FIM Motocross World Championship starts in the sign of Pirelli
Antonio Cairoli wins both MXGP race at the Grand Prix of the Patagonia-Argentina and grabs the first Red Plate of the season; no rivals for Jorge Prado in the MX2 class
The scenographic Neuquen track hosted the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina, the inaugural race of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship. Excellent performance was provided by the Pirelli SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft front and the SCORPION™ SOFT rear tyres that were chosen by the majority of the riders in the MXGP and MX2 classes. On the sandy volcanic soil, the products allowed Pirelli to fill both podiums (MXGP and MX2) with its riders.
An amazing Antonio Cairoli dominated the MXGP class. The nine-time world champion, despite suffering a DNF in qualifying, made two excellent starts and won both races, finishing the race day with maximum points. Tim Gajser was second on both occasions and rested as runner-up. Faithful to the slogan "we sell what we race, we race what we sell", Pirelli also took the third step of the podium thanks to privateer Jeremy Van Horebeek and thus swept the MXGPclass rostrum with three different motorcycle brands.
In MX2 reigning champion Jorge Prado laid down the law. The Spaniard won both races and was the clear fastest rider of the field. Behind him was an excellent second place for Thomas Kjer Olsen, who won the Saturday qualification heat. Great performance also for Mitchell Evans who, on his World Championship debut, climbed the third step of the podium. Calvin Vlaanderen and Henry Jacobi finished fourth and fifth respectively on equal points (the same as Evans with only the second moto classification divine the trio) for an MX2 top five completely branded by Pirelli.
The riders and teams will be back on track on 23-24 March for the second round of the season - the Grand Prix of Great Britain - which will be hosted at the Matterley Basin circuit.
Race results (in bold Pirelli riders):
MXGP race 1
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
3. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)
4.DESALLE Clement (BEL)
5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
MXGP race 2
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
3. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)
4. ANSTIE Max (GBR)
5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
MX2 race 1
1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)
2. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
3. JACOBI Henry (GER)
4. VLAANDEREN Calvin (NED)
5. EVANS Mitchell (AUS)
MX2 race 2
1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)
2. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
3. EVANS Mitchell (AUS)
4. VLAANDEREN Calvin (NED)
5. JACOBI Henry (GER)
GP Overall:
MXGP
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
3. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)
4.DESALLE Clement (BEL)
5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
MX2
1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)
2. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
3. EVANS Mitchell (AUS)
4. VLAANDEREN Calvin (NED)
5. JACOBI Henry (GER)
Championship overall:
MXGP
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.50
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.44
3. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) p.35
4.DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.33
5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.32
6. JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU) p.26
MX2
1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) p.50
2. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.44
3. EVANS Mitchell (AUS) p.36
4. VLAANDEREN Calvin (NED) p.36
5. JACOBI Henry (GER) p.36
6. WATSON Ben (GBR) p.29