The opening round of the 2026 FIM World Motocross Championships took place today in front of packed hillsides of excited fans, as the YPF MXGP of Argentina delivered on all of its promise with some pulsating battles for victory around the Bariloche MX Race Track! The amazing 2026 MXGP season is really on now! The track had minimal grading work overnight to help the circuit be a little more technical, although heavy watering was compulsory with the strong sunshine and lack of shelter from the winds coming down from the Andes. The crowds were packed in and they made their presence felt with their response to the fantastic racing!
After a tough Qualifying Race, Jeffrey Herlings made a perfect start to his Honda HRC Petronas career with a brilliant 1-1 performance to earn his 113th Grand Prix victory and his first in Argentina since 2018! Reigning World Champion Romain Febvre made a solid start to his title defence with second overall, for the third year in a row in Argentina! Saturday’s Qualifying race winner Tom Vialle completed a brilliant MXGP debut weekend with third overall! The Honda HRC Petronas teammates now share the World Championship lead, with Herlings taking the red plate by virtue of his higher number of race wins!
In MX2, another to recover from a rough Saturday was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s defending World Champion Simon Längenfelder, also taking both race wins in a smooth and calculating performance to crown the 100th GP of his career with a tenth GP win, and he now leads the series by three points heading to round two.
Triumph Racing Factory Team riders Guillem Farres and Camden McLellan packed out the podium places in second and third overall, as Guillem followed up his best career Qualifying Race with his equal-best GP result! Can he go one better at his home GP next time out?
The racing throughout was action-packed around the wide and fast circuit, and the crowd responded with a great atmosphere that only urged the riders on further! What a fantastic start to the MXGP season!
