Team HRC fighting back in 2022
By Press Release on 26th Jan 22
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans will be under the Team HRC awning in 2022 as they both look to rebound from differing 2021 campaigns, and put their Honda CRF450Rs at the front of this highly competitive MXGP class.
Last years championship was filled with a lot of good moments for Team HRC, with four-time world-champion Gajser winning four rounds after some really impressive riding, including an incredible one-one performance at the opening round in Russia.
However, ultimately, he came up just short in his quest to become a five-time champion, and it is that outcome that he is looking to set right when he lines up at Matterley Basin and beyond, for what should be another intense title battle.
"I feel really good coming into this 2022 season," said Gajser. "Obviously last year didnt end the way I wanted, as I finished third in the championship, which is still good, but it isnt what I aim for. I did have a lot of good moments and those are the things I am focusing on and building upon in this off-season. We havent had a lot of time to switch off and relax so that has been difficult but I am feeling fit and healthy and ready to fight for the championship.
"I will race the Italian races to give me some warm-up gate drops but I know the real racing starts at Matterley Basin in under one months time. There are a lot of familiar tracks on the calendar and I am confident that I can maintain a high level of performance and put the Honda CRF450R on the podium throughout the season. Hopefully, we can get into a regular routine and the schedule stays the same, and that the fans can come out and support us at all the rounds as that makes such a big difference."
For teammate Evans, 2021 was the most difficult of his young career as he was forced to watch from the sidelines whilst recovering from the wrist injury he sustained at the MXGP of Spain in 2020. Missing an entire season is never positive, but the Australian has kept a strongly focused mindset and is hoping to bounce back this year and remind everyone of the rider who scored a third-place finish in his first-ever MXGP moto.
He knows it wont be easy and isnt putting pressure on himself to get those sorts of results straight away but his belief in his ability has never wavered and it should only be a matter of time before the #43 is challenging at the very front of the field.
"Its been a really tough 15 months for me, not being able to race and not being able to ride for such a long time," said Evans. "Its been hard, both physically and mentally to try and stay positive and to keep the motivation high to come back to what is an extremely high level of motocross in the MXGP class now. However, I am feeling better and better every day now and my fitness and strength is ahead of the schedule Id set out for myself.
"I know that it wont be easy to race these guys right away because they are going so fast, but Im not putting pressure on myself and I truly believe I can get back to that level. You never lose your ability to ride, so its just a case of getting my left-side strong enough and that is happening day by day.
"Im really thankful to have had the support of Team HRC throughout this period and Im really looking forward to paying that back by putting in the results on the track."
First up for both riders are the pre-season Italian International races before they head to Great Britain and the amazing Matterley Basin track on the weekend of February 20.
From then on, its a steady stream of racing, on some of the best tracks around the world, with hopeful returns to some of the overseas destinations that have been unavailable these past two seasons.
Whatever happens this year with the calendar, both Honda riders are ready to bounce back and give their best in the 2022 Motocross World Championship.
HRC General Manager - MXGP Marcus Pereira de Freitas: "It is great to have both Tim and Mitch under the awning this year, and they are both working really hard to be ready again for the new season. The break was very short from the end of the 2021 campaign so it has been a very busy period and I must thank everyone in Team HRC for continuing to work hard to make sure we are all set for the first gate drop.
"Tim always does the work necessary, both with bike testing and his own physical training so I always trust him to do exactly what he needs to do. Mitch has been back in Europe for a little bit now and all the reports have been positive and now we get to test with him before the first MXGP and that will give us an idea of where he is.
"We know it wont be easy as the level has risen since he last raced but he is very determined and we will make sure he has everything he needs to get back to top of the class. It sounds like we are going back to a two-day format, which I think is good for the sport so we need to be ready for that, but overall, I think Team HRC is in a strong position for 2022."
Watch: Team HRC fighting back in 2022
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