Flying High with Tim Gajser

“I started to carry the number 243 back in 2009. It means a lot to my family and also to me because it’s the birthday of my brother who passed away in motocross.”

🕐 January 2020

Have you heard the name Tim Gajser before? Possibly, if you’re a motorsport fan. But if you’re a motocross fan, you’ll be very aware of the youngster’s legacy. At just 23 years of age, the affable Slovenian is a three-time World Champion on the Honda CRF in one of the most physically demanding sports in the world.

Racing in dirt or sand, come rain or shine, in deep ruts and corners that throw up new challenges on every lap. Flat out, elbow-to-elbow alongside 40 other riders, all vying for the same inch of ground. Jumping metres in the air and travelling airborne for anything up to 50 metres, where there’s no space for anything but maximum commitment, both physically and mentally. Regularly experiencing shocks through the body in excess of five times the force of gravity and riding at the limit of endurance for two 45-minute races every other Sunday afternoon.

Tim is a motocross sensation, blazing a trail that already will see him immortalised in the sport. He clinched his first MXGP world title just 12 days after his 19th birthday on his works CRF250R, when he was still studying at school, returning between races to sit his exams. A year later he took his second world title, followed by his third in 2019 on the all-conquering Honda CRF450RW. From taking his first European title at the tender age of ten, he’s come a long way since joining Honda for the 2014 season.

But, as is so often the case, the results only tell one half of the story. Coming from a background a far cry from the fruits of his success he now enjoys, with an austere upbringing in rural Slovenia - for the family sacrifice was normal and indeed they endured the sort of tragedy that would see most turn their backs on the sport for life. He’s climbed the ranks the hard way, with at times, nothing more than grit, determination and relentless hard work.

At the end of 2013 his career was almost over. Left with no contract during the season as he parted ways with his previous manufacturer, the reality of needing to work hard just to secure a seat seemed in stark contract with his becoming the first Slovenian 125cc European and World Champion just one year earlier. But that was the reality – his star very nearly faded before it had chance to really shine.

Tim Gajser MXGP

Tim Gajser MXGP

“Definitely it was not easy, especially in the beginning. We were struggling – we didn’t have a lot but my Dad was really passionate about racing and he really showed me everything that I know about motocross. Without him I wouldn’t be here where I am now.”

Giacomo Gariboldi and his eponymous team, working closely with Honda Racing Corporation, signed the promising youngster at the end of 2013, aged just 17. Feeling instantly at home at the family-orientated Gariboldi Racing squad, Gajser quickly re-found his feet and started establishing himself on the world scene aboard the CRF250R. After a learning season in 2014, Gajser exploded into the record books with a remarkable 2015. Coming close to winning races in his very first year with Honda, 2015 brought his first MX2 moto win, which became his first MX2 Grand Prix win at Arco di Trento, Italy, which became his first MX2 World Championship.

Physically very fit, Gajser seemed to make the CRF250R look diminutive, but even so a jump straight to the fearsome works CRF450RW in 2016 looked brave. The reality was, even in 2015 Tim trained always on the 450, favouring its greater power and torque in his thirst for outright speed coupled with his other-worldly ability to muscle the bike over terrain which would terrify most.

So, whilst pre-season expectations in the media were measured, Tim was confident. So were Team HRC. But even so, few could have predicted the crushingly dominant force Team Gajser were in the year he became Honda’s second-youngest motocross World Champion of all time.

An unprecedented run of 14 podiums from 15 races, seven Grand Prix victories, 15 moto wins, and 17 fastest laps were more than enough to secure him his first MXGP world title, and the first large-capacity title for Honda in 16 years. In doing so, Tim joined an elite class of just nine Honda riders who can claim to have taken back-to-back World Championship titles, and one of just four riders who have done so whilst graduating to a bigger class.

Demonstrating the ruthlessly punishing nature of Motocross Grand Prix, difficult years followed in 2017 and 2018, during which time Tim suffered broken bones, concussions and a smashed jaw which required reconstructive surgery, amongst other injuries.

But, proving his mettle and that the grit and determination which took him this far were still there in spades, he bounced back in 2019 with another blisteringly dominant performance. Aboard the CRF450RW, Gajser once again was unstoppable: 16 moto wins and nine Grand Prix victories including seven in a row proved too much for the competition and the #243 was crowned World Champion for the third time.

With comments from multiple MotoGP World Champion Marc Márquez and multiple motocross World Champion Dave Thorpe, watch ‘Tim Gajser – from tragedy to triumph’ to learn more of the story of possibly the humblest triple World Champion you could ever wish to meet.