Team HRC’s Gajser Wins FIM Motocross World Championship
Just days after his 23rd birthday, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser clinched his second MXGP World Championship at the Grand Prix of Italy in Imola. With three rounds remaining in the 18-round series, Gajser has an insurmountable 664-481 lead over Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewar, his nearest rival.
Gajser built his vast lead mid-season by scoring 14 wins in the span of 18 races. Injuries to many of Gajser’s main protagonists—MXGP World Champions Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team)—made Gajser’s march to his second MXGP World Championship a bit less challenging than expected.
Cairoli had a strong start to the 2019 MXGP World Championship Series, with seven race wins and three P2 finishes in the five opening rounds. However, Gajser scored six consecutive wins in Portugal, France, and Russia over the seven-time MXGP Champion Cairoli, who was bravely riding with a broken right arm. After the Latvian round, Cairoli’s arm required a rest.
Febvre broke his ankle at the opening round in Argentina, missing four full rounds. Herlings has ridden just two mid-season rounds, earning a victory in Latvia. Herlings injured his foot before the start of the 2019 MXGP World Championship Series, and then broke his ankle when hit by another motorcycle after falling on the sighting lap for Race 1 in Latvia (which he went on to win).
As a result, Gajser has 15 race wins and 24 podiums in 15 rounds this year, enough to clinch the championship over Seewer, who has yet to win a race. As Gajser was clinching the title at Imola, Glenn Coldenhoff (Standing Construct KTM) went 1-1, giving Coldenhoff podium finishes in the last four races.
Still remaining in the 2019 MXGP World Championship Series are the Grands Prix of Sweden, Turkey, and China.
2019 MXGP World Championship Standings (after 15 of 18 rounds)
- Tim Gajser, Slovenia, Honda, 664 points (15 face wins)
- Jeremy Seewer, Switzerland, Yamaha, 481
- Gautier Paulin, France, Yamaha, 440
- Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Yamaha, 419
- Glenn Coldenhoff, Netherlands, KTM, 399 (2 race wins)
- Arminas Jasikonis, Lithuania, Husqvarna, 377
- Romain Febvre, France Yamaha, 362
- Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 358 (7 race wins)
- Pauls Jonass, Latvia, Husqvarna, 352
- Jeremy Van Horebeek, Belgium, Honda, 347
