Slovenian Tim Gajser dominated the final round of the MXGP world championships in Great Britain, ending his 2023 MXGP season campaign on a high.
The 27-year-old Team HRC rider, the MXGP world champion in 2022, put his stamp on the 2023 World Motocross Championship by taking a thoroughly impressive 1-1 GP victory at the 19th and final round of the season, at the always amazing Matterley Basin circuit in Great Britain.
Spanish GasGas factory rider Jorge Prado had already wrapped up the MXGP for 2023 at the previous round at Maggiora, in Italy.
Swiss Yamaha rider Jeremy Seewer finished the British GP overall runner-up to Gajser, with French Kawasaki rider Romain Febvre completing the Matterley Basin podium.
In race one, Gajser rounded the first bend well-placed, with Gajser in third and his Honda team-mate Reuben Fernandez a couple of places behind.
The Honda pair were able to maintain those positions for the early part of the race, before Gajser swooped through into second after a mistake by the rider in front.
Gajser then began pressuring the leader for the next 15 minutes, trying everything to make a move, before finally getting the job done just before the two-lap board came out.
Much like race one, the Team HRC duo swept around the first corner in the top five, ready to try and finish this season on a high.
Gajser was especially in no mood to hang around, taking only a couple of laps to move into the lead, and quickly pulling out an unassailable gap, as he put in lap times over a second faster than anyone else.
Gajser eventually took the win by almost six seconds, producing his customary whip as he received the chequered flag.
Behind him, Fernandez was involved in a big dogfight for the other podium spots, and on the final lap, he made his move to get third, and fifth overall.
Although he wasn’t on the podium, it was still a great display of riding and after his third place in Maggiora last week, he can still be extremely proud of how he finished out the year.
Fernandez ended up in fifth place in the championship with one overall victory at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina and four visits to the podium, while Gajser made it two GP wins, and three moto first places after his return from injury with eight rounds left of the series.
The pair now have a week off before heading to Ernee in France, for the Motocross of Nations where they will both be hoping to another successful weekend as they represent Slovenia and Spain respectively in the MXGP class at this prestigious event.
“It’s great to finish this season with a victory,” said Gajser.
“It is a massive confidence boost heading into the off-season and also for 2024 so I’m very happy to win and to go one-one and just have fun riding out there.
“The track was difficult in that second moto, but I enjoyed it once I got out front, got a good gap and could see where the riders behind were behind me.
“I’d like to thank all my team for all their hard work and all their support when I wasn’t at the races, this victory is down to all of them as well and it is really nice just to leave the last round of the championship with the win.”
Photo courtesy Honda
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FINAL 2023 RESULTS & STANDINGS:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:43.624; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:01.627; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:02.791; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:04.109; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.683; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:40.228; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:44.507; 8. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), +0:49.032; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:55.687; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.063.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:01.409; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.868; 3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:06.664; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:07.912; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:12.687; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:38.133; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:41.292; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +0:42.874; 9. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), +0:45.611; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:47.503.
MXGP – Grand Prix Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 35 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 26 p.; 8. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 23 p.; 10. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 21 p.
MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 921 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 854 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 759 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 695 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 654 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 599 p.; 7. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), 490 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 456 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 363 p.; 10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 314 p.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), 35:42.760; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.783; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:02.017; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:11.924; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Husqvarna), +0:13.408; 6. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:13.802; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:42.026; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Honda), +0:46.197; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.314; 10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:48.565.
MX2- Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 36:25.148; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:01.436; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:02.265; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:23.631; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:25.316; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.958; 7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.028; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:42.348; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.152; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:57.965.
MX2– Grand Prix Top 10 Classification:
1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 45 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 43 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 37 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 37 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 30 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, HON), 21 p.; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 20 p.
MX2- World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 826 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 759 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 755 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 734 p.; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 577 p.; 6. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 573 p.; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 565 p.; 8. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 560 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 533 p.; 10. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 394 p.