It was a big day for KTM with Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass getting the GP wins. Many riders enjoyed the weekend and here are their thoughts.

Jeffrey Herlings:  (1st in MXGP) “It was a good day. I made a charge in the first moto but couldn’t make the pass; Tony was riding really well and deserved to win. In the second race I got pushed wide at the start again and had some battles going on for fifth, fourth and third. I knew there was only ten minutes left in the moto but I worked on the gap and was really glad to make it happen. I’m blessed to have won the first GP of the year and the hard work of the winter is showing. This is only the first race of nineteen and there will be a lot of good competition ahead. I feel good on the bike, even better than the end of last year. I want to thank the team because they are always supporting me through thick-and-thin.”

 

Pauls Jonass:  (1st in MX2) “We did the pre-season races and I knew I had the speed and the fitness because I had worked hard in the winter time. I came into this race confident…but I did not expect to win every single session when we went on the track. It is a boost for us but we won’t let it get to our heads too much because there is still a long way to go. The new bike worked so well and we can see all that testing and work in the off-season paid off. I didn’t get any holeshots today so we still have something we can improve on!”

 

Antonio Cairoli: (2nd in MXGP) “We almost made it with the perfect weekend. In the second moto – I had a good start and made a good lead – but ran into some lappers and changed some lines. I made some mistakes and almost went out of the berm in some corners. I hit some kickers and had to slow down a little bit but if you do that then the seconds quickly go away. Jeffrey came closer and was stronger in the end. I was making mistakes and was tired and he took his chance to go around me: it was a good move. It is great for KTM to be 1-2 in both motos and I’m looking forward to continuing this championship. It will be an interesting season.”

MX2 podium –

Hunter Lawrence: (2nd in MX2) “I’m pretty happy with the weekend, we have a lot of positives to take out of this weekend. It would have been nice to get the win but it’s not my favourite track so I can’t be too disappointed. I prefer more technical tracks than this one as it was high speed and a bit flat but we know what we need to change and sort out and make sure I’m 100% for the rest of the rounds. It was a good start to the year though; third overall on a bad day isn’t too bad. I’m looking forward to getting back to Europe and having a safe journey home.”

 

Clement Desalle: (3rd in MXGP) “It was a strong weekend. We worked a lot on the bike in the winter and this weekend we saw confirmation that we did our job well. We have seen this weekend that there are still a couple of things we need to look at, but there were only two guys in front of us and they were both already very fast. We have a good base to work from.”

 

Thomas Kjer-Olsen:  (2nd in MX2) “It’s always great to start a new season with a podium result. I’ve done a good job with the team and myself this winter so I am feeling good at the moment. Things worked out quite well here in Argentina and I’m happy with my speed. My goal was to remain consistent throughout the day and I’m happy I made it happen. My starts were also good and this shows we’re in a good spot for the rest of the championship. I am really looking forward to the next GP in The Netherlands.”

 

Julien Lieber: (8thin MXGP) “I got a great start in the first moto, and was second behind Cairoli for two laps but they were all pushing hard behind me and I didn’t want to take too many risks for my first race in six months. The second start was not as good; I was in the top ten but was pushed outside and lost grip with the front wheel. The track was really rough so I’m happy with my results; I am also happy that my first race is behind me as I will be more relaxed for the next one.”

 

Jeremy Van Horebeek: (4th in MXGP) “It has been a perfect weekend to start the season. I didn’t have enough for a podium today. I battled for third place because the other two guys were on another planet. I just feel the key to the race for me is the start. I need to work on my starts because my first start was really bad but my speed in the race was okay. I got sick after the first race but I still enjoyed the day and I feel it was a good first GP.”

Vanhorebeek and his Yamaha teammate, Febvre, were strong, but a little off . the pace of the KTM boys up front.

Romain Febvre: (5th in MXGP) “I’m happy to start the season like this. I finished inside the top five in both races and I know my speed is there. In the first race I got a good start, I just struggled a little bit in the wave section, which was disappointing. It was the first GP of the season, to be inside the top five is good.”

 

Ben Watson: (4th in MX2) “I’m absolutely ecstatic with the whole weekend. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here. In the past I broke my foot here and have always had terrible results here. I wasn’t overly confident coming in but my times were good all weekend and I was only 1-point short of my first ever podium. That is gutting but I am absolutely over the moon.”

 

Vsevolod Brylyakov: (6th in MX2) “Coming into this race I had goosebumps all over my body. Finally I was back racing, and as an Official Yamaha rider, it has been emotional for me to be back behind the gate. The weekend didn’t get off to the best start, but overall Sunday went quite good. I was ninth in both races, that is consistent and I am quite happy with the result and to start the season like this.”

 

Shaun Simpson: (7th in MXGP) “I am absolutely pumped with the overall result. I came here to get inside the top-eight in both races, and if I hadn’t crashed in the first race, I would have achieved that. The second race I finished seventh. I know I don’t quite have the speed to run with the top-five right now, but from where I was last year to where I am today. I am happy with how I’ve bounced back, with my own motivation, and the team’s motivation as well. It’s quite exciting to see what else we can achieve as I know the bike has a lot of potential left to explore. We will go back to the workshop, make some small changes and improve. We will come out in Valkenswaard really swinging and try and get back inside the top-five. Let’s see where the next eighteen rounds will take up. I’m really excited.”

 

Thomas Covington:  (15th in MX2) “Things did not go our way this weekend but I will do my best to come back stronger as we return to Europe. I struggled to get a good feeling throughout the weekend and I felt tired quite soon in the races. In the opening moto I battled from a not so good start to finish inside the top 10. Then in moto two my start was a lot better and I could battle with the leading group of riders for a few laps. Unfortunately, I felt tired quite fast so could not hold on to a good pace. I now have a week to recover so I’m hoping I can be back fighting for the top spots at the next GP.”

Lawrence had a solid podium debut on the Honda, but he had nothing for Jonass and Olsen.

Gautier Paulin: (6th in MXGP) “We made some progress during this weekend and I’m happy for that. On Saturday during qualifying I struggled with arm pump and wasn’t feeling really comfortable. But we made some good improvements with my bike setup so on Sunday things were a lot better. My starts were good in both motos and I rode consistently to two sixth place results. It is a little bit frustrating that I could not push for an even better result, but the truth is I did not feel 100% during this weekend. Last week I was sick so I guess my body has not fully recovered yet. There are no excuses and I am already looking forward to the next GP. My bike is awesome and the team do their best for us. We got some good points here in Argentina so now it’s over to the next one in Europe.”

 

Max Anstie: (13th in MXGP) “We got the first GP of this long season out of the way and now we can focus on the ones to come. In the opening moto I didn’t manage to get a good start but I came through and was racing inside the top 10. Unfortunately, with two laps to go I had a crash and that dropped me back to 12th at the line. Then in the second moto I was in a great position after the gate drop, but I got tangled with another rider and crashed in the first corner. Hitting the ground, I got covered in sand and this made everything harder afterwards. It’s a shame I couldn’t show my potential here in Argentina, but I did salvage a few points eventually. It’s onwards and upwards now and I’m looking forward to the next GP now.”

 

Glenn Coldenhoff: (10th in MXGP)”I picked up an injury to my hand before Riola and we analysed just now that the last four-five weeks have not been the best training period. In my head I was ready for solid results but it turned out to be a difficult weekend, especially after two big crashes on Saturday and I feel sore everywhere! The first moto wasn’t too bad and in the second I made a few big mistakes and took those as a warning and decided to bring it home. I’m sore…but I’ll be ready to go next week.”

 

Jorge Prado:  (11th in MX2) “It was a tough start to the season. I felt good on the bike all weekend and had really good speed and it was just a shame about that crash in the qualifying race that hurt my elbow. We went to hospital, because there was a lot of inflammation, and nothing was broken so that was a relief. A rider took me out while I was looking at the top five in the first moto and going to the second I was annoyed about the crashes and bad luck, so I fought to the end and finished the day quite happy.”

 

Calvin Vlaanderen: (10th in MX2) “Overall we can be happy to go home safe because the track was quite sketchy in some places and I was smart not to make any mistake or anything silly. I’m a bit disappointed with my first race as I made a mistake and that cost me quite a few places and forced me to fight quite hard just to finish 18th. I did not get the best start in race two but I was able to make some passes and I was sixth for a long time, but then I moved up to fifth and almost caught fourth place on the last lap. I’m happy with my riding and my fitness, and I know what I need to work on ahead of Valkenswaard. I would like to thank my team for their amazing job and for giving me such a great bike.”

Cairoli (222) and Herlings (84) had an MXGP battle that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Arminas Jasikonis: (16th in MXGP) “It wasn’t easy this weekend, because everything was new with the team and the past injury. Everything just had to come together quickly for this first race. I had no pressure and didn’t expect anything. I just wanted to be back racing with no crashes and no injuries and in the end it went okay actually. I know that I’m only riding 60-70% so speed isn’t there but now I have to work, but a big thanks to the team for helping me through this first race.”

 

Jed Beaton: (5th in MX2) “It was a good GP and I’m pretty happy with the result; my starts were not very good and that’s something we need to work on before Valkenswaard. It was my first time at this track which looked like it had a lot of grip but in fact it was hard and slippery and it took me a while to get used to it. It was difficult to feel the track, but Valkenswaard will be different as I raced there last year in the EMX 250.”

 

Darian Sanayei: (8th in MX2) “I felt pretty good coming to this GP, We had some issues in the first race but overall I’m happy with what we did with our new bike. I was riding well in the first moto, and was leading for a few laps, which was great, but then I had to retire. In the second race I was around fifth at the start and finished third, which is my best ever moto finish and that’s really positive.”

Photos by: Ray Archer

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.