Reigning MX2 World Champion Tim Gajser will not defend his title in 2016, instead opting to move to the MXGP Class in the FIM World Motocross Championship.
The move was made official today at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, where Honda announced its MXGP, MotoGP, Trial and Dakar/Rally teams.
“This year was a dream—it was everything we’ve ever wanted to achieve and I’m so happy to have made that mark in history for myself, Slovenia, the team and for Honda,” Gajser said in a statement. “It feels amazing. It was the plan already—when we are MX2 champion, we go forward to the next class—but we didn’t expect to win the title this year, so I’m a little surprised.
“I always train with the Honda 450 at home, and this season was just riding the 250 at the races, so actually it was a little tricky changing bikes like that. Now I have a full factory 450, but apart from more power it’s not a new bike for me. I’ve already started testing the 450 for next season and I really love it.”
The 19-year-old from Slovenia has a contract until at least 2020 with Honda, and will remain with Honda Gariboldi Racing in 2016.
“It’s a new beginning, a new class, and something new for us all, so for the first season there is no pressure and I will just try to do the best possible,” he said. “I want to just take some experience from this first year—the other riders around me are more experienced in MXGP, so I will just try to learn as much from the year as possible. In my rookie season I will try for some podiums, but without putting myself under any pressure.”
“We always knew that we had got a star in Tim, and this year he proved that with his, and our, first MX2 title,” said team principal, Giacomo Garilboldi. “The fact that he is even stronger on the CRF450RW makes me very excited for next season. He’s a big kid, and the bigger bike fits him so well. He trains a lot on the bike and is very familiar to it, and rides it very well. For us, it’s also a great honor to be able to step up to the MXGP class in 2016. When we started out in this journey with Honda, we always hoped for big things, and now everything we dreamed of is coming true, so I really want to thank Honda and HRC for their commitment to and belief in us.”
