"I was ill, today and yesterday I wasn't in the best shape and it didn't feel right on the motorbike.

"Nevertheless, it went relatively well, especially the second run went very well," he said after race in Doha.

Gajser, a member of the Gariboldi Honda motocross racing team, is among the favourites in the MXGP class also this season.

He had come to Qatar as a champion last season, after taking the FIM Motocross World Championship in the lower MX2 class, and took his first win in his first appearance in the elite class.

Earlier this week he said: "I'm going to Qatar relaxed, to enjoy it. It is not easy, but I will try. If I manage to drive like in trainings, I can be very fast and repeat what I did last year."

He confirmed that this season, his role will be different and completely new. "It is easier to win it the first time, and it is harder to defend. But you have to focus and enjoy it," Gajser said about being pressured by the role of the favourite.

Entering the new season more relaxed than last year, he started training only in mid-January. He is also very satisfied with his new Honda motorcycle for 2017.

While he remains focused on the MXGP championship, Gajser is not hiding his wish to compete in indoor and outdoor races in the US. "My dream is also to go to America. There are up to 80,000 people at stadiums, the atmosphere is completely different."

The next race is scheduled in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia.