Defending MX2 champion Pauls Jonass (Red Bull KTM) fired an early shot across his rivals’ bows with a dominant six-second win over Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) in the Neuquen qualifying race.
Battling Brit Ben Watson (Kemea Yamaha) – who badly broke his foot in Argentina two years ago – moved into third at half-distance when Spanish teenager Jorge Prado Garcia (Red Bull KTM) crashed out and held it to the flag for a career-best qualifying performance.
Hotly-tipped Aussie Lawrence Hunter (Geico Honda) took fourth, just over five seconds ahead of South African Calvin Vlaanderen (Team HRC) and America’s Darian Sanayei (Bike it DRT Kawasaki).
Thomas Covington (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) made it two Americans in the top 10 with a strong seventh chased by Swede Alvin Ostlund (SM Action Yamaha), Italian Michele Cervellin (Team Martin Honda) and British teenaged talent Conrad Mewse (ASA Hitachi KTM UK).
The world’s best motocross riders will now regroup tomorrow afternoon in the foothills of the Andes when the first points of the 2018 season will be up for grabs.
MXGP Neuquen MX2 qualifying race
1 1 Jonass, Pauls LAT LAMSF KTM 24:47.569 13 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:45.246 2 53
2 19 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna 24:53.890 13 0:06.321 0:06.321 1:45.555 2 52.8
3 919 Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha 24:59.720 13 0:12.151 0:05.830 1:46.219 9 52.5
4 96 Lawrence, Hunter AUS MA Honda 25:09.495 13 0:21.926 0:09.775 1:47.123 5 52
5 10 Vlaanderen, Calvin RSA KNMV Honda 25:14.835 13 0:27.266 0:05.340 1:47.079 4 52.1
6 57 Sanayei, Darian USA ACU Kawasaki 25:16.916 13 0:29.347 0:02.081 1:47.385 3 51.9
7 64 Covington, Thomas USA MUL Husqvarna 25:23.554 13 0:35.985 0:06.638 1:47.506 3 51.9
8 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE SVEMO Yamaha 25:27.623 13 0:40.054 0:04.069 1:47.960 3 51.6
9 747 Cervellin, Michele ITA FMI Honda 25:30.931 13 0:43.362 0:03.308 1:47.772 3 51.7
10 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM 25:31.296 13 0:43.727 0:00.365 1:47.601 9 51.8
11 14 Beaton, Jed AUS MA Kawasaki 25:32.150 13 0:44.581 0:00.854 1:48.290 8 51.5
12 46 Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV KTM 25:36.993 13 0:49.424 0:04.843 1:46.976 2 52.1
13 193 Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha 25:40.846 13 0:53.277 0:03.853 1:47.138 3 52
14 98 Vaessen, Bas NED KNMV Honda 25:43.939 13 0:56.370 0:03.093 1:48.737 9 51.3
15 29 Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Husqvarna 25:48.926 13 1:01.357 0:04.987 1:48.571 4 51.3
16 321 Bernardini, Samuele ITA FMI TM 25:54.370 13 1:06.801 0:05.444 1:49.071 3 51.1
17 18 Brylyakov, Vsevolod RUS MFR Yamaha 25:56.382 13 1:08.813 0:02.012 1:48.611 6 51.3
18 118 Rubini, Stephen FRA FFM KTM 26:05.294 13 1:17.725 0:08.912 1:49.125 4 51.1
19 891 Souza, Gustavo BRA CBM Honda 26:08.654 13 1:21.085 0:03.360 1:49.866 4 50.7
20 56 Weltin, Marshal USA AMA Honda 26:16.049 13 1:28.480 0:07.395 1:51.195 7 50.1
21 66 Larranaga Olano, Iker ESP RFME Husqvarna 24:48.229 12 1 lap 1 lap 1:48.383 4 51.4
22 194 Vasquez, Javier CHL FMC Honda 24:56.586 12 1 lap 0:08.357 1:52.466 4 49.6
23 133 Righi, Luciano ARG CAMOD Husqvarna 25:17.307 12 1 lap 0:20.721 1:55.090 4 48.4
24 375 Seibel, Pablo Julian ARG CAMOD Honda 25:18.454 12 1 lap 0:01.147 1:54.447 1 48.7
25 276 Villaronga, Sergio CHL FMC Honda 25:51.280 12 1 lap 0:32.826 1:52.997 3 49.3
26 833 Toro, Lautaro ARG CAMOD Kawasaki 26:05.853 12 1 lap 0:14.573 1:56.940 1 47.7
27 122 Bratschi, German URU FUM Husqvarna 26:38.690 12 1 lap 0:32.837 1:57.739 7 47.3
28 61 Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 17:58.228 8 5 laps 4 laps 1:45.213 5 53
29 172 Van doninck, Brent BEL FMB Husqvarna 18:01.025 8 5 laps 0:02.797 1:49.570 1 50.9
30 811 Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki 2:15.236 0 13 laps 8 laps 0:00.000 0
31 44 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA FMI KTM 0:00.000 -1 14 laps 1 lap 0:00.000 0
32 934 Dunka, Lucas BRA CBM Honda 0:00.000 -1 14 laps 0:00.000 0:00.000
