MXGP 2025    Round 8 

Gajser has surgery as championship dreams are over

Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser has undergone a successful surgery on his injured right shoulder as a result of his crash in Switzerland on Monday 21^st April. The nasty incident at the Frauenfeld circuit, wasn’t initially showing such a serious prognosis but after attempting physiotherapy to try and improve the shoulder, surgery was deemed as the best option.

Unfortunately, this means that Gajser’s title aspirations are now over, despite a start to the season that saw him podium the first six rounds, winning three of them and pulling out a lead of nearly 50 points at one stage. He looked in imperious form, and although it was early-on, the way he was riding and the way he was continually increasing his lead had all the signs pointed towards a sixth world title for the Slovenian.

Instead, he will now be sitting on the sidelines for a number of weeks as his body heals up from this latest setback, working with his medical team to make sure everything is done correctly so that when he does return, it won’t take him long to reach that same level of performance.

Honda HRC will continue in Lugo, Spain this weekend, with the trio of Ruben Fernandez (MXGP), Ferruccio Zanchi (MX2) and Valerio Lata (MX2) racing the eighth round of the 2025 World Motocross Championship.

Tim Gajser   ²⁴³

I am bitterly disappointed to have needed surgery, which effectively rules out any chance I have of the title this year. There isn’t a set recovery timetable for this, but I’ll be missing a number of rounds and even when I return, it’ll take some time to get back up to speed. My focus now though is to do everything I need to do to, to get fit and healthy and back to being 100% and we’ll just take it from there. I felt so good this season, and I think that showed with my results and how comfortably I was leading the championship, but this is motocross and anything can happen at any moment unfortunately. A big thanks to everyone in Honda HRC for all their work, and to all my fans around the world who support me. I hope to see everyone at the races later in the year.

Maxime Renaux Cleared to Race at MXGP of Portugal 

After a thorough medical evaluation and impressive progress in his recovery, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux has been officially cleared to compete in the MXGP of Portugal this weekend.

Initially taking a cautious approach based on preliminary medical assessments conducted late last week, Renaux has experienced a remarkable turnaround in his condition. Following consultations with his medical team and a successful afternoon spent at a local practice track in Belgium, where he tested his strength and fitness on the bike, Renaux’s improvement has exceeded expectations.

This afternoon, the Frenchman arrived in Agueda, Portugal, where he underwent a comprehensive assessment with the FIM doctors. They have declared him fit to race in round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend.

Maxime Renaux

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider

“I’m happy to be fit and ready to ride here in Portugal. I will try to make the most of it this weekend because, regardless of the results, being here in the first place is a massive bonus. It’s a new chance, something we didn’t expect initially, but I’m here, I have the green light, and I will try to make the most of it.”

Maxime Renaux to Miss MXGP Rounds in Portugal & Spain

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux will sit out the next two rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship following his heavy fall at the Swiss Grand Prix on Monday, April 21st.

Despite the earlier positive news that Renaux sustained no fractures in the incident, further assessment has determined that the Frenchman will require more recovery time to properly heal from an acute contusion to his gluteal region and left hip joint.

Renaux, who is currently fifth in the MXGP World Championship Standings, has been advised to miss the Portuguese and Spanish rounds of MXGP to ensure complete recovery before returning to action.

An update on his potential return to racing will be shared on Yamaha-Racing.com when available.

MXGP of Portugal 

MXGP 2025    Round 7 

Gajser misses Portugal as Honda HRC head to Agueda with three riders

Honda HRC are down to three riders at the MXGP of Portugal, as five-time world champion and current red-plate holder Tim Gajser will not make the trip to Agueda. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the rider and all the medical personnel helping the Slovenian since leaving Switzerland, the injury hasn’t improved enough to cope with the rigours of world motocross racing.

After a tough Monday of racing in Switzerland – which followed an excellent Saturday where Ruben Fernandez and Gajser went one-two in qualification – there were question marks surrounding the status of the Gajser, after a nasty crash involving a solid man-made mound of dirt that was meant to be marking the track boundary but was instead inside the markers. And after some excellent treatment once he left the on-site facility, the Slovenian was hoping that he would be fit enough to attempt to battle the demands of MXGP motocross and continue his fight for title number six. Sitting 27 points clear of second place, the #243 knew he would have his work cut out to ready to make the start-line, but an intense week of physiotherapy saw his condition reach a level where there was optimism that he would be able to jump on a plane for round seven. Instead, he, along with his qualified medical team decided that sitting it out was the necessary call and now there will be further tests to determine the best course of action. It is a massive disappointment for Gajser as before the crash, he was 49 points ahead of his rivals, having won three of the first six rounds, and been on the podium for all of them.

Now running solo in the MXGP class is Fernandez, who always looks forward to racing in Agueda, as it is a local track for him, where he is cheered on by lots of fans from the region. The Spaniard doesn’t live too far from this Portuguese track and raced there a lot when growing up and loves the loose nature of the soil and the exciting layout that always delivers top racing. The #70 is also highly motivated to get himself onto the podium after some unfortunate results which has seen his speed not get rightfully rewarded with points. He won the qualification race in Switzerland but wants to turn that into similar results on Sunday, so he can stand on the podium and payback all the fans and team members who support him.

In the MX2 class, both Zanchi and Lata competed in the Italian Championship race in Montevarchi, where Zanchi came out on top with a pair of wins, ahead of his teammate. The duo are separated by just two points in the championship standings and are determined to rise higher as they try to put themselves and their Honda CRF250Rs in positions to fight it out with the best MX2 riders. Lata has had a couple of good starts in recent weeks, including a holeshot in the Swiss qualification race and is trending upwards as he grows into this competitive class.  Zanchi hasn’t been able to reach the levels of his early-season form where he won a moto and stood on the podium in Spain, but he hopes the win in Montevarchi will give him the boost necessary to battle for the top spots once again.

Unfortunately, the weather isn’t looking good, with rain scheduled throughout the weekend, which brings back painful reminders of the horrible conditions which the riders’ faced in 2024. However, whatever the status of the Agueda track, all four Honda HRC riders are motivated for the job at hand and will try their upmost to maximise their points haul.

Tim Gajser   ²⁴³

Obviously, everyone knows that I dislocated my shoulder in Switzerland, but despite the best care possible since leaving the track, I will be unable to line-up for the MXGP of Portugal. I tried my hardest with all the physiotherapy and we did everything we could to be ready for this weekend, but it just hasn’t worked out. There was hope earlier in the week, as things were going well, but this is an injury you can’t force or rush to be better than it is. Of course, I am extremely disappointed to be missing any racing and now we will see what we can do in the coming days to figure out our next move. I’d like to say a big thanks for all the messages of support I have received from all my fans, and I hope to see you at the races soon.

Ruben Fernandez   ⁷⁰

I have to say that I was pretty frustrated and annoyed when I left Switzerland. I felt the DQ was harsh and the procedure that is in place afterwards, isn’t correct and leaves a rider in a dangerous situation. Still, I am hoping to channel that and focus on reaching the podium in Portugal – a reward, I feel my riding level deserves. I really like the track and I love visiting the area as I have a lot of friends and fans there, so this is a weekend I always look forward to, and I can’t wait to get there and go racing.

Ferruccio Zanchi   ⁷³

I chose to race an Italian Championship round in Montevarchi in the weekend off and I felt really good there. I won both races, which is a nice feeling after some performances in the GPs where I haven’t felt my best. Now I want to carry that momentum into Portugal and start fighting closer to the front of the field, which I know is possible for me. Big thanks to the team for all their continued support and we will keep working.

Valerio Lata   ¹⁸

I feel like I have made some big improvements already this year, and I am starting to understand what I need to keep working on, to be at the front of this MX2 class more consistently. I had some good moments in Switzerland and led some parts of the race, so that was nice, but now I want to make that happen more often, so I have to keep working hard. I believe we made some good steps with the bike during this weekend off, where I did a race in Italy, so I’m looking forward to going out in Agueda and making it happen there.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas

HRC General Manager – MXGP

It has been a stressful weekend off from the championship as we’ve had a lot to deal with, after three GPs in a row and just with everything that happened in Switzerland. Sometimes things can be going so well, but then disaster strikes so quickly in motocross and you have to be ready for that. It is a big shame that Tim won’t be with the team in Portugal. He had been riding so well and dominating the championship, and he was doing everything possible to try and line-up this weekend, but it was just too soon. We will see what happens over the next few days and make a plan from there, but now we have to make sure that Ruben, Ferro and Valerio are riding their best and help them as much as possible.

Maxime Renaux Cleared after Swiss Grand Prix Fall

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux has sustained no fractures following a heavy fall in the closing stages of MXGP Race 2 at the MXGP of Switzerland, round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Renaux showed impressive speed throughout the weekend, particularly in Race 1 where he executed a remarkable charge from outside the top-10 to secure fifth position. With three laps remaining in Race 2, however, while battling for second place and a potential podium finish, the Frenchman went over the handlebars on a small tabletop and did not finish.

Following thorough examination at the onsite medical facility, FIM doctors confirmed Renaux sustained acute contusion to the gluteal region and left hip joint. Comprehensive diagnostic assessment has ruled out fractures or structural damage at this time.

Maxime Renaux

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider

« I’m lucky to escape this big crash with no major injury. It’s not an easy period for me right now, and we need to monitor my recovery over the next few days to make a plan for the upcoming races. Hopefully these two weeks will bring good healing and I’ll be able to line up in Portugal. But I’ll take my time and not rush the process, as my body needs rest now. »