Take a look at what the riders thought of their weekend in Argentina. Big success for Ruben Fernandez and Jago Geerts and a bright start for several other riders.

Parts Europe support MXGP and MXlarge: Parts Europe

Ruben Fernandez: “You know first I was a bit nervous in the first race but it got better throughout the race 2. I’m happy with my ride on this track. I can’t believe that I got the overall GP especially after the mistake in the first race but it would not have happened without all the people around me, the Team, my family and everyone supporting me! “

Jeffrey Herlings: “I got better throughout the weekend. I haven’t raced these guys for sixteen months and that amount of time means you should not underestimate the class. I have done hundreds and thousands of laps in training but you cannot replicate the intensity of racing here. Every session was getting a little easier and I don’t think it is bad to 2nd. If I had this option beforehand then I would have taken it. I just want to keep on building up my race rhythm now.”

Jorge Prado: "I think that I need to be happy, after winning the qualification heat yesterday and the first moto today. The second moto was not perfect, but I am very happy about my riding. I am happy! I am really happy that the next race is in sand because I feel great on my MC 450F in those conditions too. Hopefully we can extend our gap in the championship."

Jago Geert:” Three good starts and three wins this weekend, I couldn’t be happier with this first Grand Prix. I will get some more training in the next two weeks to come back ready in Sardinia”

Thibault Benistant: “I am happy to here and starting the season as I could not do that the last 2 seasons. I am now healthy and ready to go for the season thanks to the work with my team. I feel very good on this new bike too and I am sure we can also keep improving it for the next Grand Prix”

Romain Febvre: “Of course it's a little frustrating to miss the podium on the day by two points, but honestly I wasn't expecting such a good result so soon after three weeks off the bike following my arm surgery. My first start was good and I stayed calm as the track was slippery with the rain; a no-risk second was a good start to the season. In the second race my start was not so good and in the first few laps you can lose a lot of time passing riders as nobody want to give way at the start of the race; fifth is a decent result, but for sure with a better start the podium would have been possible. Anyway I’m happy to show I have the speed and to race both motos with a good rhythm ... and with the new points rule I’m third in the championship. Now we fly home; we have some more testing planned before Sardinia."

Mattia Guadagnini: "Finishing second in the qualification race was really good! I did not have the best start in the first moto, but I was around sixth and then I made a mistake. I had to fight back from almost last place, but I made good passes and finished tenth. My lap times were good! I had a better start in the second moto, but I was not riding at my best. I am pretty happy with the first weekend of the season."

Simon Langenfelder: "I had a good Saturday – I felt so good on my MC 250F. I had an incident right at the start of moto one, unfortunately, and it was quite a big crash! I rode very good in the first race. I felt quite tired in the second race, because I pushed so hard in moto one. It can only get better from here."

Andrea Adamo: “I’m really happy with this result. I changed my life quite a lot when I signed for the team: I moved to Belgium, starting training with Joel [Smets] and could work with Tony [Cairoli] as Team Manager. It is a perfect combination with lots of good guidance and advice. I didn’t have any goals this weekend apart from doing my best. We’ll keep working from here.” Kevin Horgmo: "I had a great start, third into the first corner, in race one. I was right behind Coenen and Längenfelder when they collided and I had nowhere to go. I was stuck behind them and got hit from behind; my entire rear brake system was ripped off but I set off after a long delay to score as many points as possible.  Making passes was OK and by the time I made it to the top-ten the gaps were hard to make up but I had a good feeling with my riding and that gave me confidence for race two. I took the holeshot and crossed the line second after a consistent moto; overall it was a positive day."

Maxime Renaux: “This weekend didn’t go exactly to plan, but looking at the positives, the speed is there, and we have something to build on. I like this track, but it can be quite tricky at times. I had a couple of big crashes. In the first race I still managed to fight back to third, but in the second race, the impact was a little bit bigger, and I only finished ninth. We obviously want more, so I am already looking forward to getting back behind the gate in Riola.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “This weekend started off good. Saturday I was running a good pace with good lap times, also in the Qualifying Race even though I was perhaps a little bit too stiff. The first moto was okay, I was behind Pauls Jonass all of the race, but didn’t find that little bit extra to make a pass, but the speed was okay. In the second moto, I took the holeshot, but was passed pretty much straight away. At the halfway point, I started finding my rhythm again, but then had a big crash. I had a headache from that but finished 14th. It definitely wasn’t the way I wanted to start the season, but we will build from here. 

Jeremy Seewer: “The frustrating thing to start about this weekend is, none of what happened in the Qualifying Race and in Race One today was in my hands. This is a tough pill to swallow. You only need to look at the second moto to see where I belong. I didn’t do anything special to finish inside the top-three, I just rode my race. I think if the Qualifying Race ended differently, I would have been able to get better starts and potentially fight for the win. Anyway, the result is not the end of the world, there are still a lot of points on the table, so it’s fine.” 

Mikkel Haarup: "It was a tough weekend, but we got the bike ready just in time for the second moto and I had to start from the outside. I think I handled the situation professionally and took home some points, but it was tough after not being able to ride the track since yesterday morning. It wasn't what we wanted, but I think my speed in the circumstances show that we are ready to fight for the title." 

Tony Cairoli, Team Manager: “A good weekend of performances and results. Jeffrey made the podium and we know he is capable of this and more but it was good for him to get back so soon. Andrea did great and Liam was also riding well with his small injury and was unlucky to have contact with another rider in the second moto. Overall, a decent weekend and we are looking forward to getting home. Re-grouping and going again in Riola.”

Roan van de Moosdijk: "Today was a consistent start to the championship! It was a solid way to start the new season and I know that I have the speed to run with the riders on the podium, so I am looking forward to making more progress at the next couple of rounds."

Kay de Wolf: "The riding was not bad, but I did not feel great on this track. We cannot have results like a tenth. We can call it a bad day, but I want to make sure that I stay in the top six on my bad days. I showed speed sometimes, but I am looking forward to round two now. We will see what we can do in the sand.”

Lucas Coenen: "I struggled to hit my marks on such a fast track on Saturday. I felt really good in the warm up on Sunday, but I had a big start crash in the first moto and was banged up. I did not finish the race. I did not make such a good start in the second moto, but I got back to ninth. I will build from here."

Rick Elzinga: “I would say I had a good MX2 debut. It’s nice. I think it’s a strong base for my MX2 career. I still have to get used to racing at this level a little bit, but I think if I keep starting up front, this will be the best way to learn. My riding overall, was really good and I scored a personal best result, so this is something I am proud of.”

Ben Watson: “The first GP went and my sensations are mixed. Also on this occasion we weren't fast enough in the time trials but during the races I had a good feeling with the bike. The track was very fast, without too many good lines and with many challenging jumps. Unfortunately due to food poisoning I was physically unwell all weekend. However, I am confident for the season and overall satisfied with my performances. It's the first GP after a very difficult season and we have to keep working hard to grow and improve my placings. I am convinced that we will soon reap the fruits of this work.”

Alessandro Lupino: “I knew that returning to the world championship after last year's long break and the aches and pains of the last few weeks wouldn't be easy. In the first heat a small inconvenience blocked me at the start. In the second I finished seventeenth. A worse placement than I expected but it gave me the opportunity to understand what to work on to improve on future occasions.”