The spectacular track of Villa La Angostura hosted the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina, race that officially kicked off the 2023 edition of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Good start for Ben Watson riding the MRT Racing Team BETA Beta RX 450 Factory. Seventeenth in time practice, the Englishman finished qualifying in thirteenth position. In the first race Watson was in the top ten for a long time, but lost a few places in the final laps to finish twelfth. Ben ended the day in sixteenth position in the final race and fifteenth Overall for the day and in the Championship.
On his return to the World Championship after the physical problems that left him out for most of last season, Alessandro Lupino set the sixteenth fastest time in the time practice, a position that he also confirmed in qualifying. Luck did not help Alessandro in race one when he was forced to retire during the first laps. In the final race the driver from Viterbo finished seventeenth, collecting his first four points of the season.
In a couple of weeks, the MRT Racing Team BETA will be challenging the Grand Prix of Sardinia, which will be held on the sandy Riola Sardo circuit.
Ben Watson: “The first GP is gone, and my feelings are conflicted. Also on this occasion we were not fast enough in the time practices, but during the races I had a good feeling with the bike. The track was very fast, without too many good lines and with many tricky jumps. Unfortunately, due to food intoxication I was physically unwell all weekend. However, I am confident for the season and overall satisfied with my performance. This is the first GP after a very difficult season and we must continue to strive to grow and improve my placings. I am convinced that we will soon reap the benefits of this work.”
