Tim Gajser (born 8 September 1996) is a Slovenian professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racer. He has competed in the

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

Motocross World Championship The FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps ...

s since 2012. Gajser is a four-time MXGP & MX2 World Champion. Gajser ranks fifth on the all-time list of FIM Motocross World Championship Grand Prix wins.

Motocross career

Gajser previously competed for the Gariboldi

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

motocross racing team managed by Giacomo Gariboldi.

2015

In 2015, Gajser won his first World Championship in the MX2 class. He won 5 Grand Prix's that year and finished on the podium 8 out of 18 rounds.

2016

2016 was Gajser's rookie year in the MXGP class. He won the opening round in Qatar & from then onward, would rack up 6 more wins as well as 10 podium finishes on his way to the 2016 MXGP World Championship.

2019

In 2019, Gajser won his 2nd MXGP World Championship. 18 Rounds were contested, Gajser won 9 of those and finished on the podium 15 times.

2020

In 2020, Gajser became the first rider since

Antonio Cairoli Antonio "Tony" Cairoli (born 23 September 1985) is an Italian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2002 to 2021. Cairoli is notable for winning nine Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM M ...

in 2014, to defend the MXGP World Championship. He won 5GP's and finished on the podium 14 out of 18 rounds.

2022

In 2022, Tim Gajser won his 4th MXGP World Championship at round 16 in

Hyvinkää Hyvinkää (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Hyvinkää is situated in the northern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Hyvinkää is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in ...

, Finland. He won 10 Grand Prix's and finished on the podium 13 times out of 18 Rounds.

2023

Gajser suffered a broken right femur during a round of the Italian Championship in Trentino. This sidelined him for the majority of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship. He returned at round 12 and would finish the season 11th with two wins.

2024

Throughout the 2024 MXGP World Championship, Gajser showcased his speed and consistency, leading the points for a majority of the season. Going into the first moto of round 19/20, Gajser held a 14 point lead over Jorge Prado. After a first turn crash, Gajser broke a footpeg which relegated him to 17th, whereas Prado took a 2nd place. Gajser would finish 2nd in race two, Prado took the overall victory & a 7 point lead for the final round. Gajser fell short of the 2024 MXGP Championship by 10 points. He ended the season 2nd in the championship, with 4GP wins, 16 podiums & 1 finish outside the top 4 which was the result of his broken footpeg at round 19.

Personal life

Gajser was born in

Ptuj Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...

, Slovenia, and is a native of

Makole Makole (, ) is a settlement in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Makole. It lies in the Dravinja Valley. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1375 a ...

, a small settlement roughly 20 kilometers to the southwest. His father Bogomir was also a motocross rider and introduced his son to the sport at a young age. He remains his coach to this day. Gajser has one older brother Nejc, and two younger sisters Alja and Neja. In 1995 his family went through a tragedy when his 3-year-old brother Žan was killed in a racing accident. During a race the young boy wandered on a track below one of the jumps and was hit in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

by his father's motorcycle during landing and killed instantly. Gajser rides with the number 243 in honor of his deceased brother, who was born on 24 March. Gajser maintains a close friendship with

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

world champion

Marc Marquez Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system ...

, having met the Spaniard through their mutual relationship with

Honda Racing Corporation Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), also known as Honda Racing, is a motorsport subsidiary of the Honda, Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. From its founding, the company was initially solely responsible for Honda's motorcycle racing activities, b ...

. Despite having ridden motorcycles since he was three years old, Gajser does not have a motorcycle license and has never ridden a motorcycle on public roads.