154 days since his last visit to the podium and 146 days since his season derailing crash in Switzerland, Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser once again stood on an MXGP podium and came ever so close to securing the victory after applying immense pressure to Jeffrey Herlings in MXGP Race 2. The 2025 season is one the Slovenian will look back on as a title that slipped from his grasp, having already created a 39-point advantage in the series standings heading into Switzerland. Nonetheless, it was a well-deserved podium for Gajser in only his fourth race back.

It was a double podium celebration for Honda HRC as Spaniard Ruben Fernandez claimed the final spot on the podium in Shanghai and his third of the season. Whilst it is currently yet to be confirmed, expect to see Fernandez returning with the team once again next season, potentially alongside two new teammates…

Words: Honda HRC Press Release

Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez showed their strength as they both placed on the podium at the MXGP of China. In probably the hottest conditions of the season, the Honda HRC duo pushed until the very end to finish second and third respectively and delight all the Honda supporters who’d made the trip to Shanghai.

In the first moto, with the temperature at it’s highest, Gajser was third off the start, but kept the front two sight for the first half of the moto. Then, as fitness became as important as speed, he closed up and made the move into second place. Although he pressured the leader, he couldn’t quite make a pass and crossed the line just 2.5 seconds behind.

In race two, Gajser powered out the gate on his Honda CRF450R and grabbed the holeshot to lead them around the first corner. Unfortunately, he did run a little wide in turn two to allow another rider to sneak through into the lead, but he quickly pursued and then proceeded to stalk the leader for the duration of the moto. With the gap never going over 2.6 seconds, the #243 put in a late charge to try and take the race win and the overall, but he came up just 0.6 seconds short and had to settle for second. It was still another positive step for the Slovenian as this was the first podium since his shoulder injury so he was very happy with his performance and knows that he has another round to improve even further and finish this 2025 campaign on a high.

Behind him, teammate Fernandez continued his strong streak of results to go five-three for third overall. On a track that wasn’t easy for passing, the #70 made some good moves in the first race to get fifth and then in race two, he made a critical move early on to move into fourth and cement his spot on the podium. The Spaniard has had some tough moments this year, but he has never stopped fighting and in the blistering temperatures he dug dig to get third place, showing the prototype bike belongs at the front of this World Motocross Championship.

In the MX2 class, Valerio Lata also showed some much more positive results, putting in a great fifth place in the first moto. The youngster hasn’t had an easy time of things recently so it was really impressive for him to come back and show that he is still highly capable of battling with the best 250cc riders in the world. Hoping to back up that result in race two, he unfortunately had an early collision with another rider that left his bike damaged and him unable to match his earlier pace. He did bring it home in 11th place, giving him eighth overall, which is a good return to form for the Italian and should give him a lot of confidence that Australia – the last round of the championship – will go well.

Tim Gajser:

“Very happy to make a return to the podium and ride well in all three races over the weekend. It was tough out there, especially in the first race, but I felt good and I tried my hardest at the end to make the pass for the win but I knew it was difficult. It is another good step for my recovery and we have one round left to try and go for the win and really end the season in a good way.“

Ruben Fernandez:

“It is great to be back on the podium after a long time, and it is great for the team and for the new bike to show that it is capable of battling at the highest level. It’s been tough recently with a few different things but I kept fighting and I think, in the toughest conditions we’ve faced this year, to get a podium is a strong statement about my racing and fitness. It is good to share it with Tim as well and now I hope we can do the same in Australia at the final round.“

Valerio Lata:

“It was a tough day today, but I am pleased with my first moto result of fifth. I am also happy with the starts in both races because it was important on this track. Unfortunately, I had a collision early on in race two and that damaged the bike and made things very difficult in the second race and although I tried my best, I couldn’t maintain the speed I wanted, and I dropped down the field. Although that was disappointing, I am happy with how I coped with the hot and humid temperatures so we have one more round in what will probably be similar conditions, so I want to finish the season strongly.“