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Argentina GP - Rider Comments

Argentina GP - Rider Comments

Mar 2

  • Interview

Take a look at what many of the leading riders thought of their Sunday in Cordoba, Argentina. Winners, podium men and many more give their comment on the racing today. More comments later and tomorrow, so check back.

Maxime Renaux: You never really know what to expect at the first round, but to win it is of course amazing. With the team we’ve made a great bike and it’s a nice feeling for me to have the red plates for the first time in MXGP. It’s a fast class this year and the level of competition is very high so I’m looking forward to a great season of racing.

Kay de Wolf: “It’s back-to-back wins - last year I won in Argentina, and now I’ve won here again - it really couldn’t be any better! The first race was a bit muddier, with a lot of wheelspin off the line, so I adjusted my strategy on the mat and focused on riding my own race. Getting the holeshot at the start was a great boost. In the second race, I didn’t get the best start but fought my way back up. Unfortunately, I crashed on the start-finish line, and for a few laps, I struggled to catch my breath. Once I got everything under control, I worked my way back to third or fourth - so it was definitely an eventful one! Three weeks ago, we never would have expected to be here, so a huge thank you to everyone who made this possible - my team, my trainer, my family, and my girlfriend. The support has been incredible. Now, we’re back on the red plate, and I’m looking forward to Spain!”

Romain Febvre: "We got so lucky with the weather today; this morning the track was quite muddy and difficult but the sun started shining one hour before our first moto and the track dried out well. I took the lead at turn two and felt good all moto. I didn't get such a good jump in the second moto but I turned well at the first corner; I was just too slow to pass Guadagnini and the gap to Maxime was too much by the time I got to second. I pulled back a few seconds but then we got into the lapped riders and I had to settle for second. But we have good points to start the season and I am only one point from the red plate; that's the best start to a season I ever had. I was riding good all weekend in all conditions, the new bike suits me well; I am where I need to be fitness-wise and I am ready for the long season so let's go in Europe. But I hope we will return here next year; I like this track even better than the old track in Bariloche."

Tim Gajser: Solid day, and we leave Argentina healthy which is the main goal. I felt I had the speed of the top two, but I couldn’t get the starts and battle up front with them. By the time I got into the podium spots in both races, the leader had gone so it hard to try and catch them. Still, I’m happy with the weekend and they did a very good job with the track here and even with all the rain, it was still a fun circuit.

Sacha Coenen: I knew I had good speed but I didn’t really have any expectations for this Grand Prix; I just wanted to push my hardest and see where we could arrive. The crash in the third corner of the first moto did not help and meant I had to come back from last position. it was not ideal. We didn’t make any changes to the bike because I feel really good with my setting – better than last season – and we’d worked hard for that this winter. It was great in the second moto and I had good flow after the holeshot.”

Simon Laegenfelder: “I was feeling good and fast with the bike this weekend and I cannot really explain what happened at the end of the second moto. We have to figure some things out for the next Grand Prix. I’m fit and could ride well but we have to look at these mistakes and put them right for Spain.”

Lucas Coenen: “My first MXGP race was quite tricky. I didn’t have the best feeling on the track or the best speed but managed a good start in the Quali race until another rider ran into my leg and put me down. I had to fight hard to come back from last to 19th and that was tough. I reset for Sunday and did my best. I finished in the top ten twice and I’m really pleased. It’s almost like a win for me right now and we made some good points. We’ll keep building and swing even higher for Spain.”

Andrea Adamo: “A really good weekend for me. P1 in the Qualifying race and Pole Position was super but then it as a bummer to have a problem in race one and a DNF because I had been feeling good all day. With P2 in the second moto I believe we could have left Argentina with a podium and maybe the red plate, anyway, good feelings with the bike and good speed and fitness so we’re looking forward to Spain now.”

Marc-Antoine Rossi: “It was not easy to be back at Grand Prix speed on this track! I’m not that happy with my riding: the heat and the track itself was tough for me but this was a step back to competition and I’m still learning. Spain might be a bit better for me.”
Pauls Jonass: "I just didn't get a good start in the first race; I made some nice passes on the first lap but then we were in one fast train. I got a better start in race two, gained a few places, lost a few places and eventually finished ninth. It was nothing special, just two consistent motos and I got a few big blisters on my hands in race two, but the first GP is now out of the way. It was my first GP for nine months and I was just a little too careful, riding in my comfort zone."

Liam Everts: "It feels fantastic to get the first GP of the season done and come away with a strong result! Race one was all about settling in and finding my rhythm after a long recovery, so I was pleased to fight my way back to eighth. In race two, I felt much more at home on the bike, pushing forward and battling for positions throughout. I held fourth for most of the race, but a late crash from Simon Längenfelder in the final corners handed me a podium spot—an incredible way to finish. Looking back at the off-season, I never would have thought this was possible, so a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me—my team, my family, and my trainer. I’m feeling stronger every time I ride, and I can’t wait for Spain!"

Mattia Guadagnini: "I tried my best, even though I wasn’t at 100%. In fact, I’m still far from being in my best condition, but I was happy with my performance. The bike is going very well, even better than I expected. With Jeremy we secured two holeshots, and I had a great time riding today. The track was beautiful, technical and challenging. It’s a positive start, and from here, we’ll continue working and improving”.

Jeremy Seewer: “The first moto started off really good with the holeshot and nobody can steal that one from us. Then I had quite a solid race to finish in sixth despite some small problems. Conditions were quite difficult today, with it being pretty humid. The track was fast and difficult, but I felt okay. For the first race, it was fine. In the second moto, I spun on the gate straight away, and then I went down in the first corner. I tried to do my best, but had quite a big highside, and just brought it home from there. We need to take the positives, learn from it and try to improve. But overall, I think it was more on the successful side than not. I had a little bit of arm pump in the first race, but we know why, we just need to try and solve the problem”.

Jago Geerts: Overall, it’s been a good weekend for me. I had a good start in race one and found my rhythm quite quickly, so that was good and I had a good pace to the end of the moto. I had another good start in race two, but unfortunately, I crashed with Calvin halfway through and lost a few places. I’m happy with my weekend overall and I’m looking forward to Spain in a couple of weeks.

Ruben Fernandez: Not the day I was hoping for really, but I tried to come through and score as many points as possible in that second moto. I was right at the back of the field, and I think 30th after the first lap so to get to 13th is a good result, even if I wanted more before we came here. I know there is more to come and I will continue to fight to get nearer to those podium spots. Next up is Cozar, which is another Spanish-speaking round, so I’m happy to see all my fans there and hopefully get some better results.

Valerio Lata: It felt really good to be racing in second place in that second moto. It is confirmation that I am on the right path and that I am already feeling good with my Honda CRF250R. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay there for the whole moto, but I am staying positive and this was still a very big step for my first round with Honda HRC. Argentina has been a great experience and I look forward to many more this season.

Ferruccio Zanchi: Not the weekend I wanted, as nothing seemed to go my way. However, I am still fit and healthy and I know that things will go better in the future. Having last gate-pick really made things difficult and then in the first race I really messed up my start so I was dead last and I was able to come back to 15th. Then in the second race, I wasn’t able to push on as much as I would have liked, despite a much better start. Overall, I know that I need to do better on the Saturday and then that’ll give me a fighting chance to fight with the top guys on the Sunday.

Calvin Vlaanderen: It’s been a frustrating weekend, and I’ll bounce back in Spain. I was happy with my riding all weekend here in Argentina but things happened outside of my control and I couldn’t put in the results I know I’m capable of. So, not a great weekend but I’m healthy and fired up for the next round.

Karlis Reisulis: My riding was really good this weekend but it was just so hot. I really need to work on training in the heat as the overall result isn’t acceptable. But, the positives are that I had good speed and I learned a lot, so I’m looking forward to the next GP.

Thibault Benistant: Today was not so good and not the way I wanted to start the season. I’ve been sick for the last few days and I rode a little stiff on the bike. In training I ride really well so I need to find a way of transferring this to the races and then ride like I know I can.

Rick Elzinga: I didn’t have a great Qualifying Race and that meant I didn’t get a good gate pick for today’s races. So, I was in the mid-pack both times and then my pace was ok, around eighth to 10th fastest on lap times, but it was my starts that held me back. I rode more this weekend than what I have in the last five weeks so I can’t complain, and I have plenty of positives to take away from here.

Mathis Valin: "I have always had a good feeling on muddy tracks so I enjoyed the conditions during the warm-up with the fastest lap time. In the first moto I got a great start in second position but at the end of the lap I had a big crash near the pit-lane. I damaged the bike and no more front brake; later I had another crash and the bike was damaged so I had to DNF. My second start was average but I made several passes to come through to fourth and during the last laps I could control Kay de Wolf who was behind me. I'm happy with my riding; it was not a perfect weekend but I learnt a lot in my first-ever MX2 GP."

Camden McLellan: “So that’s the first GP of the season done and it’s been pretty good. The track was great and super fun to ride and I’ve really enjoyed the trip over here. In the qualifying race I got caught up in two crashes so that wasn’t ideal, but today was much better. My speed and fitness are good as I showed in both races and my bike was just awesome. Thanks to the team for building such a great bike and their hard work this weekend, and now we head back to Europe, healthy and excited for Spain.”

Guillem Farres: “The weekend didn’t start so good in the qualifying race but in today’s races I rode quite well. We had a lot of rain this morning but in the end the track turned out quite good. In race one I was sixth so I was happy with that but I had a bad start in race two and that made it a tough race. Before the next race I’ll be working on my starts and as it’s my home GP, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a solid weekend! Normally, I am not the biggest fan of fast tracks, but I really enjoyed riding here. My starts were a little bit off in both motos. I managed to come back quite well, despite a crash in race 2, which really wasn’t necessary… I was in too much of a hurry, just wanting to move forward, and lost the front. It was really tough afterwards trying to get going again – it was so hot. I struggled for two laps before finding my rhythm again. I pushed hard until the end to try to get sixth, but didn’t manage. Overall, 5-7 for fifth overall isn’t bad at all. The goal is always to be in the top 5, and it was good to see I have the speed. I just need to improve my starts a bit – that will definitely make life easier.”

Andrea Bonacorsi: “The first race is done, but the season is still long. We made some good progress over the course of the weekend here in Argentina, and I would say ninth overall is a pretty positive result for the first GP of the year. Now we need to keep working – we have two weeks to be even better prepared for the next round in Spain.”

Brian Bogers: “I showed some good things on Saturday, but unfortunately it didn’t come together on Sunday. Looking at the results, this is definitely not where we want or need to be. I had been feeling better on the bike lately, but I had quite a big crash around ten days ago. I am totally fine again now, but I couldn’t ride for a week, so I missed a bit of time on the bike. Now we need to get back to work!”

Ben Watson: "My potential was good, but I could not concretise. I struggled to find the best lines and the brake failure in qualifying compromised my position in the race. Now we are working to do better in Spain.

Tom Koch: "I really liked the circuit, it felt like an American track, fast and with big jumps. In qualifying I found a good rhythm, but in the race the starts influenced the final result. I know I have a good pace, we have to keep on working to become better."


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