Garcia reveled in the unrelenting sand to post fastest lap times in both practices and control the opening moto of the series after moving to the lead halfway round the second lap with a confident outside pass. He immediately opened up a four-second cushion and, maintaining his lap times even as the track became ever more rugged, he moved further clear to take victory by eleven second to the delight of the home crowd.
 
Francisco Garcia: "I am so happy to carry on where I left off at the end of last year when I won both motos at the final round of the EMX series. Now I have won the first race of this season and I am even more delighted to win here, so close to my home town. I was a little tense the first few laps and felt a little arm pump but once I settled down I found my rhythm. A really good day at the office ... and the Spanish fans were fantastic!"
 
Bud teammate Jake Cannon needed a little longer to make initial moves from fifth but once the Australian teenager had advanced to fourth he too settled into a solid rhythm, moving forcefully into second through the waves on lap eleven of fifteen to complete the Bud Kawasaki 1-2 formation.
 
Jake Cannon: "I didn't get a good jump at the gate but I rode a good first turn to come out in a good position and then I just rode my own race. As usual my first two laps were not so strong but I got it all together quickly after that and rode fast to fight back to second. The track was rough and it changed a lot during the day but I had a lot of fun."