Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Tim Gajser picked up a solid third overall at the MXGP of Andalucia in Spain last weekend and that result marks the five-time world champion’s first trip to the podium for Yamaha.

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Currently sixth in the championship points, with 74pts, the legend is some 28 points off the red plate of Lucas Coenen. His 6-3 from last weekend wasn’t what we have come to expect from Gajser, but there is always hope and his first podium for Yamaha was that first step.

“It feels good to be on the podium,” Gajser said on Sunday afternoon. “We are still testing things and making changes, especially with the suspension, but I felt much better as the weekend went on. The starts didn’t help, I was outside the top ten both races, but in the second race I could push more, make passes and ride more aggressively. We are moving in the right direction, but there is still work to do. We will keep improving and try to take another step in the next races.”

It is clear the Slovenian isn’t comfortable on his new machine and it’s going to take some time before he fully trusts what the bike does and what he can do on the bike. It could happen as quickly as Switzerland, but it was clear in Argentina and also in Spain last weekend, that he isn’t completely there yet.

“Saturday we were struggling big time and even the first moto. First moto was not the best, but we did some big changes, you know, we are still testing some things in the race conditions. But I felt way better second moto. The starts definitely were not helping, you know, both motos I was outside of top 10. But yeah, second moto, make many passes…I could push a little bit more and attack the track. So, yeah, pretty happy to finish on the podium. I feel like we did a good step in the right direction and hopefully we can continue like that. I think there is still many, many, places on which we have to work on it. Definitely we're going to work on it and try to improve.”

Across the Grand Prix weekend in Almonte, Gajser delivered improving race results, starting with his eighth-place finish in Saturday’s MXGP Qualifying Race. In Race One, the Slovenian slotted into seventh behind Renaux as the duo focused on working their way forwards. With the sandy track now quite dry and one-lined, passing opportunities were limited, and Gajser could only reach sixth at the finish.

“It was another weekend of fighting for us, but the work we put in really paid off and the result was even better than last time. Overnight we made some changes and kept working from the first session through to the races. I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. There’s still room to improve, but the progress is clear. I want to say a big thank you to the whole team, because in the challenging moments it’s important to stay united, and that’s exactly what we did. To be back on the podium after two rounds is a great feeling, and hopefully we can keep building from here.”

Ahead of the second race, the track crew had worked on the circuit, and this played into Gajser’s hands. Together with some minor revisions to his Yamaha YZ450FM, the 29-year-old excelled in Race Two. From eighth on lap one, he was into third by mid-race; however, by this time the leading riders were just out of reach to mount an attack. Crossing the line in third secured a trip to the overall podium for Gajser, who now sits sixth in the series standings after two rounds.

“The jump isn’t the best and when you are behind, the others close on you and in the sand, it isn’t easy with the launch control in. There are still many, many places, we have to work on it and definitely, we are going to work on it. I mean, you know, when you have so many GP wins, you go for a win, but we have to be realistic and Argentina was our first real test, first the track was rough and maybe we were not as prepared as we should have been. We are working on it, and we wished we had another two months, riding in October and testing and Jeffrey and I are in the same situation, but I feel we are getting there.”

Gajser isn’t waiting for things to happen, the five-time world champions will be doing more testing and hope he can find the major he had on the Honda machine and do something a little special in Switzerland this coming weekend.