Calvin Vlaanderen, Team HRC’s sole representative at the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Argentina, secured a place in the top 10 in the MX2 class after a strong showing in the second moto.

The South African’s campaign got off to a shaky start in race one when he collided with another rider and crashed before recovering to 18th. After gating mid-pack in race two, he fought his way up the leaderboard and made a pass for fifth on the final lap.The result puts him 10th in the championship on 19 points.

“Overall we can be happy to go home safe because the track was quite sketchy in some places and I did all I could to be consistent and avoid any mistake,” he said. “I’m a bit disappointed with my first race as the crash cost me quite a few places and forced me to fight quite hard just to finish 18th.

“I did not get the best start in race two but I was able to make some passes and I was sixth for a long time but then I moved up to fifth and almost caught fourth place on the last lap.

“I’m happy with my riding and my fitness and I know what I need to work on ahead of Valkenswaard. I would like to thank my team for their amazing job and for giving me such a great bike.”