Read what a host of MXGP riders had to say about their weekend at the MXGP of Argentina.
MXGP
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.”
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.”
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. 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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Jeremy Seewer: “There were many positives and some negatives also. But the first moto started off really good with the holeshot. 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, so it wasn’t really in my hands. And then after a bad start, 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 where we have 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.”
Image: Kawasaki MXGP
