A big day for Frenchman as two former World champions, Maxime Renaux and Romain Febvre showed us that it could be a three way battle for the 2025 World MXGP Championship. Just brilliant racing around a stunning circuit, with a massive crowd. Oh, did I also mention sunshine? MXGP continues to give and this year looks like it might be a special season.

Many of us expected these two to be a threat to five time World Motocross Champion, Tim Gajser, but the way they rode away from him yesterday, tells us, they both have some serious speed in 2025.

It was only qualification, but they showed a lot the two French riders. Now, what will we see from Gajser today? In MX2, former World champion, Andrea Adamo showed his speed and looks on it in 2025.

Maxime Renaux: “This was a great start to the season. It was an awesome race with Romain (Febvre). I know what it’s like to race him. He never gives up, so I had to push to the flag, so it was a super nice race. I really felt good on the track today, comfortable and in control so that was nice. It’s just the start of the season and I am happy to start this way, but now we need to keep building block by block.”

Tim Gajser: I felt good early on in the day, but when the racing started I just couldn’t find a good rhythm and decided it was safer to let the two guys fight it out ahead. I had a big gap to fourth so I didn’t want to push too much on the very first day, especially on a track that could easily catch you out if you weren’t concentrating. Tomorrow we’ll try a few things and hopefully battle for the win and start this season off right.

Andrea Adamo: “The first race of the season is always important, and I’m happy with how it went. It took me a little time to get comfortable leading, but once I settled in, I found my rhythm and even set my fastest lap near the end. It’s a different challenge being out front, not having anyone to follow, but it’s part of growing as a rider. It’s still too early to say how the season will go, but I feel strong, and starting with a win is always better than being further back. Now, we stay focused, keep improving, and take it one race at a time.”

Romain Febvre: "It was a good opening day of the world championship; the track is nice to ride and I felt pretty good straight away from the first laps of Free Practice. I made a good start in Qualifying but I could not close down the inside as Maxime (Renaux) was alongside. I could soon make the pass for second and close down Maxime but I'm a little mad with myself because I was so close to the red plate; I was clearly faster but I stalled one time and we had two-times yellow flags for fallen lappers. This is one of best tracks we have had to ride and it is possible to pass here but you need to be close; I need to figure things out for tomorrow with a better race plan. The fans are incredible; it was almost a full-house already early in the morning and they were so enthusiastic, particularly when I pulled a clicker on the big triple."

Pauls Jonass: "I got a wheelie straight out of the gate so I was right at the back, but I found a good rhythm to move through to eighth. But then I got stuck trying to pass Bogers and lost my flow. But generally I was happy; I just need to put all of the pieces together. The track is fun but it's really demanding; it's quite fast and now it's getting bumpy so it's a lot of work."

Jeremy Seewer: “First day of the season done! We had no idea what to expect, as it’s the first race and everything is new: new track, new bike and new team, but what a race! We brought home P4 and P7 and it’s a very positive result. We’ve put in a lot of hard work all winter. We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but it’s a good start. It’s just one day, and tomorrow is a new one, but it’s already behind us and gives us fresh motivation to keep working hard.”

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m pretty happy with my race and felt there was some room for improvement, which makes it even better. With both of us starting up front and maintaining a solid race pace, it was important to begin on the right foot. I could’ve done more, but for the first race of the year, it’s fine as it is. Now, we’ll rest and get serious tomorrow.”

Mathis Valin: "It was a good first day in the World Championship for me with a third in the Free Practice session, then in the Timed Practice I made a mistake on my fastest lap but a top-ten was OK. I got a good start in the Qualifying race and had good speed in the top-five. There is so much intensity at the front in GP racing; it was really different from the EMX. It's hot here so it's demanding physically but I can't complain as I signed to race the world championship. Now I will focus again for tomorrow; for sure it was nice to see that my rhythm was OK and I'm happy for the team too as they worked a lot to prepare for this season."

Ruben Fernandez: It was annoying to have that tip-over on the first lap, because I was well-placed and thought I could get a good number of points. Instead, the start will be tougher because I’ll be a bit further out, but I still feel like I can do well tomorrow. It is a very nice circuit that they’ve built here in Cordoba, and I’d love to give the fans something to cheer about.

Valerio Lata: I’m very disappointed to have made that mistake after getting a good start. I was right there at the front of the field and if I could have just stayed upright, I’m sure I could have had a solid result and a good gate-pick for tomorrow. Things don’t always go to plan though, and now I will have to work really hard to have the debut GP that I wanted. It is a shame, because I have enjoyed my first overseas experience so far and I really want to start off strongly.

Ferruccio Zanchi: I was having a good moto, moving through from outside the top 10 into eighth place with the possibility of more passes to come. Instead, I went slightly off the racetrack and landed in some mud which completely stopped my momentum and I went over the bars. I had some bumps and bruises and the bike wasn’t rideable in a safe way so I decided it was better to retire and fight another day. I will be ready for tomorrow though and motivated to start the season with a good points haul.

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