Tim Gajser looked superb at Mantova going 1-1 on the Yamaha and was much improved from his steady debut last weekend in the deep sand of Alghero.
The Slovenian edged Herlings out for the holeshot in race one to take the win. Gajser had to pass Geerts and Talviku for the lead in race two before gradually pulling away from Fernandez.
But then Gajser crashed with a couple of laps to go and had to push again to hold off Fernandez and a charging Herlings, who was coming on strong late in the race. However, Gajser showed composure and stayed strong to cap a perfect day in Italy to show he and the Yamaha are already a great fit.
The Slovenian said of his win: “I was feeling really good all day. I think we had a good set-up coming in. First race a good start was important, there was not many lines, then I rode my race until the end. Second one the same, good jump out of the gate then I think Adamo closed everyone off and we almost crashed in the first corner. Then I made my way up front, made a little gap and controlled the race. I made a little crash with two laps to go that didn’t help! I am happy, it is just my second race with Yamaha and we are still building with a month to go before we start with the world championship.
On the second moto and pushing hard Gajser said: “Ruben was behind me really close. I was pushing of course but still, it is a pre-season race. We were pushing but still being in control but then a couple of laps to go I made a nice gap of 7-8 seconds but then I crashed and they closed again so I had to push a little bit more but overall, yes, it was good.”
