Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings, leader of the MX2 series by 100 points and now nursing a freshly operated right collarbone, will have to watch out for HRC Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser and be mindful of the chase by Jordi Tixier in 2014 where the Dutchman lost a third straight championship after the Frenchman closed a 145 deficit in four rounds.
Gajser is in the hottest form of his career after winning Italian and German Grands Prix in the space of one week and now has three victories on the CRF250RW having scored his maiden success at Arco di Trento for round four of the series in April.
“It is a great feeling and all the team is really happy and that is important,” the 18-year-old Slovenian – who recently completed his schooling – said after walking the top step at Teutschenthal last Sunday. “I had two consistent races on a difficult track. I rode smart.”
Gajser is finally starting to produce the results many expected after Arco and having recovered sufficiently from setbacks, such as his fall and concussion in warm-up for the British Grand Prix at Matterley Basin. “After Arco we had a couple of bad weeks,” he said. “I was crashing and not riding well but everything changed in France with two good races and I was able to start training normally again. I’ve been working hard and it has paid off.”
Gajser was tipped to be one of Herlings’ biggest threats this season and his growing stature – he took his first podium finish in 2014 – means he will be another protagonist on the red machinery in 2016 whether Herlings stays for another term or not.
