The last fly-away of the early MXGP season goes to Leon in Mexico and the round always offers exciting racing – for lots of reasons!

It could be because it’s the last fly away of the MXGPs before heading back to Europe or even the man-made track combined with the high temperatures.

This takes a toll on riders and machines, and the Mexican round has provided plenty of spills and thrills over the years – as you can see below!

For this year’s visit to central America, it comes as Team HRC are picking up momentum – certainly going by the results from the last round in Argentina.

It seems Tim Gajser and Evgeny Bobryshev have gelled with their new bike and really found a good pace but it’s not plain sailing by any means.

Gajser had a second and a win there last year for overall victory against Romain Febvre, so he likes the place and he’ll be keen to continue to put his stamp on the MXGP field.

But this year he’s facing tougher competition from eight-times world champ Tony Cairoli who’s probably carrying the most speed in the class at the moment and has the sprit to match it. He’ll be keen to make amends for his tough, crash-hit Argentinian round before heading back to Italy.

Febrve made a push in Mexico last year and he’s been working hard to get back the speed advantage he once had. A week’s triaining in California means he’s ready to race and he’s not scared to mix it up! Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle has been fast starting and is knocking on the door of the top step, too. And triple world MX2 champ Jeffrey Herlings could launch a surprise attach after his recent win in the Dutch Masters as he continues to get fitter after his arm injury.

With the track suiting riders like the Husky trio of Max Anstie, Max Nagl and Gautier Paulin, who are all building more and more confidence, it will be a fine battle. And of course the top Brits going for MXGP glory are Shaun Simpson and Jake Nicholls, while Adam Sterry and Ben Watson are the Brits in the MX2 class.