after a nasty crash involving a solid man-made mound of dirt that was meant to be marking the track boundary but was instead inside the markers. And after some excellent treatment once he left the on-site facility, the Slovenian was hoping that he would be fit enough to attempt to battle the demands of MXGP motocross and continue his fight for title number six. Sitting 27 points clear of second place, the #243 knew he would have his work cut out to ready to make the start-line, but an intense week of physiotherapy saw his condition reach a level where there was optimism that he would be able to jump on a plane for round seven. Instead, he, along with his qualified medical team decided that sitting it out was the necessary call and now there will be further tests to determine the best course of action. It is a massive disappointment for Gajser as before the crash, he was 49 points ahead of his rivals, having won three of the first six rounds, and been on the podium for all of them.