Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna’s Max Nagl has admitted that there is still “work to do” in order to beat Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gasjer and stop the Slovenia’s level of dominance in the current MXGP Championship.
The German, who is nine years older than the series leader, grabbed two holeshots at last week’s Grand Prix of Spain but it was not enough to deter Gajser who powered to his fifth win from nine rounds.
“He is riding good and is in a good position at the moment,” conceded Nagl who is fourth in the standings (68 points adrift) and with four rostrum appearances. “We all do our best and the start is 80 per cent of the race. I had the holeshot twice and still couldn’t win so there is still some work to do from myself…but it takes time and it is not always easy.”
While riders like Tony Cairoli may claim that Gajser’s speed is no great shock there is a degree of surprise at the sustained competitive level of the MX2 world champ on the CRF450R. Some ragged performances in Latvia, Germany and Italy saw some crashes litter the rookie’s race speed but the figure that dominated in Spain showed that Gajser can adapt and cope with the pressure of the red plate.
The 19-year-old himself credited the work on his attitude and mentality done with father Bogo in the week’s hiatus before Talavera as a key factor. Incumbent world champion Romain Febvre has been one of the very few to be able to challenge Gajser’s outright speed while Cairoli rode smart events in Germany and Italy to edge closer to the title tussle…even if his second moto crash in Spain leaves questions over his full fitness for the race in France this weekend.
