Top 5 Start to the MXGP Season for Coldenhoff and Fantic

The wait is finally over, the FIM Motocross World Championship roared back into action this weekend at a brand-new venue in Córdoba, Argentina – with Glenn Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi placing two Fantic XXF 450 machines inside the top 9 of the fiercely competitive premier class.

Glenn Coldenhoff got off to a strong start at the MXGP of Argentina, securing fifth place in time practice. The experienced Dutchman followed that up with 6th in the first qualifying race of the season, giving him a solid gate pick for the two all-important motos on Sunday. His Fantic Factory Racing MXGP teammates, Andrea Bonacorsi and Brian Bogers, lined up in 12th and 13th respectively, although "BB189" had already shown his potential with 6th in time practice, proving there was definitely room to climb higher.

As always, starts are crucial – even more so against the best of the best, where the smallest margins make the difference. The Fantic Factory Racing MXGP trio didn't quite get the best launch off the line in race 1, with only Coldenhoff quickly moving into the top 10. A strong race pace and a late charge saw him put the Fantic XXF 450 in fifth place. Bonacorsi looked set to join "The Hoff" in the top 10, but a fall while challenging for P10 meant he had to settle for 11th, while Bogers crossed the line in 14th.

In Race 2, Coldenhoff was once again the leading Fantic rider. He was pushing hard and had set his sights on sixth place by lap 8, when a small tip-over cost him valuable time. He remounted in eleventh, put his head down, and charged back to seventh, securing important points to finish fifth overall. Bonacorsi fought hard and was rewarded with a well-deserved tenth place and ninth overall. Another mid-pack start left Bogers with work to do, eventually ending up 17th, not quite able to make the progress he had hoped for.

Looking at the bigger picture, having two Fantic XXF 450 inside the top 9 of the GP classification is a promising start to a long MXGP season – with plenty of opportunities ahead to keep building and improving. This is only the beginning of the 2025 world tour, with 19 more rounds across four continents awaiting the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP team. Next up is the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha in Cózar, Spain, in two weeks' time.

Glenn Coldenhoff:

"It was a solid weekend! Normally, I am not the biggest fan of fast tracks, but I really enjoyed riding here. My starts were a little bit off in both motos. I managed to come back quite well, despite a crash in race 2, which really wasn't necessary… I was in too much of a hurry, just wanting to move forward, and lost the front. It was really tough afterwards trying to get going again – it was so hot. I struggled for two laps before finding my rhythm again. I pushed hard until the end to try to get sixth, but didn't manage. Overall, 5-7 for fifth overall isn't bad at all. The goal is always to be in the top 5, and it was good to see I have the speed. I just need to improve my starts a bit – that will definitely make life easier."

Andrea Bonacorsi:

"The first race is done, but the season is still long. We made some good progress over the course of the weekend here in Argentina, and I would say ninth overall is a pretty positive result for the first GP of the year. Now we need to keep working – we have two weeks to be even better prepared for the next round in Spain."

Brian Bogers:

"I showed some good things on Saturday, but unfortunately it didn't come together on Sunday. Looking at the results, this is definitely not where we want or need to be. I had been feeling better on the bike lately, but I had quite a big crash around ten days ago. I am totally fine again now, but I couldn't ride for a week, so I missed a bit of time on the bike. Now we need to get back to work!"