RENAUX AND ADAMO DELIGHT THE CROWDS OF CÓRDOBA WITH THE FIRST QUALIFYING RACE WINS OF 2025!
The brand new Infinito Race Track on the outskirts of the city of Córdoba had looked impressive in the week, and it looked even better as thousands of avid Argentine fans packed the hillsides to add an incredible atmosphere to the first day of action at the 2025 YPF Infinia MXGP of Argentina!
Riders were full of praise for the new venue and put on a fantastic show of thrilling racing, with Maxime Renaux claiming his first ever red plate in MXGP with the Qualifying Race win for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, although he was harassed for most of the race by Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP talisman Romain Febvre!
MX2 also saw some great wide-open action around the fast and flowing circuit, and after an early skirmish with his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Simon Laengenfelder, 2023 World Champion Andrea Adamo claimed the Qualifying Race win to claim the red plate for the first time in well over a year!
A new season is always full of hope, and the dreams of a great spectacle at this new track were realised in front of the huge crowd, which should be even larger for tomorrow’s main Grand Prix races!
After Renaux topped the standings in the Time Practice session with the last of his 12 laps, shown live on MXGP-TV.com for the first time, he lined up on the extreme inside gate next to the second fastest man, Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser. Renaux used the line well to just claim the holeshot from Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider Kevin Horgmo, while Gajser instantly used an attacking aerial manoeuvre to quickly move past the Norwegian to claim second, followed rapidly by Febvre!
Meanwhile, class rookie Lucas Coenen was involved in a second corner collision and would eventually recover only to 19th for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. New Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team leader Jeremy Seewer started well, chasing Horgmo for 4th until he finally made the move on lap nine!
Febvre was loving the circuit and made a strong move on Gajser to take second at the start of lap three, and closed the gap to Renaux within two more laps, ultimately attacking his fellow Frenchman for the entire second half of the race!
Behind them, Gajser settled for third position nearly 20 seconds behind, as Seewer and Horgmo locked down fourth and fifth despite a late attack from Fantic Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, who took sixth.
Seewer’s teammate Mattia Guadagnini made it two Ducatis in the top seven, while the other points scorers were Calvin Vlaanderen for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP in 8th, Kawasaki Racing Team’s new recruit Pauls Jonass in ninth, and Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez in tenth.
Time and again Febvre attacked Renaux, drawing level on one occasion as the pair blasted down pit straight side-by-side! The Yamaha man held his nerve, however, as Romain lost drive briefly on the final lap to deprive him of one last attempt! Renaux took his first Qualifying Race win for nearly three years, and will wear the first Championship leader’s red plate for Yamaha in the MXGP class since Febvre himself in 2016!
Maxime Renaux: “It’s an incredible way to start the season. The race was intense, with Romain pushing all the way, never giving up. I felt strong on the bike, no mistakes, and in control, which is exactly how you want to start. But the season is long, and we need to build rock by rock, staying focused on each race. The red plate is nice to have, a great achievement, but I don’t want to put extra pressure on my shoulders. What matters most is keeping that momentum and fighting for the gold plate at the end of the season.”
MXGP – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 25:25.836; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.559; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:23.000; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:30.328; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:33.851; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:37.058; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Ducati), +0:40.494; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.676; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:45.514; 10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:59.076;
MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 10 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 9 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 8 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 7 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 6 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 5 p.; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, DUC), 4 p.; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 3 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 2 p.; 10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 1 p.;
All three Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders had their time in the Argentine sun through the day, as Sacha Coenen set the fastest time in Free Practice, while Laengenfelder got the top slot by just 0.163 seconds from the Belgian in Time Practice! The German backed it up with a solid holeshot, while defending World Champion Kay de Wolf forced his Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing machine into second position ahead of Coenen!
Adamo was fourth, with reigning EMX250 Champion Mathis Valin in fifth for Kawasaki Racing Team, where he would stay until the chequered flag. The Italian was soon on the move with a fast outside move on Coenen to take third, and then surprised De Wolf by carving inside the Dutchman into a sharp right-hander!
Valerio Lata had shown good speed with second in Free Practice for Honda HRC, but a second corner collision with Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Camden McLellan saw the pair of them lose a lot of time picking themselves off the floor.
As lap two ended, Adamo closed onto the back wheel of Laengenfelder and pulled alongside over the Monster Energy Finish Line jump, holding the German to the outside in a solid move to take the lead! De Wolf was in no mood to let his predecessor get away, however, and passed Laengenfelder the following lap to put himself into second.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 squad had Thibault Benistant and Karlis Reisulis hold station for most of the race to finish sixth and seventh, while a steady Liam Everts claimed three points for eighth on his Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing debut. Oriol Oliver and Jens Walvoort did their new BTS Racing Team proud by rounding out the points in ninth and tenth!
At the front, De Wolf closed in on Adamo, as the two previous World MX2 Champions circulated at a scorching pace, with the crowd adding their appreciation to the excitement! Lap six saw Coenen pass Laengenfelder for third as Simon ran wide on landing from a jump, but De Wolf just over-extended himself and tipped over in the corner before the pit straight!
Coenen took the chance to claim second place, while De Wolf salvaged third ahead of Laengenfelder, and Adamo pressed on to take his first Qualifying Race win since Trentino in April last year, and will wear the red plate for the first time since the end of his title-winning season in 2023!
With fantastic weather and the track lending itself to great racing, everybody is looking forward to another stunning day at Córdoba tomorrow in front of the enthusiastic Argentine crowd! The MXGP season is back, alive, and ready to entertain!
Andrea Adamo: “The first race of the season is always important, and I’m happy with how it went. It took me a little time to get comfortable leading, but once I settled in, I found my rhythm and even set my fastest lap near the end. It’s a different challenge being out front, not having anyone to follow, but it’s part of growing as a rider. It’s still too early to say how the season will go, but I feel strong, and starting with a win is always better than being further back. Now, we stay focused, keep improving, and take it one race at a time.”
MX2 – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 24:03.631; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:04.538; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:10.739; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:12.727; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.989; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.857; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:28.854; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:34.032; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:37.426; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM),
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 10 points; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 9 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 8 p.; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 7 p.; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 6 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 5 p.; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 4 p.; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 3 p.; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 2 p.; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 1 p.;
Text/Bild: Infront