Team HRC are ready to defend their title at the season-opener in Qatar
By TMX Archives on 22nd Feb 17
The much-anticipated 2017 MXGP season starts this weekend at Losail, Qatar, and Team HRC are ready to do battle.
Reigning World Champion Tim Gajser and team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev are preparing to start in similar fashion to last year's season-opener, where both riders took to the podium in Qatar and Gajser sensationally took his career-first double moto win at a Grand Prix. They will be lining up their CRF450RWs under the floodlights of Losail in the cool, dry desert air in the only night race of the year.
Both riders have been training and riding in Sardinia for the last month and have competed in the International D'Italia Motocross in preparation for the season ahead.
Entering his eighth year with Honda, taking third in the International D'Italia Motocross championship and looking to improve on his fifth place finish in MXGP last year, Bobryshev has attacked pre-season training differently.
Spending more time on conditioning his body and less time on the bike, Bobryshev is confident this will see him through the long season ahead and help ensure he has the endurance to persevere in what will be an intense season.
Out to defend his title this year, Gajser has been training back at home in Slovenia until January when he joined Team HRC in Sardinia.
Despite the obvious pressures being a world champion brings, Gajser's advantage is his mental strength in his own ability. His approach to 2017 remains the same which is to enjoy each race and to focus on staying fit through the season as he attempts to achieve a remarkable three-in-a-row.
