Tim Gajser might just be in the best form of career and he demonstrated it again in Latvia despite Jorge Prado stepping up his level.
Gajser’s starts are superb this season, usually starting in the top three and rarely starting outside the top five, it allows Gajser to pick and choose his moments to pass and attack his rivals.
Moto one and Gajser stayed calm, found different lines then went passed Jonass and then Prado in a couple of laps and even a spirited fight back from Prado and tye collision wasn’t enough to stop Gajser winning.
Race two was similar just without Prado to deal with as Gajser patiently waited behind Pauls Jonass before making pass and pushing to create a gap to control.
Gajser is ticking every box this year; better starts, more patience, bike comfort and speed in reserve. It’s just unfortunate we can’t see Gajser v Herlings this season with both at their best.
In addition to Gajser’s brilliance Honda are having further success with the speed on Ruben Fernandez finally getting his first podium after knocking on the door all year long combined with the rapid improvement of Mitch Evans.
After only one rider last year Honda now have three riders with the ability to run at the sharp end. They are back with a bang.
The biggest story however for anyone of a Latvian persuasion was Pauls Jonass superb performance. Fast and aggressive, Jonass gave all he had – and he had a lot!
We have said before Jonass has the raw pace to be a consistent front runner and, with two good starts, he proved why he can challenge for the podium and race wins on any given weekend. It was three world champions battling for the win in the opening moto and Jonass more than held his own with Prado and Gajser.
In MX2 it was a marvellous performance from Jago Geerts. This was a huge GP for the Belgian to show his mistakes at the previous round were a blip and not a return to the pattern of previous seasons. Geerts replied with a emphatic double race win to show he is the fastest MX2 rider on the planet right now.
Credit too must go to Kevin Horgmo who rode two brilliant motos and led for a long time in race to as he got his first podium. Horgmo could barely believe it but his pace this year means he more than deserves it.
MX2 is fantastic this year with many young riders stepping up their game and making good on their potential as Geerts and Vialle duel for the title. It’s a class that is unpredictable week to week and full of quality.
Article: Jonathan McCready
Images: InFront Moto Racing
