Tim Gajser of Team HRC closed to within three points of the championship lead after a fifth podium in a row at the Pietramurata track in Trentino, Italy.
The MXGP of Pietramurata pleased the spectators who made it out to the track on this middle-Wednesday, which nevertheless included a considerable number of Gajser’s Slovenian followers in the second of the triple-header races at this picturesque circuit.
They had much to cheer about all day, as the #243 put in a hot lap that put him in first place for the most of the timed qualifying session before finishing second. This offered him a lot of choices on a wide-open start gate, but he was still able to take advantage of it in race one, rounding the first turn in third and swiftly moving into second. He made a move to take the lead on the first lap and immediately built a small lead over the chasing pack. Unfortunately, arm-pump set in, and he wasn’t able to push-on as hard as he’d hoped. Instead, after a final five laps where the lead swapped a number of times, he eventually lost out on the final lap and had to settle for second place.
Gajser was motivated to make amends in the second moto, but he didn’t receive the ideal start and had to make a number of first lap passes once more. The Honda CRF450RW rider had worked his way up to sixth place by the time they crossed the line for the first time and was in an excellent position to advance further. Gajser pushed his way from sixth to fifth to fourth place as the laps went by, passing a title contender along the way, and he was in a tie for the red-plate at one point. He made his final pass to move into third place with four laps to go, and despite several riders passing him, he closed to within three points of the lead in the championship points race.
The pressure is on with three rounds and six motos remaining, but Gajser knows what to expect and will do everything he can to add to his four world championship championships. The third round at this Trentino venue is scheduled for Sunday, October 31st. The season will then come to a close in Mantova, Italy, where the final two rounds will take place on Sunday, November 7th, and Wednesday, November 10th.
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