Gajser makes it three in a row with MXGP of Patagonia win

2022 MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina – Round 3 Report

Round Three of the 2022 MXGP Championship has wrapped up with Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claiming his third GP win of the season at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina. In MX2 we also saw the 90th career podium of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who finally made his comeback to the top step.

The MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina delivered, with a crowd of 39,000 fans keeping the atmosphere at a maximum from the first warm-up session to the last chequered flag of the day, reminding the whole paddock why the Argentinian Grand Prix is among the best on the racing calendar.

Mitch Evans was the top Australian performer, continuing 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.

Mitch Evans – P8

“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.”

Beaton was also carrying an injury from the previous GP and entered race day in Argentina coming off a massive collision during the first lap of the Qualifying race. With less track-time than his rivals and a gate-pick on the extreme outside after the incident he inevitably needed some time to settle but regrouped to clinch thirteenth in the opening moto, adding eleventh in race two to advance from eleventh to ninth in the championship standings after three rounds of the series.

Jed Beaton – P13

“It was a pretty difficult weekend for me; I still have a sore shoulder from Mantova and don’t have as much strength in it as I would like. And it didn’t help crashing in Quali and landing on it again. I was so far wide at turn one from the gate pick but I managed to do the best I could with the cards I was dealt. I wasn’t riding at the level I should have been but I’m just glad to be going home safe. The next GP is at Agueda where I got my first GP podium; in fact, I like all the tracks coming up and look forward to getting my shoulder back in shape so I can perform to my ability.“

MXGP Race 1

In the opening MXGP race of the weekend, we saw JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi grab the Fox Holeshot, though it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who jumped into first place ahead of Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez, who sensed his own opportunity to lead an MXGP race and did just that.

Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass was right there too, searching for a way around Renaux and so was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Gajser.

Fernandez’ lead did not last long as only a couple of corners later it all went wrong, and he crashed hard. This meant that Jonass took over the lead after finding a way past Renaux. Fernandez managed to get going again and eventually came back to 15th.

On lap four, Gajser eased past Seewer for third, as Prado was starting to come under attack from Thomas Kjer Olsen of Diga Procross KTM Racing for fifth.

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Gajser then focused his efforts on the front as he closed in on Renaux. The Frenchman made a small mistake which handed Gajser an opportunity to attack, but he could not get it done as Renaux was riding defensive and not backing down to the multi-time world champion.

After leading for 11 laps of the race, Jonass went down, which meant that Renaux was then the leading man with Gajser breathing down his neck. The battle continued for another nine laps as Gajser tried his best but ultimately Renaux was cool under pressure and went on to secure his first ever MXGP race victory ahead of Gajser and Seewer. In the final laps Jonass dropped two spots, finishing behind Prado and Olsen.

MXGP Race 2

In MXGP race two, it was Gajser who secured his first Fox Holeshot of 2022, though it was Prado who led the race. Gajser though was not going to miss out on a win again, as he made a quick pass on the Spaniard to move into the leading position.

Seewer and Olsen went down on the opening lap, with Olsen not finishing the race, while Seewer gave it his best to come back to 13th before deciding to retire from the race just four laps from the end.

Renaux got by Jonass for third, as Fernandez did the same. Though Jonass was able to get the Spaniard back by the third lap and maintain his position for much of the race, until Fernandez bounced back in lap 14 to take away fourth from the Latvian as the pair banged bars.

Back at the front, Gajser was looking in control as he got his head down and opened up a strong gap to second position. At that point it was Prado who was second, though Renaux played it smart and took his time to get by the GasGas rider on lap five.

Team HRC’s Mitch Evans was having a strong race in sixth, though later in the race, dropped two positions and finished eighth.

In the end, it was a fairly easy race victory for Gajser, who was victorious ahead of Renaux, Fernandez, Prado and Jonass.

In terms of the podium, it was Gajser who secure his third back-to-back GP win, while Renaux celebrated his second time on the box in MXGP, as Prado joined them in third.

Heading into the next round at the MXGP of Portugal, Gajser leads the MXGP standings with 141 points ahead of Renaux who now moves into second 124 points, six points ahead of Prado in third.

Tim Gajser – P1

“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.”

Maxime Renaux – P2

“It was a really good day and I’m really happy with it. We started slowly yesterday, but step-by-step I made some improvements on the track. Very solid start in the first race, I didn’t quite make the Fox Holeshot, but I was leading and got passed by Pauls, but then he crashed, and I could lead again. In the end had some good battles with Tim, he really pushed me in that race but I’m really happy with it. In the second one, it was a little bit of a different story, a bit of a worse start and had to come through the pack, I managed to pass everyone but Tim who was really fast. Solid weekend, I am very happy.”

Jorge Prado – P3

“Overall, it was a tough weekend for me. I just didn’t feel good from Saturday on, so it was hard and not being able to be competitive it’s harder also, but the guys next to me were way faster and I just couldn’t hold on and I couldn’t really ride like myself. It was hard, I didn’t have good lines and didn’t ride good. Sometimes it happens, still on the box and third in the championship. But we are going back to Europe and the next round is Agueda, I got the red plate there in 2019 so I have confidence and will get back to work, nothing else to say.”

Pauls Jonass – P4

“It has been a tough road, but to win the qualifying race on Saturday was crazy. I was feeling really good! I was feeling great once I got in a flow in the first moto today too, but I made that small mistake and crashed. My arms got pumped up at that point! The bike was working really well today. I am excited to get to work now and keep building for the future.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P5

“Yesterday, I took the holeshot in the qualifying heat and was feeling really good until about 20-minutes in, when I started struggling a bit. We made some changes and tried to solve the problem today, but in the first moto it didn’t work. I also completely missed the starts in both races today. But, I am happy to finish on a positive note because, in the second moto, I came from almost dead-last, back to sixth. I was happy with my riding. The team did a great job with the changes we made for the second moto, it was definitely working and I was starting to feel a bit more like myself, so I am happy with that.”

Jeremy Seewer – P10

“Today was bitter-sweet. I felt good on the track here, and it was cool to race in front of all the Argentinian fans. They were super supportive and to have the fans back after the last couple of years, you really feel it; the change in energy and atmosphere is really special. The first race today went pretty good; P. 3 is not too bad for the first moto, but then in the second moto I had big crash, and then crashed again, and I couldn’t continue. Obviously, it’s always disappointing to DNF, but we need to look at the positives, and try to recover and be back fighting for podiums at the next one.”

Ben Watson – P12

“It was another very tough weekend. I was far from my potential again but I am trying my best to put my weaknesses behind and get back to myself as soon as possible. I felt better in the timed sessions but struggled in the races more than I should have. I didn’t feel I could ride to my potential but I tried to salvage everything I could. All the team worked hard to try to find areas to improve and we will keep going in this direction.”

MXGP Round 3 Overall

MXGP Standings

MX2 Race 1

In the first MX2 race of the Argentinian Grand Prix, it was Vialle with the Fox Holeshot as he led the way ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder and Gianluca Facchetti of KTM Beddini MX2.

Further behind was Big Van World MTX Kawasaki pilot Mikkel Haarup who was applying a lot of pressure onto Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee’s Isak Gifting. He was able to make it stick and move into sixth and set his sights on Facchetti ahead.

Geerts then managed to break free of the hard charging de Wolf and set the fastest lap of the race as he looked to get back in the battle with Vialle.

de Wolf then lost some ground and it looked like Längenfelder was going to use this to his advantage to go after third. As the battle between the pair intensified, both de Wolf and Längenfelder crashed hard, in two separate crashes within second of each other, with de Wolf not finishing the race, while the Längenfelder was able to get going again.

Meanwhile F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo was looking very strong as he charged through the field. By lap seven, he inherited third and was looking good to finish inside the top three.

Meanwhile Vialle was looking more and more comfortable in the lead, as the riders battled behind him. Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini got by 426 Motorsports Conrad Mewse for fifth, with Haarup doing the same after crashing earlier in the race.

In the final two laps we saw some excitement at the sharp end of the field, as Geerts looked to steal the win from Vialle. And he did just that, though Vialle responded, and it took the Belgian a couple more corners to secure the spot entirely.

Geerts went on to win the race ahead of Vialle, Guadagnini, Haarup and Horgmo, who lost two spots on the final lap.

MX2 Race 2

The second race of the MX2 category did not begin as planned with the race being red flagged less than two laps in, as Facchetti went down, and the medical crew needed a clear track to move him safely. The Italian confirmed on his Instagram page that he sustained a small fracture to his wrist and ribs.

The restart of the race though saw Längenfelder claim the second Fox Holeshot with Geerts right behind him.

By the end of the second lap, Geerts was already the race leader, as Vialle also went by Längenfelder and so did Horgmo. The German and Norwegian then had a close battle, though were caught out by Guadagnini who was on a charge, as he managed to get by both riders by the fifth lap, to move himself into third.

Vialle looked like he was on a mission after a tough couple of races and on lap five he got by Geerts to take over first place. A couple of laps later Horgmo crashed out of fourth, but was able to get going quickly in sixth, though he did not finish the race in the end.

Haarup was on it as he passed both Längenfelder and then later Guadagnini to secure third place in the race by the chequered flag.

Vialle crossed the finish line first, 6.463 seconds ahead of Geerts, with Haarup third, Guadagnini fourth and Längenfelder fifth.

A 2-1 result gave Vialle his first Grand Prix victory of the season, with Geerts forced to settle for second, while Haarup celebrated his first MX2 podium since Matterley Basin 2020.

As it stands, heading into the fourth round of the series in Portugal, Geerts leads the championship with 137 points, 26 ahead of Vialle, with Längenfelder third just a further point behind.

Tom Vialle – P1

“A nice weekend and I really wanted to win that second moto but it was very fast and tough out there. I wanted to make the passes quickly and it worked out I had to stay focussed. I’m getting back to speed and physically I’m strong after a difficult winter of preparation. The season is getting going for me now. We have another 17 GPs ahead. I want to thank the whole team for the job at this GP. We have an amazing race bike.”“It was a nice victory, you know it was a little bit tough for me in the last few weeks, so after Mantova we made tested with the bike and I made a pretty good set-up. I felt good and I really wanted to win the second race and when I passed Jago I was really wanted to push until the end and it was a nice victory and hard because Jago was really fast, but I tried to stay focused on the race. The weekend went pretty well, and it was a nice victory.”

Jago Geerts – P2

“It was a good weekend for me. The first heat was really good, and I was happy to pass Tom in the last two laps. In the second moto, I wasn’t feeling great, but it did start coming back. I felt good, but I had really big blisters on my hands, so it was impossible to keep the pace. But, overall, I have to be happy, I get to keep the red plate and I am fit and healthy for the next round.”

Mikkel Haarup – P3

“Already yesterday I could feel I had a good flow around the track and like in the weekends before I was improving every session; after fourth in the Qualifying race I could see my pace was there for the podium but I didn’t want to take it for granted so I kept working and really pushed for it. I made some nice passes both motos but I made it difficult for myself in race one when I slid out when fifth so I had to come back from twelfth to fourth. I recovered well between the races and could push all of the second race too. I’m really happy, not just for myself but for the entire team and everybody around me; this was a team effort and we’re only just getting started. It was so good to be back on the podium. It’s difficult to describe the emotion; you work so hard for it and I just tried to enjoy every moment up there but tomorrow is a new week and we carry on working; I can see I have even more and want to be up there with the guys right at the front.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P4

“I am pretty happy about my weekend. I found a good rhythm again. I finished third and fourth for fourth overall, but I had the same points as third. That was tough to accept. It is good though – I am back in the rhythm. I am so happy about that! We will use this as a starting point and keep working from here.”

Simon Langenfelder – P9

“I was fourth in the first moto and felt faster. I wanted to prepare my pass, but gave it too much gas and hit the ground really hard. I am happy that I am okay! I just salvaged points. I took the holeshot in the second moto, but I made a mistake in the middle of the race. I was trying to be loose after that and salvage something. I am going to recover and be ready for the next race.”

Kevin Horgmo – P10

“Once again I had good speed but I was just making too many mistakes on my part, again hitting the ground a couple of times. But I felt good in myself, the bike was perfect for this track and I felt really comfortable. I’m still trying to establish myself in the top six; I should soon be getting used to it but it is relatively new to me and I still have a lot of nerves. Let’s go from here.”

MX2 Round 3 Overall

MX2 Standings