Armed with the 2025 Honda and a full winter’s testing and training, Tim Gajser was the standout rider at Riola despite the likes of rivals Romain Febvre, Maxime Renaux, Ruben Fernandez, Glenn Coldenhoff and fast rookie Jago Geerts all in the race and very competitive at the front of the field.
While all six riders showed speed, Gajser’s determination to get to the front and stay there was impressive. When Gajser had his first big sand race at Lommel last summer since his return from the broken femur, it didn’t go well. But now, at Riola, it is a different Tim on the bike, he looked at one with his new 2025 machine in the rough sand and back to the rider that became world champion.
That said, he still had a couple of sketchy moments so let’s hope he and all the riders make to Argentina healthy and throughout the GP season – the field is stack with potential GP winners.
Riola is one of the toughest tracks in the world, not the easiest place for a first race of the season, especially against such strong opposition but Gajser showed that even in the deep sand he has the pace on the new bike, the determination is there as is the confidence and speed – and we haven’t even seen him on hard pack yet!
It’s a long year of course and it’s hard to gauge much from pre-season but after a tough year last year where we probably never really saw Gajser in his prime form, 2024 looks like he will be back to his best with even more fire. The rest including defending champ Jorge Prado and that man Herlings, are going to have to be on their guard because Gajser looks like he’s very motivated to do some damage in 2024, Riola felt like a statement ride for himself and the machine – and especially to his competition. Tim Gajser looks back to his best.
In the MX2 class the two riders who shone the brightest were Simon Laengenfelder who was on a different level of speed to everyone, including Andrea Adamo at Riola but so was Lucas Coenen in Spain who, with a year under his belt in MX2, could well be a title contender this season – and Laengenfelder should be a big competitor for this title! Don’t forget he broke his arm last year and still ended the year strong, but it could easily have been him taking advantage of Geerts injuries and winning his first world title in 2023.
It looks like both Laengenfelder and Coenen are coming in hot in 2024.
A shout out to Triumph as well as not only did they get both bike into the main even at the first attempt in Detroit, Mikkel Haarup rode really well in at Talavera in Spain, battled Coenen for as long as he could and he even holeshot the first moto against the factory Husky! The power in the Triumph is good and Haarup looks like a great signing.
Words: Jonathan McCready
Image: Bavo
