MXGP Race Report From Argentina

By Stephen St. Pierre

Photos courtesy of MXGP

The South American fans in Argentina have been eagerly awaiting the return of their MXGP heroes since the end of the highly successful inaugural race held in Patagonia last year. And there was no disappointment as the 20 minute plus 2 lap qualifying races held Saturday to determine gate pick provided plenty of excitement setting the stage for some awesome racing on Sunday.

The opening laps of the MXGP qualifying race saw some of the best racing we have seen this year with Red Bull KTM’s Antonio Cairoli grabbing the holeshot followed closely by Monster Energy Yamaha’s Romain Febvre and Gariboldi Honda’s Tim Gasjer. The three champions duked it out for the lead, each taking their turn in first until Cairoli fell exiting a turn and collected Febvre in the process. This allowed the reigning MX2 World Champion Gasjer to extend his lead while Cairoli and Febvre got up in seventh and eight respectively. Nearing the end of the moto, reigning MXGP Champion and the current points leader Febvre had moved up to second place, passing some of the best riders in the process and closed in on Gasjer, but it was the rookie sensation Gasjer grabbing the checkered flag at the finish claiming his first MXGP qualifying race victory. Febvre came home in second followed by his Monster Energy Yamaha teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek in third. Rounding out the top 5 were Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Max Nagl in fourth and eight-time world champion Antoni Cairoli in fifth.

The MX2 qualifying race saw the Yamaha of Russian racer Aleksandr Tonkov grab the Holeshot, but like he has done all year, Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings quickly grabbed the lead and checked out from there. The best of the rest then went on to battle for second with Tonkov holding the position until a spill allowed Red Bull KTM’s Paul Jonass into second and then Jonass tipped over handing the position to Rockstar Energy’s Max Anstie. Jonass remounted and was able to catch and pass Anstie before the end of the moto securing the second position at the checkered flag behind his teammate Herlings. Anstie hung on to finish third followed by Tonkov in fourth and Team Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer in fifth.

Close to 30,000 fans lined the fences on race day for Round 4 of the MXGP and MX2 World Championship amid the breathtaking scenery of Patagonia, Argentina. The track at the Villa la Angostura is a thing of beauty with its dark volcanic soil, wide flowing straits, and a mix of both man-made jumps and natural terrain. But beneath that loamy soil is a hard base which has a habit of kicking at the riders when they least expect it.

Team Honda’s Tim Gasjer is continuing to impress in his rookie season as the reigning MX2 World Champion went 3-1 on the day to take the overall after winning the qualifying race on Saturday. The 19-year-old Slovenian took the Fox Holeshot in the second moto and led every lap en route to his second MXGP victory of the year. After the race, Gasjer said, “ I had a really good weekend “ and was already looking forward to next weekend’s Round 5 in Mexico, “I have good memories there, I won my first ever MX2 race there and I really like the track so I look forward to going there.”

Red Bull KTM’s Antonio Cairolli hasn’t finished on the podium since last May so it was a relief for the 8-time World Champion who finished 2-2 to grab the second spot on the box. This moved the likeable Italian up to third position in the championship and his post-race comments are an indication that there are more podium finishes to come. “I’m not yet at my best, but I have to make the best of it. I am happy with my riding although I have to ride different to what I am used to because I don’t feel strong enough in some places. But it’s okay, and it gets better and better.”

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Max Nagl continues to get better with each race and turned in a 1-5 performance to grab the last spot on the podium. Nagl took the Fox Holeshot in the first moto and led every lap earning the German racer his first win of the season.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Romain Febvre had a rough day in Argentina where his streak of 16 consecutive podiums came to an end. Febvre’s 6-3 finishes were the result of first lap crashes in both motos and put him fourth overall. The Frenchman fought hard all day and was as far back as twentieth in the first moto. He managed to hang on to the red plate going into Round 5, and if the reigning MXGP Champion happens to repeat this year he might well look back at this weekend as one where he was able to minimize the damage.

Rounding out the top 5 was Febvre’s team mate Jeremy Van Horebeek who put in two top 5 finishes. The Yamaha rider had another solid weekend going 5-4 despite a nasty crash in the free practice.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 41 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 27 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 24 p.; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 24 p.

Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings continued his complete domination of the MX2 class going 1-1 again, leading every lap in the process this weekend. After getting his 50th MX2 GP overall win in the last round at his home track in the Netherlands, “the Bullet” grabbed another career milestone earning his 100th moto win here in Argentina. Herlings has been perfect this year and looks to be unstoppable in his quest for his third MX2 World Championship title.

Team Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer continued to be the best of the rest going 4-2 and grabbing the second spot on the podium. The Swiss rider had to work hard this weekend and spent both motos banging bars with his competition. His result this weekend puts him all alone in second place for the championship, and you can feel his satisfaction in his post-race comments. “I feel amazing. I have been on the podium three times in a row now, I will try to keep on going like this.”

Team Yamaha’s Aleksandr Tonkov earned his second podium of the year finishing 3-3 to get onto the last spot on the box. Tonkov rode well in both motos and his third overall also moved him into third in the championship standings.

Rockstar Husqvarna’s Max Anstie managed to grab the Fox Holeshot in both motos and finished an impressive second in Moto 1. In Moto 2, the British rider had a mechanical issue while running second and was forced to DNF on lap 3. Red Bull KTM’s Paul Jonass also had a DNF, his coming in Moto 1 when he high-sided in the first turn and cut his chin. Jonass bounced back finishing fourth in the second moto but his mistake in Moto 1 was costly as it dropped him from second to fourth in the championship standings.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 31 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 28 p.; 6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 25 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 22 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 172 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 169 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 144 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 138 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 134 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 125 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 105 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 103 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 82 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 74 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 200 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 152 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 131 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 130 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 104 p.; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 99 p.; 7. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 91 p.; 8. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 84 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 78 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 70 p.

Round 5 will take place in Mexico on April 16thand 17th. All races can been seen live on MXGP-TV.com