Mitch Evans: Down Under

Young Australian Mitch Evans is very much enjoying life back in Australia, and while we freeze in the European winter, the Team HRC factory rider is doing laps around his favourite motocross tracks under blaring sun and temperatures reaching around 40 degrees.

As he can enjoy his homeland for the time being, he also knows that hard work is needed as he gets set to return to Europe and prepare for the 2021 MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship and join his team-mate, MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser.

After a brilliant top three finish in a race at the opening round of the 2020 championship in England, and even closed up on Jeffrey Herlings in that race, things went downhill fast as he injured himself twice.

“The first two rounds weren’t so bad,” Evans said. “Because I had done the Italian Championship round and came in with some confidence and felt I belonged up there. Latvia really surprised me, and they were on another level there and that track you need to go fast and I wasn’t in shape to do that. If I took those risks, I would have ended up on the deck again. It was really frustrating because my cardio was good, I was riding around with my heartrate 10 to 15 beats lower than what is normally should be in a race, but I just couldn’t hold on from my upper-body and that was so frustrating. To know I could push so much harder, and not be able to do it, and even more so because those guys were really pushing harder.”

As for his pre-season, HRC usually do some Italian races in February and then rest prior to the opening round of the MXGP championship. Evans sees the same plan in 2021 and has been working hard last month and this month to be ready for when the season does begin at Muscat in Oman.

“We always do some pre-season races, and they are important before the season. I took a quick look at the MXGP schedule, so I could plan for what I do in December and January. It is back to the two-day format and that will be interesting.”

As for his HRC contract, that was extended at the end of the 2020 season, the Aussie won’t be resting on the fact it is a long term contract, but instead wants to get some podiums and push for race wins in 2021.

So as he will board a plane in the coming day to return to the cold of Europe, he will no doubt keep in mind that the tough, cold days riding tracks in Italy will give him that little bit extra strength to deal with the best motocross riders in the World when the season starts in April.