Barragan Third Overall in MX1 at Starcross in Mantova Italy

Jonathan Barragan came in third overall in the MX1 class at the pre-season Starcross event in Mantova Italy this weekend for an impressive start to his new season for his new KTM-supported team and on his factory bike.

This season KTM is supporting new teams as well as running the KTM Red Bull factory team and Barragan from Spain is riding for the Italian-based Team Silver Action. Jonathan won the first and the third heat at Starcross but stalled in the second. His third place overall is a strong indicator that he will be up with the front runners this season.

Good start for Barragan
"These were two good days for me," he said. "But it is still two months before the season starts and it doesn't really show the full potential. I have been training in the USA so I haven't had too much time to ride the new bike yet but I am very happy with my new team and having KTM behind me helps a lot. I wish all the GPs would be like this race!" Barragan now returns to Madrid and will train in Spain. He will compete in two races in the Spanish national championship and will move to Belgium 25 days before the first GP of the season to get in some practice on sand.

3 x holeshot for Germany's Max Nagl
Riding in his first season for the KTM Red Bull MX1 factory team, Max Nagl set out to snatch the holeshot in his race and managed three in a row for his three heats. "Today it was important for me to get the holeshot and I managed to do that. We did have some problems with the suspension setting because conditions were quite different here in Italy than where I was training in Spain. I also had some problems with pain in my arms so overall fifth place was ok for me." Nagl said he had a later than usual start to his preparation for the season but would be completely fit for the first GP. He will now go to Belgium for more tests and would also compete in the pre-season race in Valence.

Results MX1 Overall
1. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha
2. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha
3. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM
4. Marc De Reuver, Netherland, Honda
5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 
Race One
1. Barragan (MX1)
2. Philippaerts, (MX1)
3. Nagl (MX1)
4. De Reuver (MX1)
5. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM (MX2)

Race Two
1. Philippaerts (MX1)
2. De Reuver (MX1)
3. Pourcel (MX1)
4. Coppins (MX1)
5. Ramon (MX1)
6. Nagl, KTM (MX1)
7. Leok, (MX1)
8. Searle, KTM (MX2)

Race Three
1. Barragan, KTM (MX1)
2. Leok, (MX1)
3. Philippaerts (MX1)
4. Coppins (MX1)
5. Searle KTM, (MX2)
9. Nagl, KTM (MX1)
10. Gonvalves, KTM (MX2)
Rattray, KTM, DNF