51�Թ���

AFYONKARAHISAR, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 05: People from all around the world gather in Turkey’s western Afyonkarahisar to witness one of the biggest sports events with motorcycle engine sounds. Afyonkarahisar is hosting the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship. Apart from Bitci MXGP of Turkey on Sept. 4-5, the city will also witness Bitci MXGP of Afyon on Sept. 7-8. Spectators will witness prominent riders competing in the championship. Tim Gajser, a Slovenian rider who is a three-time world champion in MXGP in 2016, 2019, and 2020, spoke to Anadolu Agency to share his thoughts about the event held for the third time in Turkey. Gajser said he is ready to give his best in the races. “To give my best, try to enjoy, try to have fun on the bike and ride well… I want to do well… We are now leading the championships, so definitely trying to hold on to that until the end, “said Gajser. The 1.7-kilometer-long (1.05-mile) track in Afyonkarahisar Motor Sports Center is always nicely prepared, according to the 24-year-old rider. He also said it is a technical track noting that “I always like to come here as I said. Hopefully, it’s going to be a good year, also this year for us.” More than 25 racers in MXGP from different teams, including factory teams such as Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki are racing in Afyonkarahisar. This year Turkey is hosting two successive races so the teams will stay in Afyonkarahisar longer than their usual race calendar. Fans returned to MXGP, but a limited number of spectators are allowed to watch the races due to coronavirus. “It’s nice to see them (fans). As I said for the past two years it was difficult to see the spectators around the track. I see that we can have some of them this year. Of course limited number. But at least some of them came and cheer for us. It’s, you know it makes racing more interesting,” added Gajser. (Footage by Mustafa Bayer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)