Fourth place for Fernandez to kick-off 2023 MXGP Championship

Ruben Fernandez started his Team HRC career with an impressive fourth place finish in the qualifying race of the MXGP of Argentina-Patagonia, giving him seven points as the series now incorporates these race results into the championship standings.

Villa La Angostura is one of the most picturesque tracks in the world and the perfect venue to open this 2023 MXGP World Motocross Championship. Nestled in the Andes Mountain range, the extremely large crowd were also blessed with beautiful weather, giving the riders a nice boost after a cold European winter.

And in what was a solid day all around for Fernandez, the Honda CRF450R rider was fifth in free practice, then sixth in timed practice, before getting a good jump out of the gate and powering his way round the first turn in third place. Putting in consistent laptimes, the #70 kept a strong third place for the majority of the race, before a rider crashed right in front of him, allowing the rider behind to take advantage and pass him with a couple of laps to go.

Still, fourth is a great start, in what is his Team HRC debut and he will take a lot of positives into tomorrow’s two main motos. Like previous years, the day will start with a warm-up, before the two races which will decide the GP overall. However, the Sunday points, will then be added to the points from today’s qualification race to decide the championship standings.