Three in a row for triumphant Gajser as Evans also steps up in Patagonia-Argentina
At the beautiful MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser made in three overall wins out of three, extending his lead at the top of the 2022 MXGP World Championship to 17 points, and once again proving that he is the rider to beat this season.
Yesterday’s qualifying race didn’t go quite to plan, but seventh gate pick still gave him a good chance of starting well, and although he wasn’t able to do it in race one, he definitely utilised the power of the Honda CRF450R in race two as he swept across the holeshot line in first place.
By the time they crossed the line for the first time in race one, Gajser had worked his way up to fourth and was setting his sights even higher. Posting the fastest lap of the race, he quickly worked his way into third, and then second and with a few laps remaining, he gradually closed right up to the back wheel of the leader. Despite trying his hardest, he wasn’t quite able to find a place to pass on this technical Villa La Angostura track, and had to settle for second place.
The holeshot in race two gave him a much better platform to control the race, as he laid down more fastest laps to pull out a good margin to the second-placed rider. In yet another display of controlled speed, victory never looked in doubt and he crossed the line over seven seconds ahead of the runner-up. This was his third two-one results pairing of the season, which was once again good enough to take the overall, making him undefeated so far in this 2022 campaign.
Teammate Mitch Evans, continued his improvement, taking eighth overall after his ten-eight moto finishes. His speed was good in both races, and showed that his ceiling is consistently rising every time he gets on the track. Now, the target is to maintain that pace for the whole moto, but this is understandable, given he missed over 15-months of MXGP action with a serious wrist injury.
Next up for Team HRC is the MXGP of Portugal, which is taking place on April 2-3 at another beautiful track in Agueda. This should give both riders another chance to keep this momentum going, as it is a track both have performed well at in the past.
Tim Gajser 243
I had a really good weekend here and it feels really good to come away with another overall victory. This is such a nice place and track, and I am very pleased that so many fans came out to support us. I hope we continue to come back here because it an amazing event for everyone.
In the first moto, I didn’t get the best start but came through the field and was fourth after the first lap. I knew it was a long race so I didn’t rush too much because it was a tricky track and it was easy to make mistakes. I eventually worked my way into second and I got close to the leader but I couldn’t quite make the pass happen, and had to settle for second place.
Race two started off a lot better with a holeshot, my first of the season. I did run a little wide so I dropped into second but I quickly re-passed for the lead and then I set about pulling out a gap. By the midway stage I had a good lead and just settled down and controlled the race, winning by over seven seconds. It feels really good to win another overall and extend my lead in the championship, but I know it is a long season and I need to keep up this high level. A big thanks to the team for all their support on what is a really long trip down here to Argentina.
Mitch Evans 43
I love riding this track and it feels good to make more positive progress throughout the weekend. I am really pleased with my speed and it felt good to be up there inside the top 10, battling with the top guys. Now, I need to work on getting my race fitness up to the level where I can do that for the whole race, but this is really encouraging for me and it gives me more motivation for the next round in Portugal which is another track I like.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
A big congratulations to Tim, Mitch and everyone in Team HRC. This race is a difficult one for everyone, which such a long travel time, and the multiple flights but the attitude is always good and everyone works hard to make it as similar as possible to a European round. Tim once again showed how fast he can be, being the only rider that can pull out a gap if he gets into the lead. Winning the first three rounds is a great start and we hope to continue that form as long as possible.
Mitch also made huge strides, running just outside the top five for the majority of the race, and his eighth overall shows his continued progression back from his long-term injury. We now have a weekend off, but we’re all excited to head to the next round in Agueda, Portugal.
Race 1
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renaux Maxime | 959 | FRA | 25 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha | 34:54.035 |
| 2 | Gajser Tim | 243 | SLO | 22 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda | 0:02.144 |
| 3 | Seewer Jeremy | 91 | SWI | 20 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha | 0:22.532 |
| 4 | Prado Garcia Jorge | 61 | SPA | 18 | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | GasGas | 0:23.309 |
| 5 | Kjer Olsen Thomas | 19 | DEN | 16 | Team Diga-Procross | KTM | 0:29.169 |
| 6 | Jonass Pauls | LAT | 15 | 0:37.743 | |||
| 7 | Van Horebeek Jeremy | 89 | BEL | 14 | Beta SDM Corse MX Team | Beta | 0:55.028 |
| 8 | Coldenhoff Glenn | 259 | NDL | 13 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha | 1:00.144 |
| 9 | Tixier Jordi | 911 | FRA | 12 | JT911 KTM Racing Team | KTM | 1:03.026 |
| 10 | Evans Mitch | 43 | AUS | 11 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda | 1:06.488 |
| 11 | Jacobi Henry | 29 | GER | 10 | JM Honda Racing | Honda | 1:12.332 |
| 12 | Forato Alberto | 303 | ITA | 9 | SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery | GasGas | 1:15.905 |
| 13 | Beaton Jed | 14 | AUS | 8 | F&H Racing Team | Kawasaki | 1:21.531 |
| 14 | Watson Ben | 919 | GBR | 7 | Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP | Kawasaki | 1:25.552 |
| 15 | Fernandez Ruben | 70 | SPA | 6 | Honda 114 Motorsports | Honda | 1 lap |
| 16 | Martin Humberto | VEN | 5 | 1 lap | |||
| 17 | Toro Lautaro | ARG | 4 | 1 lap | |||
| 18 | Rolando Nicolas | 144 | URU | 3 | Wildcard Rider | Suzuki | 1 lap |
| 19 | Carrasco Agustin | ARG | 2 | 1 lap | |||
| 20 | Arco Dario | ARG | 1 | 1 lap |
Race 2
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gajser Tim | 243 | SLO | 25 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda | |
| 2 | Renaux Maxime | 959 | FRA | 22 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha | |
| 3 | Fernandez Ruben | 70 | SPA | 20 | Honda 114 Motorsports | Honda | |
| 4 | Prado Garcia Jorge | 61 | SPA | 18 | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | GasGas | |
| 5 | Jonass Pauls | LAT | 16 | ||||
| 6 | Coldenhoff Glenn | 259 | NDL | 15 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha | |
| 7 | Van Horebeek Jeremy | 89 | BEL | 14 | Beta SDM Corse MX Team | Beta | |
| 8 | Evans Mitch | 43 | AUS | 13 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda | |
| 9 | Tixier Jordi | 911 | FRA | 12 | JT911 KTM Racing Team | KTM | |
| 10 | Watson Ben | 919 | GBR | 11 | Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP | Kawasaki | |
| 11 | Beaton Jed | 14 | AUS | 10 | F&H Racing Team | Kawasaki | |
| 12 | Jacobi Henry | 29 | GER | 9 | JM Honda Racing | Honda | |
| 13 | Forato Alberto | 303 | ITA | 8 | SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery | GasGas | |
| 14 | Rolando Nicolas | 144 | URU | 7 | Wildcard Rider | Suzuki | |
| 15 | Villaronga Sergio | CHI | 6 | ||||
| 16 | Arco Dario | ARG | 5 | ||||
| 17 | Trossero Marcos Gabriel | ARG | 4 | ||||
| 18 | Galletta Pablo | 117 | ARG | 3 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha | |
| 19 | Carrasco Agustin | ARG | 2 | ||||
| 20 | Cabarcos Francisco | 112 | ARG | 1 | Wildcard Rider | Suzuki |
Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gajser Tim | 243 | SLO | 141 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda |
| 2 | Renaux Maxime | 959 | FRA | 124 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
| 3 | Prado Garcia Jorge | 61 | SPA | 118 | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | GasGas |
| 4 | Seewer Jeremy | 91 | SWI | 94 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
| 5 | Van Horebeek Jeremy | 89 | BEL | 76 | Beta SDM Corse MX Team | Beta |
| 6 | Fernandez Ruben | 70 | SPA | 74 | Honda 114 Motorsports | Honda |
| 7 | Kjer Olsen Thomas | 19 | DEN | 73 | Team Diga-Procross | KTM |
| 8 | Coldenhoff Glenn | 259 | NDL | 71 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
| 9 | Beaton Jed | 14 | AUS | 58 | F&H Racing Team | Kawasaki |
| 10 | Forato Alberto | 303 | ITA | 58 | SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery | GasGas |
| 11 | Bogers Brian | 189 | NDL | 57 | Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing Team | Husqvarna |
| 12 | Watson Ben | 919 | GBR | 51 | Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP | Kawasaki |
| 13 | Tixier Jordi | 911 | FRA | 47 | JT911 KTM Racing Team | KTM |
| 14 | Jacobi Henry | 29 | GER | 45 | JM Honda Racing | Honda |
| 15 | Jonass Pauls | LAT | 42 | |||
| 16 | Evans Mitch | 43 | AUS | 42 | Team HRC - MXGP | Honda |
| 17 | Vlaanderen Calvin | 10 | NDL | 32 | Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing | Yamaha |
| 18 | van Doninck Brent | 32 | BEL | 28 | Riley Racing | Yamaha |
| 19 | Östlund Alvin | 161 | SWE | 13 | JK Racing Yamaha Active | Yamaha |
| 20 | Koch Tom | 226 | GER | 12 | KTM Kozak Team | KTM |
| 21 | Lupino Alessandro | 77 | ITA | 11 | Beta SDM Corse MX Team | Beta |
| 22 | Rolando Nicolas | 144 | URU | 10 | Wildcard Rider | Suzuki |
| 23 | Guillod Valentin | 92 | SWI | 10 | iXS MXGP Team | Yamaha |
| 24 | Villaronga Sergio | CHI | 6 | |||
| 25 | Arco Dario | ARG | 6 | |||
| 26 | Martin Humberto | VEN | 5 | |||
| 27 | Toro Lautaro | ARG | 4 | |||
| 28 | Trossero Marcos Gabriel | ARG | 4 | |||
| 29 | Carrasco Agustin | ARG | 4 | |||
| 30 | Galletta Pablo | 117 | ARG | 3 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha |
| 31 | Jasikonis Arminas | 27 | LTU | 3 | Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing | Yamaha |
| 32 | Roosiorg Hardi | 75 | EST | 2 | Sahkar KTM Racing | KTM |
| 33 | Zonta Filippo | 200 | ITA | 1 | Wildcard Rider | GasGas |
| 34 | Cabarcos Francisco | 112 | ARG | 1 | Wildcard Rider | Suzuki |
Location Information
Neuquen, Argentina - View in Google Maps
