TIM GAJSER WINS FIFTH WORLD MX TITLE

At just 25 years of age, Tim Gajser has become the most successful active MXGP rider after wrapping up his fifth world title (and the fourth in the premier MXGP class) at the MXGP of Finland on the weekend. The Team HRC rider clinched the 2022 title win with two rounds to spare and has now joined some very elite company in the sport’s history books. He joins five-time title winners Jeffrey Herlings, Eric Geboers, Joel Smets and Roger DeCoster.

And you’ve got to say, this 2022 MXGP title never looked in doubt for the hardworking Slovenian. Taking hold of the red plate from the very beginning, Gajser put in an early run of results that saw him win six of the first seven rounds (including three double-moto wins) and made sure his competitors knew he was the rider to beat. Back-to-back wins in Germany and Indonesia then increased his points gap to over 100 points. And from then on, it was just a matter of which round he would seal this historic championship win. That moment came at the second moto at the MXGP of Finland, with two full rounds still to ride in the series. Gajser’s weekend at Finland’s sandy Hyvinkaa track wasn’t at his best, but he was still able to post 6-7 results, which was more than enough to give him a 104-point advantage and wrap-up the championship.

Here’s a few other stats that serve to underline just how dominant Tim Gajser has been this season. Prior to Round 16 of the championship, Gajser had:

Won the most qualification races (4)
Led more laps (184)
Had more than triple the number of moto wins than any other rider (13)
Claimed two times as many GP overalls (8) as any other rider
Stood on the podium more than anyone else (10)
His #243 machine was the only bike to have worn the red plate all season, after his victory at the opening round in Great Britain.

This is the fourth MXGP-class Championship win of Gajser’s career (2016, 2019, 2020, 2022), which puts him fourth all-time in premier-class championships, and equal-fourth all-time in total championships (after also winning the MX2 crown in 2015.) And with all five titles coming aboard Honda machinery, Gajser also becomes Honda’s most successful MXGP rider of all-time.

This coming weekend, the MXGP World Championship heads to St Jean D’Angely in France for the penultimate round of the series. Gajser will be looking to add to his eight GP overalls, while his teammate, Australia’s Mitch Evans, will be hoping to capitalise on his post-injury return to form and nab his first podium of the season.