Dutch rider Roan van de Moosdijk has joined Team HRC to replace the injured Ruben Fernandez. The Spaniard injured his knee in an incident in the first corner at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina and has since undergone surgery, which will keep him out for the foreseeable future. Therefore, Team HRC decided that bringing in another rider was the right decision, and with van de Moosdijk available and ready to race, the agreement was quickly put into practice so he could line up at the third round of the 2024 MXGP World Championship in Riola Sardo, Sardinia.
After a 2023 campaign marred by injuries, van de Moosdijk still managed to finish 20 points off fifth place in the MX2 championship, including two podiums and a win. But with the age rule meaning he had to move up to the MXGP class this year, and with races on hold, the rookie was unable to make his debut in the first two rounds of 2024 and instead continued training in hopes of getting a chance to impress at a later date.
However, that opportunity came sooner than he expected, with Fernandez injuring himself in the first corner of the first qualifying race of the year and, although #70 tried to make it to the finish line at his home GP in Spain a few weeks later, it was not meant to be. This opened the door for the 2019 EMX250 champion and, although only one week of preparation on a completely new machine is not the ideal way to make his debut in the toughest motocross championship in the world, the talented 23-year-old will give it his all to establish himself at the top of the MXGP class.
The HRC Team has been very successful in identifying and nurturing young talents, with Tim Gajser and Fernandez showing that the Honda CRF450R is an excellent platform to take the big step from the MX2 class, and now it’s v/d Moosdijk’s turn to make that leap, starting from April 6 and 7 in the deep sand of Riola Sardo.
Source: Team HRC
