One rider that is having an impressive off-season is Swedish talent, Isak Gifting who has been adapting to the 450cc. After signing late with the JK Yamaha team, Gifting has been preparing for his rookie MXGP World Championship season and has looked good in the pre season races.
We caught up with Gifting after Hawkstone International to discuss his day, heading into his rookie MXGP season and more.
You can read or watch below:
GateDrop: Isak, here at Hawkstone International and your first time racing here on a 450cc, I think overall a very positive day for you with fifth overall. You must be happy with your days work here?
Gifting: Yeah, I will take that. Two fifth place finishes, 5-5, I will that that, it’s alright. The riding was okay, the starts were good. The track was heavy, we had a little bit of problems with the bike and the engine to keep it cool as it was overheating a lot. Especially in the super final, we blew the clutch and stuff but we still finished the day. The super final wasn’t that good but it doesn’t matter really but the two MX1 motos were good.
GateDrop: When you got those good starts and out there riding, you know these are elite MXGP riders and some of the best in the world but you didn’t look intimidated out there and looked to enjoy battling with these guys…
Gifting: Yeah, I mean I like to be there with them. That is the real deal, to be able to follow them and look at them without stressing, it is nice. I am learning a lot from that. It is a lot of new things for me with the new bike, a Japanese bike, it’s a 450cc so it is nothing like I am used to. It seems to suit me quite well, anyway.
GateDrop: You’ve only done a couple of races with the 450cc, have you been surprising yourself maybe? I mean you beat some very fast guys today…
Gifting: Yeah, also the International Italian races and especially the lap times, they have been really good at those two races. I am surprised by that but also today was solid. Two I could do two solid moto’s, no crashes and nothing like that. Good starts and a pretty good space at the beginning of the season, I like it.
GateDrop: I mean that MX1 class was stacked today but there were still some big guys missing to give you an idea of that MXGP class in Argentina, it’s going to be so fast, starts are going to be crucial…
Gifting: Ah, always, always! You know how it is but at least the stars are good so that is the positive thing for me.
GateDrop: You’ve been spending a lot of time in Italy with the team, how do you feel on hard pack with the bigger bike?
Gifting: I like it with that as well. We can ride a lot of hard pack now in Italy so I think that is good for me. So far we have probably been riding a bit more sand being in Sardinia and Mantova then this one. So, I would like to get back to some more hard pack now so it is the perfect thing being in Italy.
GateDrop: Just on the team and MXGP, how grateful are you to the team for picking you up? It did sound like you might not even be racing MXGP at one stage, did you have any other MXGP options or was it just these guys?
Gifting: I had some options early on but then I was planning on doing something else. That then didn’t end up going my way so everything ended up quite late. But we sorted this out and so far it has been great, working very well. I am really looking forward to the season now.
GateDrop: You must be kinda happy the other thing didn’t work out then because seeing how fast you are riding with these elite guys, I think you’d have missed racing with these guys…
Gifting: (laughs). Yeah, but you know being on privateer team it is also nice to show that we have the speed and with the good starts. Already now and from the beginning of the season, we didn’t expect it so it is positive.
GateDrop: The Italian Championship you will also race, I think that’ll be good for you as there’s a lot of hard pack tracks and that is probably the area you need to improve, it’ll be nice to go up against the Ducati too!
Gifting: That is it, it will be great. It is good for me to do a National championship on the side. It is more racing, more information with the bike and especially on the hard pack. I think it’ll suit us really well.
Interview: Andy McKinstry
Images: Scott Dunne
