We all see the struggles by five-time world motocross champion Tim Gajser at the moment, and it is one that most of in the MXG paddock have a tingle of sadness over. One of the nicest guys in the paddock, and obviously, with his five titles, one of the all-time greats of the sport.

However, in 2026 he looks a little lost, maybe not as comfortable on the new Yamaha machine and possibly missing that full factory deal that only HRC really offer. Its old news that HRC had offered Gajser a place in the team for this season, but at a much lower salary and that didn’t go well with the Slovenian.

Right or wrong, the move from HRC has seen his form drop dramatically. We all remember his start to the 2025 season, when many were already handing him his sixth world title. He started the season with 3-3-3-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-5-2-2-1-1-2-2 before his ugly crash in Switzerland.

He then missed nine rounds and didn’t come back to anywhere near his brilliant start to the season, his best result being a 2-2-2 in the second last round in China. He picked up the 5-6-3 in Arnhem and 4-4-4 in Turkey and not surprisingly, missing so many rounds is tough when coming back when everyone is at their peak.

Sitting in fifth place in the world and on 149 points, he is already miles off the red plate man, Lucas Coenen, who is 43 points ahead of the Slovenian is looking more than just a little good and the feeling that the new era has arrived in full, well, maybe that’s a reason to be a bit sad seeing the Gajser results, because we have enjoyed the former Honda man on so many occasions.

He has picked up five top three moto finishes, two on Saturday in Switzerland and Sardinia and on the Sunday in Argentina, Spain and Switzerland, but it still seems like he is struggling big time. It just looks like he isn’t comfortable on the bike and that is also pretty much what many expected. Changing from nearly a whole career on Honda and then moving to another machine cannot be easy.

But what we come to in Trentino this weekend is the real test. This circuit is HIS circuit, where he has won on six occasions. It is in his own words, his “home” Grand Prix and his fans come out in huge numbers.

I for one, even as a Herlings fan would love to see Gajser back on top of the box in Italy this weekend. I think a victory for Gajser would have to be a huge confidence builder and he seemingly needs that at the moment. Below is a cool report on his Trentino victory last year.

Gajser and Trentino Victory In 2025

A masterclass from Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, saw the #243 win both races at the MXGP of Trentino, giving him the maximum 50 points and extending his lead in the 2025 MXGP championship to 39 points.

“Very happy with how the weekend went. It wasn’t easy, and I wasn’t so good yesterday but today we made some changes, and it really worked out. I need to thank all the team for the work they did to help me and it’s great to get both the wins today. I’d also like to thank all the fans who come to support me and make this into a ‘home’ GP for me. It is so nice to see so many in front of me when I stand on the podium and I am thankful for each of them. Now, onwards to Switzerland to try and keep this momentum going!”

A masterclass from Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, saw the #243 win both races at the MXGP of Trentino, giving him the maximum 50 points and extending his lead in the 2025 MXGP championship to 39 points. Behind him, Ruben Fernandez narrowly missed the podium after his seven-four results for fifth overall, in what was a great day for the Honda CRF450R riders.

Despite finishing second in yesterday’s qualification race, Gajser felt there was more to come and after working with the team on some changes with the bike, man and machine was in perfect synchronisation in today’s GP-scoring races. In race one, a good start saw him move into second place very early on, where he then proceeded to stalk the leader, waiting for the right time to pass. That moment came with five laps to go, as the Slovenian swept through in one of the rutted corners. Despite pressure, he held on for the win but also knew that he’d have to repeat that performance in race two if he wanted to take his sixth overall at the picturesque Pietramurata circuit.

Rising to that pressure, the CRF450R flew out of the gate, behind teammate Fernandez as the pair were one and two around the first few turns. Gajser then took over, pulling out a lead that the chasing pack couldn’t overcome, taking a comfortable victory and delighting the thousands of travelling Slovenians who cheered him every lap around ‘Gajser Corner’. The podium then had some crazy scenes as the #243 made it three GP wins out of five, and continuing his dominating start to the 2025 World Motocross Championship.