Honda Racing Corporation and Gariboldi Racing are pleased to announce that the collaboration that started in 2014, has had a long-term extension which sees the bond between the pair grow even stronger. The partnership, which has seen a huge amount of success in the motocross world championships – including Tim Gajser’s five world titles – has consistently proved itself to be one of the strongest teams in the paddock in the MXGP class. And after this year’s reintroduction of the Honda CRF250R underneath the awning, where Ferruccio Zanchi finished top 10 in the MX2 class in his rookie campaign, there is growing belief that Team HRC can challenge for honours in both divisions and provide a real pathway for future talent to win on CRF machinery. Words: HRC
The long-term extension was agreed upon when Giacomo Gariboldi recently headed to Japan, with both parties excited to put pen to paper. Always one of the leading lights in the MXGP paddock, the Team HRC setup provides a head-of-the-class facility for riders and staff members, and it is something that impresses the Japanese HRC members when they frequently visit the world motocross championships.
In what is one of the most successful branches of Honda Racing Corporation’s many programmes, the goal is to continue doing everything that has worked in the 10 years so far, as well as make sure there is a structure in place for the riders of tomorrow to be able to see themselves winning on the Honda brand in the future. In such a turbulent sport, it was recognised that this extension would give the security which was critical for riders to be able to focus purely on the racing side of things, and in turn, increase the chances of success for everyone involved.
Continuing the theme that structure and stability can bring success, Tim Gajser (MXGP), Ruben Fernandez (MXGP) and Ferruccio Zanchi (MX2) will all be returning for the 2025 World Motocross Championships under the Team HRC awning. Gajser narrowly missed out on the 2024 MXGP title on the last race of the championship, but then showed everyone what he was capable of, by putting in a truly memorable one-one performance at the Motocross of Nations. The Slovenian will be looking to go one position better in the 2025 season, and add to his five-world titles that he’s won whilst part of Team HRC.
2024 was an injury-hit year for Fernandez, but he came back for the last few rounds and showed race-winning speed in those events. With a full off-season of training under his belt, he’ll be motivated to show that he can get back to his GP-winning form, and Cordoba, Argentina could be the perfect place for him to showcase that in round one.
As the sole MX2 rider in 2024, Zanchi put in a number of impressive performances, especially considering it was his first full season in the class. He showed excellent speed, and real tenacity on the variety of terrain found in a world championship and proved the power of the Honda CRF250R with a holeshot in Turkiye. With more experience in the class, and with working with the team, 2025 could really be a breakout year for the young Italian.
So, with three riders currently in the line-up, plus a long-term future secured for the setup and organisation behind the team, Team HRC’s future is looking very strong, with the potential to get even stronger before the start of the 2025 campaign.
Yuzuru Ishikawa – HRC Executive Director: “Ever since we came back into this motocross project, we knew that a great partnership was necessary for success, and I think we can agree that in the last 10 years, HRC and Gariboldi Racing have had a lot of success. This extension allows everyone to focus again on the racing and that is the most important part. We fully trust the direction that Gariboldi Racing is heading in, and would like to thank him for his professionalism and dedication to the cause, and we look forward to even more achievements in the future. The return of this year’s riders is key to continue on the right path and I believe that Tim, Ruben and Ferruccio can have very successful 2025 campaigns.”
Giacomo Gariboldi – Team HRC Team Manager: “I am very excited with this agreement, and it shows a confidence from both parties that our goals are aligned. We have had a lot of success since we joined forces in 2014, with Tim winning five titles and narrowly missing out on a couple more. We have also had victories along the way with other riders, and this new agreement will hopefully give all riders – present and future – confidence that HRC is in this for the long-term and that we are providing a clear pathway for success. That, of course, will start again in 2025 where Tim, Ruben and Ferro will once again be part of our team and hungry for more success, but we also have some exciting news for an even stronger Team HRC coming soon.”
Tim Gajser: I feel like Team HRC is my second-family and I believe it is the best place and gives me the best opportunity for me to win races and championships. We are always striving to improve and I trust that we can keep getting better and better, and that is what I’m looking for right now in my career. A happy rider is a fast rider and I couldn’t be happier to be riding for Team HRC.”
Ruben Fernandez: Throughout my injury layoff, I had a lot of time to think about things and make decisions on my future, and I knew that Team HRC was the best team for me to be riding for. They stuck behind when I was hurt, and then supported me when I came back and I know that I want to repay all that faith with some results on the track. Even in the last few races, we had some good results and I truly believe I can challenge throughout the whole of 2025 and get my Honda CRF450R up near the top of the class.”
Ferruccio Zanchi: “2024 was a year filled with ups and downs, but the one thing that stayed consistent was the effort and teamwork showed by everyone in Team HRC. I felt comfortable in the environment and they made my rookie season as good as it possibly could be, but for 2025 I want to do even better! I learnt a lot about myself and the bike, and with all the data and testing that we did, this will really help for the races next year and I wanted to keep the momentum going and not have to change anything too much. I excited to get going again in March, but now I need to put in the hard-work and make my off-season as strong as I can.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas – HRC General Manager – MXGP: “It is great news for everyone involved in Team HRC, that this partnership is together for the foreseeable future. We can now put together a long-term plan for the team, and what we want to achieve, without those worries that can plague the motocross industry. Of course, the short-term is still very important and with Tim, Ruben and Ferruccio, we had a very good 2024, and hopefully we make sure 2025 and beyond is even better. For differing reasons, they’ll all be highly motivated for next season and we’ll have to be on top of our game to help them all achieve the results they want.”
Image: HRC
