The Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina will open the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship, and for many people that round can’t come around quickly enough. The beauty of the circuit and the area makes this a perfect start to the MXGP and MX2 series.
Lucas De La Fuente is part of the team that makes sure the Grand Prix of Patagonia - Argentina goes to plan. Having been involved from the very first
“Patagonia is all about nature,” De La Fuente said. “The first locations we looked at for this event were closer to town, but we put a lot of effort to find the right location. As you could see, it turned out well, but when we first found that location, it wasn’t like it is now, we put a lot of work into getting it to look like that. We wanted it close enough to the town, but not close enough to bother the town itself, and we wanted that feeling of the natures and to show the nice things of this location. From where we are here in Patagonia, it’s 2500 kilometres to the north, and almost the same to the south. It is incredible, because you have people coming from everywhere, driving more than 2.000 km, and you have people flying in from Buenos Aires. We have a lot of small motocross and enduro tracks in Argentina. For our country, this is the event to attend. People plan months ahead to make the trip and you see the spectators also hang around to enjoy the area. That is why it is the correct thing to do to run the event in this tourist area. People don’t just come for the weekend, they make a week of it.”
British rider Ben Watson has had his share of up and down experiences in Argentina, but going into 2019, he is keener than ever to add a podium finish or even a GP win to name.
Yes,” Watson said. “When I found out the first round will be in Argentina again, I have that feeling that I can go how I felt at the start in Argentina this year. I went back to a track I hadn’t done well at. I went there with a factory bike, and a lot of people looking at me and seeing what I can do with the extra support. I qualified third and had two fourths in the race and one of the best weekends of the year. Now I can go there with a completely different mind-set. Previously I had gone there, broken my foot and never really had great memories from that place. I am looking forward to that first round a lot now.”
Journalist David Bulmer also has good feelings about his return to Argentina, one of the highlights of his travel experiences for the MXGP championships.
“I think that first time I went to the Argentina race in Patagonia was one of the highlights,” Bulmer said. “I flew to Chile and I travelled down along the Andes and that is an amazing area. People have seen the photos of the track and the social media of the riders, and that stands out. It is just interesting place and for me, seeing the area where the track is, and the culture, that is why I enjoy the sport so much.”
So now, just a couple of months and the MXGP and MX2 riders will arrive in Argentina, and once again enjoy the amazing nature and that beautiful circuit hidden in the Patagonian forrest.
