Gajser – Confidence Building

Five-time world motocross champion, Tim Gajser first appeared at the Loket circuit in 2013, so 13 years ago and that first trip didn’t go well, with a 20th place overall in the MX2 class. A sixth place finish a year later was a big improvement, but a 10th in 2015 proved that this circuit wasn’t ever going to be one of his favourites.

In his first year in MXGP, he came home second in 2016, before finishing with 3-3-2 in 2017, 2018 and 2019, showing that he was at least consistent, while not setting the world on fire. He would have to wait until 2021 (as injury kept him out in 2020), before he would again visit Loket, with a sixth place overall.

In 2022 he scored another podium with third overall, came home seventh in 2023, before finally scoring a victory in 2024. It was a great moment, as the Czech GP has always been a circuit where his fans came to celebrate his podiums and finally a GP win.

“It was amazing to finally get a win in Loket,” Gajser said after his victory. “I’ve had some good moments here but never been able to take the victory, so this is just a great feeling. I didn’t have the best first moto, but we worked together as a team to improve things for race two and I immediately felt a lot better. I got a good start, put pressure on the leader and then made a move midway through and controlled the rest of the race. A big thank you to the Slovenian fans who create such an awesome atmosphere and who support me around the whole track. I’m glad I could finally repay them here in Loket.”

While the 2026 season hasn’t been close to his best, that podium at the famous Foxhills circuit has given him confidence and some knowledge, that his speed is coming and a GP victory could be just around the corner.

“It's good to be back on the podium,” Gajser said. “Saturday was a difficult day, but Sunday, I felt much better right from the start. My speed was there all day, and I was able to stay close to the front and put Jeffrey Herlings under pressure. In the first moto, I got a good start and finished second. The second moto was quite similar. I got another good start in second and was pushing hard while trying to stay close to Jeffrey, but I made a small mistake and lost a bit of ground. Even so, it was a positive day, and it's great to be back on the podium. We'll keep working and aim to be even stronger at the next round.”

Gajser could have had major issues when he had trouble with his tear-offs at Foxhills. While he struggled through with issues to his eye, it became even more severe after the race, as the doctors found it hard to get a piece of plastic out of his eye.

“In the final laps of timed practice, a piece of plastic from one of my tear-offs got into my eye. It was really painful, and it wasn’t easy to get out. They had to numb my eye to remove it. It wasn’t easy to ride like that in the qualifying race, but I managed to finish fifth [despite my crash]. That was okay.”

Now, with the confidence of that podium finish in England and of course, that GP victory around the tough circuit in 2024, many will be looking at the Slovenian to give his fans a reason to again celebrate. We all know the numbers from his home country will be big and let’s hope his performance matches their support.