Solid start for Redbull KTM in Argentina
Photo by Ray Archer.
The wide and rippled course of Neuquen has become a familiar Grand Prix staple for the MXGP field and since the circuit first entered the world championship in 2015. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing made the long journey from central Europe to the depths of South America with three of their four riders in play and with 5-time title winner Jeffrey Herlings making a welcome return to the orange set-up.
Under cloudy, chilly skies and with typically vocal and passionate native support, the GP got going with the RAM Qualification Heat on Saturday providing both MXGP and MX2 classes with their first gate drops of the season. Herlings rode to a steady 6th place while Adamo started excellently in MX2 and led until the last two laps. The Italian brought his KTM 250 SX-F home in 3rd for a decent gate choice pick for Sunday. Coenen rode to 9th.
Photo by Ray Archer.
Andrea Adamo, opting to keep his career number of #80 in place of #1, strived to be hot away from the line for the first race on Sunday and in sunnier weather. The Italian fared better in the second moto where a 5th position represented the highest ranking for the team on the day. Andrea was 5th overall. Sacha Coenen, who finished 17th at Argentina in 2023, suffered from a few small mistakes but his runs to 6th and 10th was good enough for 8th.
Jeffrey Herlings took a measured approach to the difficult, fast and bumpy Argentine soil. Playing a smart game and fully aware of the 57 starts still to come after the Nequen fixture Herlings plotted charts to 8th and 7th for 8th in the final rankings.
Fellow Belgian Liam Everts missed the trip to Argentina due to an injury with his right thumb. The 2023 multiple Grand Prix winner is recovering from corrective surgery and is hopeful of re-joining the team for round two. The following fixture sees MXGP return to European shores and to the Intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos in Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix on March 23-24.
Photo by Ray Archer.
Jeffrey Herlings, 8th and 7th for 8th overall in MXGP: “It is what it is today. Not too bad but we also gave away some points. We qualified 6th and had an 8th and 7th today. Not where we want to be but hopefully we’ll be better in Spain because I won there last year and also in 2021. I think the track will suit me more, better than this one, which was quite sketchy. It’s nice to watch here but tricky for racing.”
Photo by Ray Archer.
Andrea Adamo, 8th and 5th for 5th overall in MX2: “So-so weekend. We showed some pretty good speed on Saturday but things were not really on-point today. We need to work on a few areas but this is only the first Grand Prix of twenty. We have to keep building and aim for improvement every race. We want to fight for podiums and wins so the goal is to be closer to that in Spain.”
Photo by Ray Archer.
Sacha Coenen, 6th and 10th for 8th overall in MX2: “The weekend was quite OK. Not the best but my speed was OK and my feeling also. We just need to put all the things together at once for the right result. My starts were good and that was very positive. We’ll keep fighting for what we know we can achieve.”
Words by KTM Factory Racing.