The Bariloche MX Race Track had a dream debut as the venue for the Motocross World Championship. Spectators began arriving early at the site located on the outskirts of the city of San Carlos de Bariloche to cheer on their idols on a day when the weather was perfect from start to finish. Tom Vialle (Honda) won the qualifying race in MXGP, and Sacha Coenen (KTM) dominated Saturday’s MX2 sessions. Tomorrow is the big moment for the Finals.
The first rays of sunshine had not yet appeared, and the crowd of spectators had already begun to fill the natural grandstands of the brand-new Bariloche track, which had the privilege of hosting the first kilometres of the 2026 MXGP season. As in previous years, a large number of fans turned up in Argentina, once again making it clear that the passion for motocross is alive and well in Patagonia.
Qualifying races: Triumphant return for Vialle and overwhelming dominance for Coenen
After three seasons away from the World Championship, two-time MX2 champion Tom Vialle (Honda HRC Petronas) returned with the Japanese brand and moved on to the top category. On his first Saturday of action, he showed that he is still very much in contention by staying in the top three in both practice sessions and winning the qualifying race from start to finish. Second place went to Lucas Coenen (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who came close to completing a one-two for the Belgian family, while Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) finished third.
Saturday’s surprise was the early crash by Jeffrey Herlings (Honda HRC Petronas), who had set the pace in practice but went down in the final metres of the first lap and ultimately finished in 12th place after climbing nine places.
In MX2, Sacha Coenen (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team) dominated every time he took to the track. The Belgian rider quickly found his rhythm on the circuit and, improving his times in every session, proved unbeatable at the start of the event. The qualifying race was a monologue by the young KTM rider who, despite not having a good start, was able to recover and regain the lead on the first lap. From that moment on, he pulled away and finished almost five seconds ahead of Guillem Farrés (Triumph Racing MX2 Factory Racing), while Mathis Valin (Kawasaki Racing Team MX2) was third.
Among the riders in the Latin American Motocross Championship, Argentina’s Joaquín Poli (Kawasaki) was the best, finishing in 23rd place in the MXGP, while Chile’s Benjamín Garib (Honda) was the standout in MX2, achieving an outstanding 1st place.
The colour of the Paddock Show
At the end of the day, the public was able to greet the riders up close at the new Paddock Show, which featured Saturday’s best riders among the spectators.
‘It’s a nice circuit. Every time we come to Argentina, we find nice circuits,’ said Sacha Coenen. In turn, the best in MXGP said, ‘It’s a great start. There’s a big difference between the 250 and 450 bikes. I thank the team for the great work they are doing. We’ll see how we do tomorrow.’
The Argentine riders were also on stage, where they received the affection of the local crowd. In addition to young Felipe Quirno Costa (MX2), Joaquín Poli was also present, who said, ‘It’s very important for Argentina to have the World Championship. We take advantage of these races to learn a lot. It’s very special to race here.’
Sunday of definitions
The MXGP Argentina YPF 2026 show still has a lot to offer. This Sunday is the highlight of the weekend, with the first two finals of the Motocross World Championship of the year.
The action on the track will begin at 10:25 a.m. with the warm-up. The most eagerly awaited moment will come at midday, when Race 1 (30 minutes plus 2 laps) starts at 12:15 p.m. and Race 2 (30 minutes plus 2 laps) at 3 p.m., for both categories respectively.