Tim Gajser was one of the big names in this MXGP to miss most of the races while recovering from an injury. For Marcus Pereira de Freitas, when the rider returned it was clear that he still had speed, but couldn’t put it all together in the early stages.
The HRC General Manager spoke about the season with the team, with the moment of the Slovenian’s return not to be forgotten: ‘We immediately saw that Tim had speed on his return when he was the fastest in timed practice in Loket. However, then we saw the true effects of the injury, when he couldn’t put it all together to have a good race in the early rounds’.
Despite feeling good training at home, the real sensations on some specific tracks were a heavier burden on the road to recovery: ‘We knew that the races in the Czech Republic would be much harder than the training, because you simply can’t replicate the races when you’re at home. Then, there were three sand tracks in the next four, with the other being Sweden, which was almost impossible to pass, so once again, we weren’t expecting much, due to the little he had been able to train in the sand’. As the season continued, Gajser improved to be able to show a little of what he was capable of: ‘Finally, in Turkey, Maggiora and Matterley, there were three tracks he liked and he managed to win three motos and two GPs and show everyone that he’s back. The double win in Matterley was a great ending and he gave himself a lot of confidence for this low season, showing that he’s still at the top of the standings when he’s at his best’.
