Maxime Renaux and Kay de Wolf Draw First Blood At 2025 MXGP of Argentina

The 2025 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) got off to a thrilling start in Argentina, where Maxime Renaux and Kay de Wolf delivered standout performances across both the MXGP and MX2 classes.

With early morning rain giving way to drying, dusty conditions in the afternoon, the mix of tough conditions and a brand-new track made for an entertaining start to the 2025 MXGP season.

Renaux had an excellent opening to his season, winning the MXGP overall after a second-place finish in Race One and a dominant performance in Race Two, where he led every lap. He was followed by Romain Febvre in second and Tim Gajser in third overall. In the MX2 class, reigning champion Kay de Wolf also impressed, taking the overall win ahead of Sacha Coenen and Simon Laengenfelder.

MXGP: Renaux’s Reigns Supreme

The opening race of the MXGP class saw Jeremy Seewer grab the holeshot, closely followed by Romain Febvre and Maxime Renaux. Febvre wasted no time taking the lead, but Renaux quickly found his rhythm and settled into a solid third-place position. The battle at the front was intense, with Seewer managing to hold off the pressure from behind before slipping back to third as Gajser began to show his championship-winning form, moving up into the top spots early on.

In lap seven, Renaux made a mistake that almost looked spectacular as he “whisky throttled” off a berm and ran off track, losing valuable time to Febvre. “I made a small mistake that cost me a few seconds, but I stayed focused,” Renaux said after the race. Despite the error, the Frenchman maintained his position, eventually finishing in second behind Febvre, while Gajser fought hard to secure the final podium spot. Mattia Guadagnini, making his Ducati debut, also had a strong performance, finishing fourth. Meanwhile, MX2 graduates Lucas Coenen and Jago Geerts battled to seventh and twelfth, respectively.

In the second race, Renaux was quick off the line again, grabbing the holeshot and setting a pace that no one could match. Febvre and Gajser tried to close the gap but couldn’t find a way past the Frenchman, who pulled a 10-second lead at one point. As the race progressed, Febvre and Gajser exchanged positions for second, but the gap to Renaux proved insurmountable. Renaux crossed the line first once again, taking the overall GP victory, with Febvre and Gajser completing the podium.

“You never really know what to expect at the first round, but to win it is of course, amazing,” Renaux said. “With the team we’ve made a great bike and it’s a nice feeling for me to have the red plates for the first time in MXGP. It’s a fast class this year and the level of competition is very high so I’m looking forward to a great season of racing.”

Febvre, who finished second overall, was just one point behind Renaux in the standings as the series heads to Europe. “We have good points to start the season and I am only one point from the red plate; that’s the best start to a season I ever had,” Febvre said. “I was riding good all weekend in all conditions. The new bike suits me well; I am where I need to be fitness-wise, and I am ready for the long season. So, let’s go in Europe. But I hope we will return here next year; I like this track even better than the old track in Bariloche.”

Gajser, who battled hard throughout the day, was satisfied with his performance. “Solid day, and we leave Argentina healthy, which is the main goal,” he said. “I felt I had the speed of the top two, but I couldn’t get the starts and battle up front with them. By the time I got into the podium spots in both races, the leader had gone, so it was hard to try and catch them. Still, I’m happy with the weekend, and they did a very good job with the track here. Even with all the rain, it was still a fun circuit.”

MX2: De Wolf Shines, Coenen Steals the Show

The MX2 class was full of excitement, with defending champion Kay de Wolf showing exactly why he’s the one to beat this season. The Dutchman grabbed the holeshot in Race One, ahead of Sacha Coenen and Mathis Valin. De Wolf wasted no time establishing a commanding lead, while Coenen struggled early on, dropping down the pack after a minor slip. Despite the early setback, De Wolf continued to ride with composure, building an 8-second advantage over Simon Laengenfelder in second place by mid-race.

As the race progressed, several riders encountered misfortune. Valin crashed and then suffered bike problems, while Andrea Adamo faced engine troubles and was forced to retire. Meanwhile, De Wolf remained in control, crossing the finish line for a well-earned victory. Laengenfelder finished second, and Cas Valk delivered an impressive performance, securing third. Coenen fought back to finish inside the top 10, while Liam Everts showed his potential, moving up to 8th by the end of the race.

In the second race, Sacha Coenen came out firing, grabbing the holeshot with Valerio Lata and Simon Laengenfelder close behind. Coenen quickly extended his lead to 5 seconds over Oriol Oliver. Meanwhile, De Wolf, starting in 5th, was working his way through the pack before disaster struck: he crashed on the start-finish line and dropped to 8th. De Wolf struggled to catch his breath but, once he regained control, mounted a strong comeback to finish 6th.

Coenen, unchallenged in the lead, extended his advantage to 10 seconds and took a dominant win. Laengenfelder, who had been in a prime position for the overall win, faced disaster in the final laps, crashing twice and throwing away his chances. Coenen’s second-place finish in the overall standings was a well-earned result, with Adamo finishing second in the race and Everts securing a commendable fourth overall.

Reflecting on his performance, De Wolf said, “It’s back-to-back wins—last year I won in Argentina, and now I’ve won here again—it really couldn’t be any better! The first race was a bit muddier, with a lot of wheelspin off the line, so I adjusted my strategy and focused on riding my own race. Getting the holeshot at the start was a great boost. In the second race, I didn’t get the best start but fought my way back up. Unfortunately, I crashed on the start-finish line, and for a few laps, I struggled to catch my breath. Once I got everything under control, I worked my way back to third or fourth—so it was definitely an eventful one! Three weeks ago, we never would have expected to be here, so a huge thank you to everyone who made this possible—my team, my trainer, my family, and my girlfriend. The support has been incredible. Now, we’re back on the red plate, and I’m looking forward to Spain!”

Runner-up Sacha Coenen reflected on his race saying, “I knew I had good speed but I didn’t really have any expectations for this Grand Prix; I just wanted to push my hardest and see where we could arrive. The crash in the third corner of the first moto did not help and meant I had to come back from last position. It was not ideal. We didn’t make any changes to the bike because I feel really good with my setting – better than last season – and we’d worked hard for that this winter. It was great in the second moto, and I had good flow after the holeshot.”

Third placed Simon Laengenfelder concluded, “I was feeling good and fast with the bike this weekend, and I cannot really explain what happened at the end of the second moto. We have to figure some things out for the next Grand Prix. I’m fit and could ride well, but we have to look at these mistakes and put them right for Spain.”

The MXGP show now heads to Spain for the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha in Cozar on March 16th.

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	0:00.000	17
2	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	0:03.550	17
3	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	0:06.060	17
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	0:42.369	17
5	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	0:47.728	17
6	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	0:50.042	17
7	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	0:53.946	17
8	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	0:54.755	17
9	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	1:00.620	17
10	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	1:05.489	17
11	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	1:12.881	17
12	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	Yamaha	1:17.122	17
13	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1:30.609	17
14	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	1:35.400	17
15	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	Honda	1:40.704	17
16	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	1:42.447	17
17	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	1:45.272	17
18	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	1:46.596	17
19	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	1:46.882	17
20	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	Honda	1:57.633	17

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	0:00.000	18
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	0:04.260	18
3	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	0:06.216	18
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	0:48.464	18
5	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	Yamaha	0:54.712	18
6	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	0:57.146	18
7	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	0:59.156	18
8	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	1:05.461	18
9	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	1:07.053	18
10	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	1:09.126	18
11	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	1:11.901	18
12	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	1:14.508	18
13	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	1:27.380	18
14	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1:35.903	18
15	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	1:37.502	18
16	238	Fabio Aparecido dos Santos	BRA	Yamaha	1:48.798	18
17	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	2:08.032	18
18	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	1 lap	17
19	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	1 lap	17
20	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	1 lap	17

MXGP – GP Classification – Argentina
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	22 Points	25 Points	47 Points
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	25 Points	22 Points	47 Points
3	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	20 Points	20 Points	40 Points
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	18 Points	18 Points	36 Points
5	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	16 Points	14 Points	30 Points
6	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	14 Points	13 Points	27 Points
7	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	11 Points	12 Points	23 Points
8	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	YAM	13 Points	9 Points	22 Points
9	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	10 Points	11 Points	21 Points
10	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	12 Points	8 Points	20 Points
11	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	4 Points	15 Points	19 Points
12	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	15 Points	3 Points	18 Points
13	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	YAM	0 Points	16 Points	16 Points
14	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	8 Points	7 Points	15 Points
15	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	2 Points	10 Points	12 Points
16	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	5 Points	6 Points	11 Points
17	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	7 Points	4 Points	11 Points
18	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	9 Points	0 Points	9 Points
19	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	HON	6 Points	0 Points	6 Points
20	238	Fabio Aparecido dos Santos	BRA	YAM	0 Points	5 Points	5 Points

MXGP – World Championship Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Total
1	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	57 Points
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	56 Points
3	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	48 Points
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	40 Points
5	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	35 Points
6	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	27 Points
7	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	25 Points
8	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	25 Points
9	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	25 Points
10	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	YAM	22 Points
11	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	21 Points
12	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	21 Points
13	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	YAM	16 Points
14	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	15 Points
15	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	15 Points
16	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	11 Points
17	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	11 Points
18	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	9 Points
19	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	HON	6 Points
20	226	Tom Koch	GER	BET	5 Points
21	238	Fabio Aparecido dos Santos	BRA	YAM	5 Points
22	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	HUS	1 Point
23	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	HON	1 Point

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	0:00.000	16
2	27	Simon Laengenfelder	GER	KTM	0:08.992	16
3	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	0:30.085	16
4	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	0:53.078	16
5	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	0:54.343	16
6	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	0:56.987	16
7	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	1:00.823	16
8	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	1:06.366	16
9	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	1:07.114	16
10	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	1:26.340	16
11	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	1:32.586	16
12	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	1:42.120	16
13	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	1:52.432	16
14	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	1:59.632	16
15	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	1 lap	15
16	28	Marc-Antoine Rossi	FRA	KTM	1 lap	15
17	44	Marcello Silva	BRA	Yamaha	1 lap	15
18	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	1 lap	15
19	30	Benjamin Pascual	ARG	Honda	2 laps	14
20	166	Pietro Piroli	BRA	Yamaha	2 laps	14

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	0:00.000	17
2	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	0:14.680	17
3	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	0:27.725	17
4	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	Kawasaki	0:33.840	17
5	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	0:35.819	17
6	27	Simon Laengenfelder	GER	KTM	0:39.702	17
7	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	0:42.669	17
8	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	0:42.972	17
9	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	0:47.213	17
10	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	0:57.719	17
11	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	0:59.031	17
12	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	1:05.080	17
13	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	1:09.382	17
14	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	1:21.528	17
15	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	1:37.164	17
16	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	1:43.576	17
17	489	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	1:45.874	17
18	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	1:57.467	17
19	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	1 lap	16
20	28	Marc-Antoine Rossi	FRA	KTM	1 lap	16

MX2 – GP Classification – Aregentina
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	25 Points	16 Points	41 Points
2	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	12 Points	25 Points	37 Points
3	27	Simon Laengenfelder	GER	KTM	22 Points	15 Points	37 Points
4	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	13 Points	20 Points	33 Points
5	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	16 Points	13 Points	29 Points
6	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	20 Points	8 Points	28 Points
7	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	TRI	15 Points	10 Points	25 Points
8	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	YAM	9 Points	14 Points	23 Points
9	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	14 Points	9 Points	23 Points
10	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	0 Points	22 Points	22 Points
11	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	YAM	10 Points	11 Points	21 Points
12	22	David Braceras	ESP	HON	18 Points	3 Points	21 Points
13	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	0 Points	18 Points	18 Points
14	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	11 Points	7 Points	18 Points
15	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	0 Points	12 Points	12 Points
16	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	HON	6 Points	6 Points	12 Points
17	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	7 Points	5 Points	12 Points
18	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	8 Points	2 Points	10 Points
19	28	Marc-Antoine Rossi	FRA	KTM	5 Points	1 Points	6 Points
20	489	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	0 Points	4 Points	4 Points

MX2 – World Championship Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Total
1	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	49 Points
2	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	46 Points
3	27	Simon Laengenfelder	GER	KTM	44 Points
4	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	36 Points
5	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	32 Points
6	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	29 Points
7	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	28 Points
8	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	YAM	27 Points
9	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	YAM	26 Points
10	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	TRI	25 Points
11	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	24 Points
12	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	23 Points
13	22	David Braceras	ESP	HON	21 Points
14	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	18 Points
15	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	14 Points
16	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	12 Points
17	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	HON	12 Points
18	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	10 Points
19	28	Marc-Antoine Rossi	FRA	KTM	6 Points
20	489	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	5 Points