Maxime Renaux has kicked off his 2024 FIM MXGP campaign with an impressive fifth overall at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina.
Maxime Renaux has made a strong start to his 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship campaign with an impressive fifth overall at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP star showed impressive pace and consistency at the season-opener to secure his 4-6 race results. The team’s new signing, Calvin Vlaanderen, was also super-consistent with his pair of ninth-place finishes securing ninth overall.
After emerging from the first corner in the lead in the opening MXGP race, Renaux ran up front until turn three, where he was pushed back to second. A small mistake on lap four proved costly for him as it allowed fellow Frenchman Romain Febvre past before he lost another place just before the halfway stage of the race. From there, the former MX2 World Champion defended his position well to secure fourth.
Eager to finish the opening round on the podium, Renaux was fast to react when the start gate dropped for race two. Holding fifth until halfway around lap one, the 23-year-old fell but was quick to remount. With a considerable amount of work to do, Renaux charged forward and moved into sixth with five laps remaining, and for his hard effort, he was rewarded with fifth overall. Heading into round two, Renaux lies fifth in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship standings.
Vlaanderen made his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team debut and was incredibly consistent throughout the weekend in Argentina. After placing ninth in the MXGP Qualifying Race, Vlaanderen claimed ninth in both races for ninth overall and sits ninth in the series standings.
The second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in Madrid, Spain, on March 23rd and 24th.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina.
Maxime Renaux
5th MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, 33-points
5th MXGP Championship Standings, 39-points
“It’s been a really tough weekend here in Argentina. I was not 100% but as always, I pushed as hard as I could. It was a pity to have a small crash early on in race two, but I finished strong, and I know I can be better. With everything considered, I’m happy with my weekend and I’m glad to finish round one with good points.”
Calvin Vlaanderen
9th MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, 24-points
9th MXGP Championship Standings, 26-points
“I’m not overly happy with my weekend as I struggled a little bit with arm pump yesterday and in race one today. I’m just missing some race time, really, and a bit of speed, but that will come in time. Things improved as the weekend went on and I’m really happy with my bike and its set-up. There are plenty of positives to take away from this weekend, so I’m focusing on those as we move on to round two.”