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HRC factory rider and MXGP champion Tim Gajser is recovering from his massive crash in Latvia last weekend and he was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Flying home today he will seek more advice from his doctor.
Tim, what happened? How did you crash?
The track was really rough, many bumps and many ruts. I hit one of the rough ruts and I went over the handlebars and I hit the ground really hard. It was a big one.
Watch Tim Gasjer crash in Latvia
Did you knock yourself out?
No actually, I didn’t knock myself out and I remember everything that happens.
I was told you couldn’t breathe properly can you remember that?
I don’t remember that actually. I just remember I had pain on my left side when I started moving, so I didn’t move too much, that is what I remember.
Were you ok with how they took you off the track, because some people who saw the accident were angry with how they took you from the track to the stretcher.
I didn’t remember so much, so I don’t know how they took me off the track.
Can you remember Gordon Crockard asking you if you were okay in the back of the ambulance?
Really, he was asking me. Did he? I can’t remember that either.
Obviously, it isn’t good to crash and it isn’t good to lose points, but it’s great that you didn’t hurt yourself even more.
For sure, I am thankful. We did some x-rays and they checked me at the track in the medical centre and they didn’t see anything broken, so I am happy about that, that everything is in place. I will go home today and make some further scans and x-rays. To be sure nothing is broken.
You are still a bit like the rubber man, to have a crash like that and not hurt yourself. We mentioned that last year, that you have had big crashes and just get up.
I don’t know what to say about that (laughing). It isn’t nice when you are hurting, but from a bad crash you have to take positive things that nothing happened. We lost the red plate, we lost some points, but the most important thing is that we are healthy. I am in a lot of pain, but hopefully nothing is broken and we can be on the gate in Germany.
How disappointing is it, because you showed so much improvement and maturity this year, after making a lot of mistakes last year?
I was already disappointed in Valkenswaard with some mistakes and also in Latvia. The first moto [Jose] Butron just cleaned me out and it was not nice from him. There was space just for one and I don’t know what he was thinking. It was a strange move from him. The second moto it was my fault.
It looked like when you passed Butron that you slapped him on his helmet. Was that the case?
No, I didn’t touch him, but when I passed him I looked over and waved my arms like what did you do that for. Even when we stopped I asked him again. We never had problems on the track, so I don’t know why he did that. I have a tyre mark on my leg, really. It was crazy.
