Five time World motocross champion, Tim Gajser might have ended his MXGP challenge to the tough Spaniard, Jorge Prado in disappointment, but one thing you can be sure about with the Slovenian, he doesn’t stay down long. Hunting down his sixth World motocross championship in 2026 and his 50th GP victory, he has a shot at becoming the third most successful GP rider in the history of the sport, statistically anyway. Big things can happen for the always friendly, smiling legend.

Just a week after the defeat to the hands of Prado in Spain, Gajser came back and went 1-1 at the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations at Matterley Park in England, and pretty much replicated what “The King” Stefan Everts did after one his worst and closest defeated in his career, at the hands of Sebastien Tortelli in Greece in 1998.

Everts also arrived in England, a week after the Greek tragedy, and the MXdN and went 1-1 in the mud and turned the motocross World on its head. Both were on Honda, and both did things that will be talked about forever in motocross folk law. Everts winning in the deep, deep mud and Gajser, making THAT pass on AMA supercross champion, Jett Lawrence in the final major moto of the season.

We caught up with the HRC man as he prepared for the 2025 season and there is no doubt, he will be ready to challenge another five-time World motocross champion, and fellow legend, Jeffrey Herlings when the gate drops in Argentina in a little over a months’ time.

As always, a super friendly conversation, with a man who makes people smile and continues to treat everyone with respect, no matter the circumstances.

MXlarge: Tim, you are in Sardinia, testing, training and also the HRC Honda photo shoot, but how is it going there?

Gajser: Its nice, today 20 and its sunny, a bit cooler than I thought, with a northern wind, but during the day, when its sunny, its super nice.

MXlarge: I have seen some videos of you, it looks like riding back home in Slovenia. Have you been riding much back home in 2025, before you went to Sardinia?

Gajser: I wouldn’t say I ride more than in the previous years in December at home but been riding since beginning of December and it’s been going well at the moment.

MXlarge: It was another tough season in 2024, a fight right down to the final moto of the year in Spain. In many ways a great season, but you want the championship and another time, really close in the points and to lose like that, must be difficult. You are very positive person, but how do you go getting over that?

Gajser: I mean, like, I have to, I can’t change anything. Yes, definitely, it was a difficult one. Everything was going well until the round in China, when I had some issues with my footpeg, and I crashed twice. Until that moment, I had everything under control. I had a nice points gap, between me and Prado, I was controlling the points gap, and it didn’t end the best for me. That is motocross.

MXlarge: Does it make it any easier to lose a title, because you already have a successful career and five World titles, or not really?

Gajser: No (laughing). You always want to win, you know (still laughing). It is never easier to lose, especially when you lose by just a couple of points. It was nine or 10 points between Jorge and me. It was a difficult one and I felt I was riding really good this year, a bit more control, I was not riding over my limits. I was always in the comfort zone, let’s say, not always pushing, so I always settles for second or third, if I saw I had to push too much and I never risked too much to go for the win. I felt I rode more mature, more with experience, but in the end, it was not enough. Sometimes, you have to risk maybe a little bit more and go over your limit. I learnt again something, this year.

MXLarge: A week after Spain, you go to the Motocross of Nations and your pass on Jett, to win your class, many call it the greatest pass in the sports history, but however we look at it, it was a sensational pass and one of your best ever probably. So many good riders were at the Nations, Jorge, Jeffrey, Eli, Romain, Jett, yourself, so many really good riders. To finish the year like that, must have helped with the pain from Spain or not and sets you up for a great 2025?

Gajser: Yes, for sure, I mean, especially a week later, after losing the title in Spain. I was disappointed, but I knew MXoN was going to be at Matterley Basin and that is my favourite track, and I was super motivated for it. I rode really good and had a nice battle with Jett. I made that pass, and it was amazing. Moments like that do give you extra motivation to push forward. It was good to end the season on a high note, because let’s be honest, winter isn’t easy. You have to train every day and its very demanding and you need these types of memories to keep you pushing even more.

MXLarge: I know you guys just love riding your bike and that is the fun part, but the training, you mentioned how tough it is. To be the best, you have to train hard, but do you like that part of it, or that is the tough part?

Gajser: I would say I like training. If I didn’t like training, then being a professional motocross rider wouldn’t be possible. Obviously, sometimes its difficult, we are just humans, so we are not robots. Sometimes you wake up and you don’t feel the best and you don’t want to go training, but you have to go. Of course, we all have days like that and even if you don’t want to, you go and do what you have to do, but we all love riding dirt bikes and everything. It’s fun.

MXLarge: You often hear sportsmen saying they want to do more than anyone else, so they know they are ready, and the other guys cannot be as fit or whatever. You always seem to be doing your own thing there at your home, while everyone is at the track in Lommel, checking everyone else out.

Gajser: I am the kind of guy who trains on my own, staying at my own facility and I don’t train like the guys in Belgium or Holland and see each other all the time. They see each other many times on the track, sometimes train together in the gym, but I have my trainer and my practice mechanic at my home, so not many people know what I am doing. I prefer like that, you know. I always try and focus on myself and not the others. I give it 100% every day, for training and racing and I know if I give 100%, I have good people around me, with my trainer and he knows what I have to do and I have a good team. I am confident if we all give 100%, we can fight for titles.

MXLarge: It is pretty common talk, that everyone feels you are a really nice guy and when you lost to Jorge, I think many in the Grand Prix paddock were disappointed you didn’t win it. Everyone likes, you and it seems important that you love the people around you and you have a really close relationship with everyone in the Honda team. How important is it to have those relationships, that you know the people around you are 100% for you and not just for your racing, but for your life?

Gajser: You know, I always say, happy rider is fast rider, and you have to be happy to go fast and I feel, I am in a really good place with the team, the people around me. The people I built around me, my girlfriend, my truck driver, my cooker, my trainers, my practice mechanic. Those that I have in Slovenian, its different to my team, the HRC team, so I have like two teams around me. I have like five or six people who are just with me in Sardinia now, and that doesn’t even count the HRC guys. We have a house here and we do everything together, not just the work, we also have nice evenings, eating and its super nice and for me, that is important. It helps me relax also.

MXLarge: We had A1, and the Lawrences struggled with the bike, and I know you have a full factory bike, but have you had any issues with the bike, like they had?

Gajser: I mean, we ride with similar things, but with the rules in America, we have a prototype bike and they only have some parts from HRC, but also, on my bike, we did some big changes for this year and I cannot say yet what it is, but we made some big steps and I am excited to see how that is. On the training, it feels good, but we know training and racing is different, but I am excited to do the pre-season races to see how the bike works.

MXLarge: You have 49 GP wins and five World titles. If you win another two GPs and the 2025 World MXGP championship, you will become the third most successful rider in Grand Prix history, just behind Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli. Joel Robert sits on 50 GP wins and six World titles and is the third most successful, statistically. I know you don’t really look at that stuff, but it’s a huge achievement if you can win this year. Can you give me an opinion of that?

Gajser: I mean, I didn’t know that and its nice to know that. I mean, of course, it is nice to be with these legends, in such a high company. Definitely we are working hard and as you said, I am not into the statistics, but we are working hard, and we want to arrive in Argentina ready. Every GP I will try and win and give my best, but with the experience I have, we look at the big picture and the goal is always to fight for the championship. It is an honour to be in this type of company.

MXlarge: What is the plan leading into Argentina?

Gajser: We stay in Sardinia until the Mantova race, and I will do those two Italian International races and then we have a week off and we then head to Argentina.

Bavo Swijgers images