Defending MXGP champion Tim Gajser will once again be leading the way for Team HRC as they look to repeat their efforts and win the 2020 FIM world motocross title.
This year heāll be under the awning with a new team-mate as his #243 bike will be lining up next to Mitch Evansā #43 machine for his first season in the MXGP class, on what is a brand new Honda CRF450RW.
For Gajser, itāll be a chance to win his fourth world title after successes in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and heāll be hoping he can replicate the form that saw him win last yearās championship by over 200 points and included a record-breaking seven wins in a row for Honda in the middle part of the season.
Now though, the focus is on the first round at Matterley Basin which is a track that he enjoys.
Joining him in what is once again an extremely competitive MXGP class is rookie Evans who moves up from the MX2 world championship.
Despite being just 21-years-old, many experts believe that Evans is much more suited to the more powerful 450cc machines, which is something he proved when he won his first outing on the larger capacity bike at Sugo in the Japanese national championship.
Now though, the Aussie youngster wants to show that as quickly as possible in the MXGP class as he hopes to settle into this 2020 campaign.
Tim Gajser: “I am very excited for the start of this 2020 season. Of course, I won the MXGP championship last year but now I will try my best to defend the title, for myself and for Team HRC.
“We have been working very hard over the off-season to get ready for the first round and with this new Honda CRF450RW, we believe we are in a very good position to be able to go out and win races just like I did in 2019.
“It will be tough as there are a lot of fast riders in the class but I feel as though I am still improving as a rider and knowing that Honda are continually trying to improve my bike is a massive confidence boost too.
“They did an amazing job on this new machine and I felt good straight away in testing, it really suits my style and I already feel stronger on it than this time last year. It will be a long season with 20 rounds, however, I am ready to put in the necessary work and with Matterley Basin being a track I really enjoy, I believe I can start out strongly.”
Mitch Evans: “It was a dream come true to sign with Team HRC at the end of last year, and even though Iāll be riding in a new class on a brand new bike, I feel ready to show everyone what I am capable of.
“I know it wonāt be easy because the MXGP class is filled with top riders, but with the help of everyone in the team, I believe I am ready to go out there and get some good results. My off-season has gone well and when I jumped on this brand new Honda CRF450RW, I felt good right away.
“Each time I get on the machine I feel like I am improving and when Iām riding with Tim, I have the perfect gauge to see just how well I am doing. He has been a great team-mate so far but I know the results are down to me and thatās what I am concentrating on when the season begins at the MXGP of Great Britain on March 1.”
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