Red Bull KTM ’s dominance at the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Argentina hardly came as a big surprise – we predicted as much in our series preview at the end of last month – but what we couldn’t call was how well the British contingent would perform.

The MXGP class was hardly a happy hunting ground for British riders in 2017 with injuries to Shaun Simpson, Tommy Searle and Jake Nicholls and the one bright point the late-season form of Max Anstie.

In Argentina it was Wilvo Yamaha’s Simpson who led home the Brit pack with his 11-7 card good enough for seventh overall. “I am absolutely pumped with the overall result. I came here to get inside the top-eight in both races, and if I hadn’t crashed in the first race, I would have achieved that,” he said.

“The second race I finished seventh. I know I don’t quite have the speed to run with the top-five right now, but from where I was last year to where I am today. I am happy with how I’ve bounced back, with my own motivation, and the team’s motivation as well. It’s quite exciting to see what else we can achieve as I know the bike has a lot of potential left to explore.

“We will go back to the workshop, make some small changes and improve. We will come out in Valkenswaard really swinging and try and get back inside the top-five. Let’s see where the next eighteen rounds will take up. I’m really excited.”

Searle brought his Bike It DRT Kawasaki home in ninth in the opener – three places ahead of Anstie – but both went down in a first-turn pile-up in race two. Searle got back to 13th and Anstie recovered for 15th on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna which placed them 11th and 13th overall.

“We got the first GP of this long season out of the way and now we can focus on the ones to come. In the opening moto I didn’t manage to get a good start but I came through and was racing inside the top 10. Unfortunately, with two laps to go I had a crash and that dropped me back to 12th at the line,” said Anstie.

“Then in the second moto I was in a great position after the gate drop, but I got tangled with another rider and crashed in the first corner. Hitting the ground, I got covered in sand and this made everything harder afterwards. It’s a shame I couldn’t show my potential here in Argentina, but I did salvage a few points eventually. It’s onwards and upwards now and I’m looking forward to the next GP now.”

Northern Ireland’s Graeme Irwin had a promising debut in the MXGP class, steering his ASA Hitachi KTM UK machine to 16-20 finishes for 18th overall. Expect him to get faster and faster as he adapts to the world championship pace.

In MX2, Ben Watson took fourth overall (click here) while Conrad Mewse has got a ton of potential and his off-season move to the ASA Hitachi KTM UK team certainly seems to suit him. A storming sixth in the opening moto was backed up with a crash-fuelled 19th second time out for 13th overall.

Former British champion Adam Sterry had a much tougher weekend. Re-opening a bad cut on his hand in a qualification, after gritting it out for 13th in race one the F&H Kawasaki rider hit a fallen bike in moto two and couldn’t add to his points score to end the weekend 21st.