Even with their top riders on the injured list, Team HRC is in Argentina this weekend to take part in the opening event of the 2018 MXGP World Championship season.

With Tim Gajser and Brian Bogers making encouraging steps forward in their recovery from injury, Honda fans will be watching Calvin Vlaanderen, who will make his official debut with the squad aboard the all-new Honda CRF250RW machine in the MX2 class.

The off season for the 21-year-old South African rider (pictured here) was quite a successful one: after finishing second in the opening MX2 race of the ‘Internazionali d’Italia’ in Riola Sardo, two weeks later Vlaanderen took a dominant win and finished fifth-overall in the MX1/MX2 combined race in Mantova.

“I’m looking forward to the first gate drop of the 2018 season,” said Vlaanderen.

“It’s been a good off-season and I feel confident heading into this new journey. Argentina is not my all-time favourite track, but it’s a fast and fun one nevertheless. I’m looking forward to getting out there aboard my CRF machine and see where we’re at.

“I will do my best for myself and the team but I’m also aware of the fact that this is a long season – so it’ll be important to keep fully focused and bring home a good result.”

The Patagonia Race Track is located near the village of Villa La Angostura in the stunning scenery of the Nahuel Huapi national park, featuring on the MXGP calendar since 2015.

Photo by Bavo

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