Putting in two committed moto performances, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin wrapped up round three of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship in Patagonia, Argentina with fourth overall, claiming a season best overall MXGP class finish.

Building confidence aboard his new FC 450 machine, Paulin showed great speed and consistency in both races at the fast Neuquen track. Getting a good jump out of the gate in moto one, the Frenchman found himself racing in eight place at the end of lap one. Making some crucial passes Gautier climbed to sixth at the chequered flag.

With an even better start in moto two Paulin found himself battling for the top three before eventually settling for fourth. Showing he has the speed to chase for the overall podium he rounded out the GP with a strong fourth overall in the MXGP class.

Paulin’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP teammate Max Nagl had to work hard at the GP of Patagonia. Starting the opening moto in 10th at the end of lap one, he kept battling for the top six and eventually claimed a positive eighth place result. Not getting a great start in moto two Max found himself racing in 13th place once the opening lap had been completed. Pushing hard and making some good passes he brought his FC 450 home in sixth for eighth overall at the GP.

In what is his rookie year in the MXGP class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie continues to show positive signs of improvement. Putting in a strong fight in the opening moto the Brit managed to claim a season best race result with seventh at the chequered flag. Getting 12th in moto two Max rounded out his participation at the GP of Patagonia with a season best 10th overall in the 450cc class.

Once again the best performer among the trio of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 riders, Thomas Kjer-Olsen put in a good fight for the top three in each moto. Getting a great start in race one the young Dane managed to stay close to the leading group. Putting in some consistently fast laps he came home in fourth place. Suffering a small fall in moto two, Kjer-Olsen fought back to an eventual seventh place, for sixth overall in the MX2 class.

Thomas Covington wrapped up round three of the 2017 series with 14th overall in MX2. Showing some impressive speed in moto one the young American made some good passes to end up eighth at the flag. Unable to get a decent race pace following his opening lap crash with teammate Thomas Kjer-Olsen, Covington settled for 20th in moto two.

Suffering two bad starts in both MX2 motos Conrad Mewse was unable to show his speed in Argentina. Collecting 27/26 moto results the young Brit rounded out his participation at the GP with 28th overall in MX2 class.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at round four of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship in Mexico on April 1/2.

Gautier Paulin“The feeling is great on my bike at the moment. We’ve made some good progress since the start of the season so the results are slowly coming our way. I know we can do even better and this is our goal for the following GPs. In the opening moto it took me a while to get a good race pace. I ended up sixth but I was really close to the top three. Then in the second moto I had a better start and found myself battling for second place. We had some great battles and I crossed the line in fourth for fourth overall at the GP. Everybody in our team are doing a great job and I’m really looking forward to the next GP. We are in the right position now to go fight for the top in our class and this is what we’re going to do in Mexico.”

Max Nagl“It feels good to see the speed is there to battle for the top. I feel that consistency was key this weekend. My riding was really good in both motos but I struggled a bit with my starts. Despite getting a good jump out of the gate, I didn’t manage to be inside the top five out of the first corner. But I stayed focused and made lots of passes in both motos. Especially in moto two I think I was 13th at the end of lap one but managed to cross the line in sixth place. Overall, I’m happy with the way things are going. The track in Argentina was kind of tricky and difficult so to get sixth overall is also a confidence booster for the coming races.”

Max Anstie“Overall it was a good weekend for us. We are in a very good place, considering this is just my third GP aboard the 450cc bike. The feeling on my bike is great so far and I know there’s more to come. This weekend I had lots of fun and felt good to battle with the riders up front. In moto one I got a good start and kept pushing for a spot inside the top five. I got seventh and this was my best result so far this season. Then in moto two my start wasn’t that good so I had to battle from outside the top 15 to 12th at the chequered flag. We’re taking one step at a time and we believe the top six is well within our reach.”

Thomas Kjer-Olsen“I’m really happy with how things are going at the moment. This might just be my first full season in MX2 but we’ve already showed what we’re capable of. I felt very confident on my bike again this weekend and we battled for the top three in both motos. In moto one I got a good start inside the top five and went on to claim fourth. Unfortunately, a small crash with my teammate in moto two didn’t let me fight for the overall podium. But I got back on the bike and continued to push ending up seventh for sixth overall at the GP. We’re currently fifth in the points standings and we will continue giving our best for the top three in each moto.”

Thomas Covington“Conditions were totally different than in any of the previous two GPs but I’m glad our speed was there. I missed the start in the opening moto and had to battle from outside the top 15 to finally end up eighth. I struggled a bit with arm pump but overall I felt quite good. In the second moto we got together with Kjer-Olsen and unfortunately I could not find a good race pace after that. I was also feeling a little bit sick during the weekend and that didn’t make things any easier. I got 14 overall from this GP but obviously I want more. The season is long and it’s up to me now to go get what’s there for me.”

Conrad Mewse“I did my best on this demanding track but nothing seemed to go our way. After Indonesia, where I kind of felt under the weather, I was hoping for some improved results in Argentina. Unfortunately, my starts were not good in both motos so again I found myself battling for the top 20. It’s been a hectic start to the championship with lots of travelling and very demanding racing conditions. We have one more GP in South America and then I’ll be looking forward to returning to Europe. We need to continue working. I know there’s so much more to give and I’ve got to find a way to make this happen.”

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Results – FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 3 

MXGP - Overall 
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 50 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 42; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) 38; 4. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 33… 8. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 28… 10. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 23… 17. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 8… 21. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 2

MXGP - Race 1 
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 19 laps, 35:25.581; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 35:32.731; 3. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 35:36.549… 6. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 35:40.627; 7. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 35:43.907; 8. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 35:44.849… 17. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 36:49.845… 24. Nicolas Carranza (Husqvarna) 37:10.842… 26. Augustin Poli (Husqvarna) 37:38.383

MXGP - Race 2 
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 18 laps, 34:07.642; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) 34:12.957; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 34:14.365; 4. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 34:16.520… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:30.119… 12. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 34:48.522… 17. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 35:19.457… 19. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 34:27.461

MX2 - Overall 
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 50 points; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 40; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 38… 6. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 32… 14. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 14; 15. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 12… 21. Anton Gole (Husqvarna) 2

MX2 - Race 1 
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 19 laps, 35:21.092, 2. Benoit Paturel (Yamaha) 35:25.410; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:28.199; 4. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:29.478… 8. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 35:54.813… 15. Ikel Larranaga (Husqvarna) 36:26.240… 24. Ivan Petrov (Husqvarna) 37:12.043… 26. Anton Gole (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 35:24.046; 27. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 35:53.462

MX2 - Race 2 
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 18 laps, 34:04.845; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 34:08.123; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 34:30.738… 7. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 34:45.834… 15. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 35:06.775… 19. Anton Gole (Husqvarna) 35:25.317; 20. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 35:36.973… 25. Ivan Petrov (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 34:36.055; 26. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 34:37.838

Championship Standings (After Round 3) 

MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 106 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 96; 3. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 91… 6. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 72… 10. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 49… 12. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 46… 15. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 32… 18. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 24

MX2
1. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 110 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 107; 3. Benoit Paturel (Yamaha) 103… 5. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 99… 15. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 40… 19. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 26… 22. Caleb Ward (Husqvarna) 14… 24. Anton Gole (Husqvarna) 14… 26. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 6… 30. Aaron Tanti (Husqvarna) 1