Press Release | December 5, 2023
Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez joined a host of Honda athletes from a multitude of motorsports at its annual Thanks Day, held at the Motegi Mobility Resort in Japan, December 2-3.
Honda HRC hosted its traditional end-of-the-season “Honda Racing Thanks Day” in Japan, which included MXGP champ Tim Gajser, Jett and Hunter Lawrence, and F1 Champion Max Verstappen.
Photos Courtesy of HRC
The MXGP pair were joined by fellow motocross stars Jett and Hunter Lawrence who were invited to celebrate after their highly successful 2023 season in the U.S. And these four met up with more of their off-road and road racing colleagues.
Fresh off his F1 World Championship, Max Verstappen made the trip, alongside fellow F1 drivers Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Riccardo, but perhaps the biggest name was MotoGP star Marc Marquez, who was bidding an emotional farewell to his Repsol Honda team after an amazing career under the HRC awning.
Gajser was one of the many stars who participated in Honda’s Thanks Day in Japan.
Each discipline got to showcase their machinery in special displays around the circuit, with the motocross riders having a super-pole competition on the specially designed track near the Honda Collections Hall. Gajser took the victory and wowed the crowd with a signature whip on the finish line, and he also led the way ahead of all the F1 drivers in the highly competitive karting qualification, taking pole position into the race. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t keep the lead after some aggressive bumping from the chasing pack, but both he and teammate Ruben Fernandez enjoyed some fun laps against the best drivers in the world.
They then headed back to the motocross track for a special race that included MotoGP racer Joan Mir, trials rider Gabriel Marcelli, and two-wheeled riders across various other disciplines for a race aboard Honda 125Fs. The four-man team format saw riders hand the bike over after a lap of the circuit, with Jett Lawrence’s crew getting the win in a good-natured race.
Saving the best for last, every bike and car then took to doing a lap of the Motegi road-circuit before performing a customary burnout on the start straight in front of the massive crowd. CN
Quotes provided by HRC:
“I had a lot of fun this year at this event,” said Tim Gajser. “In the past, I’ve been the only motocross rider, but this year having Ruben [Fernandez], Jett and Hunter with me, really made it enjoyable. We all got on so well and the racing activities were a lot of fun. It is always cool to meet the other riders and drivers because although we do different sports, we all share the love for racing and machinery and know what each other sacrifices to get where we are today. Thank you to everyone who came out over the weekend and thank you to all the Honda fans worldwide who support us. We really couldn’t do what we do without all of you.”
“This was my first trip to Japan and I had a great time!” said Ruben Fernandez. “I got to spend a day looking around Tokyo, which was awesome and then we had the trip up to Motegi for the Thanks Day. A lot of the other riders are Spanish, so I was able to speak with Marc (Marquez), Joan (Mir), Gabriel (Marcelli) a lot and that is always good. It was also cool to get to know the Lawrence brothers outside of the race environment. We had a lot of fun racing, but also just enjoying being around all the cool bikes and doing the stuff that got us interested in the sport to begin with. I really hope I can come back next year and do this again, and hopefully see even more of Japan.”
Here are more photos from the event:
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