The 2026 season brings plenty of changes that fans will need to adapt to over the opening rounds, with one of the biggest being five-time World Champion Tim Gajser making the switch from Honda HRC to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team.

After some solid pre-season showings on blue, the Slovenian now prepares for the real test – round one of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Bariloche, Argentina, this weekend.

Tim Gajser: “I’m really looking forward to starting the season—it’s been a long and busy off-season, so I’m excited to finally race. I don’t know exactly what to expect from the track, but from what I’ve seen on Social Media, it looks good: fast, with big jumps. I like the look of it. My goal for the first GP is to learn as much as possible. Obviously, I want to do well, but I need to be realistic. Everyone starts the year hungry, and for me, I’m with a new team, on a new bike, so there are some unknowns. I understand it’ll be a weekend of learning, but I feel really good and I know what I’m capable of. I don’t want to set expectations—I just know that if I ride the way I can, I can be up front. I have a lot of good memories from Argentina. I’ve won a few GPs there, and the crowd and fans are always amazing. I expect it’ll be the same this year, and I really look forward to being back.”

Quote – Yamaha Press Release