Team HRC had an amazing day at the 2024 edition of the prestigious Motocross of Nation event, with Tim Gajser putting in two incredible rides to go one-one and win the MXGP class, also helping Slovenia to their best ever finish. His teammate Ruben Fernandez was excellent in his races, finishing second in his first race before recovering all the way up to 12th, from last position. Unfortunately, Spain narrowly missed out on the podium, but it was still a good day that included a holeshot for the Honda CRF450R rider. Words: HRC
Joining the Team HRC MXGP riders this weekend were the Australian duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence from Honda HRC in America and that pair were instrumental in Australia winning their first ever Chamberlain Trophy. And with Gajser winning race one, Jett taking victory in race two (with Fernandez second) and then Gajser swooping through on the last corner to beat Jett to make it another HRC one-two, everyone involved with Honda had a very good day.
In race one, Gajser had another excellent start placing second around the bend and putting himself in perfect position on the Matterley Basin track that he loves so much. It didn’t take long for him to make the move into the lead and from there, he controlled the race against some top opposition.
Race two saw the MX2 guys against the Open riders, with Fernandez out for Spain and hoping to give the nation their first ever MXON podium. And things got off to a great start as the Honda CRF450R rider stormed out of the gate to take the holeshot and lead the early part of the race. Jett then found his way past, but Fernandez never stopped pushing and followed home his fellow Honda rider in second place.
With the Chamberlain Trophy at stake, and individual glory on the line, the third race saw the gate filled with 450cc machines and the very best riders on the planet hoping for victory. Out of the gate, Gajser didn’t get the best jump but he was very much in the mix round the first bend and quickly moved up inside the top five. On an extremely technical Matterley circuit, the Slovenian felt at home and slowly but surely worked his way into fourth, third, second and then after a multi-lap duel, into the lead.
After the way he rode in race one, he tried to check out, but Jett needed every point in order to help the Australian points-tally and he closed up before making a move with three laps to go. From then on, the two HRC riders put on a show for the massive crowd, as the best motocross riders on the planet went head-to-head. It looked like Jett would take the bragging rights, but Gajser got excellent drive out of the corner before the triple and managed to make a pass with just two corners to go, celebrating it ecstatic fashion as he won the final moto of 2024.
Jett was also celebrating though as Australia won their first ever Motocross of Nations, as Hunter also put in two great races and they were backed-up by Honda’s Kyle Webster in the MX2 class, giving them the win by just three points.
Unfortunately, Fernandez suffered a crash on the first lap and remounted in dead last, but he put his head down and put on a massive charge to finish all the way up in 12th place. This gave Spain fourth overall and their joint-best finish ever at this race and motivation that the podium isn’t far away.
But the day belonged to Gajser, who put the disappointment of the second-place in the 2024 MXGP Championship behind him, and showed everyone that he is one of the greatest motocross riders ever, with a ride that will go down in history.
Tim Gajser: “It was a great day of racing and I’m extremely happy with how it all went. I wanted to end this season on a high and I think I did that. It was great to battle with Jett and we put on a real show for the fans, but obviously I wanted to take the win and I made it happen on the last corner. I felt good all day and in the first race I got into the lead and didn’t have to push too much to win the race. Then in the last moto, I got into the lead but didn’t know Jett was there, so when he was there, I realised I had to go again. Then he made the pass but I stuck with him and took a different line before the uphill triple, got the drive and made the move. A big thank you for all the support I’ve received this weekend and to all the team. Now we have a bit of a break before we prepare for 2025!”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas – HRC General Manager – MXGP: “What a race from Tim! He never gave up and showed tremendous speed in both races and fully deserved all the praise he’s receiving. It was a great performance and just really showed how good a motocross rider he really is. It is the perfect way to end and we’re sure this will fuel his fire and he’ll come into 2025 even better prepared. Ruben also put in a great first race and even in the second, after he crashed, he rode really well. Both guys are great to deal with and the team is a very happy place to be right now.”
Image: HRC
