Rider Reflections: 2026 MXGP of Argentina
Read what a host of MXGP riders had to say about their weekend at the 2026 MXGP of Argentina.
MXGP
Jeffrey Herlings: "Going 1-1 in my first outing for Honda HRC PETRONAS is great, and a big thank you to everyone in the team who has worked so hard in these couple of months to help make this happen. It wasn’t easy, because in race one I got a bit of arm pump after grabbing the holeshot, but I studied Tom’s lines and then made the pass near the end of the race. Then race two, it was a bit chaotic with the restart, but I felt I judged my energy levels well and was able to close the gap and then made the pass again near the end. Going 1-1 and taking the red plate is about as good as it as it could have gone today, so I’m hoping to keep this going."
Romain Febvre: "We made some adjustments to the bike since yesterday, and we got much better starts; I even got the holeshot in race two before they red-flagged it. At the re-run I was just behind Tom off the start and had a better flow; that's always easier when you're in front and can ride your own lines. I was in a good spot, but I didn't see Jeffrey had also passed Tom, so I thought I had a huge gap. I rode one good lap to keep the distance when I saw Jeffrey with ten minutes to go, but then I broke the roll-offs on my goggles, and I knew it would be difficult when he was on my wheels. My goal coming here was to be on the podium, and I did that; now I have someone to chase, and it's only two points."
Tom Vialle: "It feels really nice to be here, up on the podium. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, because there are a lot of good riders in the GPs. Obviously yesterday was good, and I felt comfortable taking the win in the qualification race. Then today, again, I was feeling good, and it was nice to lead some of the race before Jeffrey passed me. My intensity was pretty good in the first few laps, but I did make a couple of mistakes later, but overall I am very happy with my first weekend with Honda HRC PETRONAS."
Tim Gajser: "We came here to learn, and while it probably wasn’t the smoothest weekend, we made the most of the circumstances. There are definitely positives to take, especially from the second moto, and I felt like we improved in every session, which is encouraging. Of course, the goal is to be fighting at the front, but I feel like that will come with time. The track was quite tricky with not a lot of grip, so that made things a bit challenging, but overall, we learned a lot. Now we have two weeks before Spain, so we’ll keep working hard and come back even better prepared."
Lucas Coenen: “Saturday was quite OK, and I was looking forward to the motos, but that evening I started to have a lot of problems with my eye and couldn’t see that well on Sunday. We tried some treatment…but it got worst while riding. It was like racing blind! I was just cruising to not make an extra mistake. We’ll get it sorted in time for Spain; otherwise, everything is going in a good way.”
Ruben Fernandez: "I felt the second moto was a lot better than the first one, and it was a shame we had a red flag because I was in second before we had to line up again. Still, I felt my riding was good, and it is nice to have a positive feeling. I think I showed my speed, and I feel like I have more to come, and now we head to Spain, and I’m excited for that because it is a home GP."
Andrea Adamo: “Many positives from the weekend. I was very happy with the Quali race and also the speed in the first part of the first moto, but unfortunately in the second part I struggled a bit and dropped the pace. I regrouped for the second moto, and it was a better one. We have work to do, but the speed is there. Happy with the bike, the team and everything is going well. Onto the next one.”
Image: KTM
