KTM factory rider Anthony Cairoli adds to his legend in Brazil by winning another MXGP crown.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tony Cairoli has done it again.
Although he didn’t win a moto, the Italian rode to his eighth career FIM Motocross World Championship today at the Grand Prix of State of Goias in Goiana de Fortaleza, Brazil. Cairoli clinched the title in the first of the two MXGP motos when he crossed the line in a very conservative fifth place to lock up the title. The finish gave him an insurmountable 89-point lead with just 75 points available at the final round in Mexico. The triumph edges Cairoli one step closer to the legendary Stefan Everts, who is the all-time MXGP championship winner with 10 titles.
MXGP
Clinching the title in Brazil wasn’t a given, especially after he suffered and eye injury during Saturday’s qualifying. However, even if Cairoli had lost an eye he would still probably be better than most of his competition, and although he was conservative, he still finished with 4-3 moto results to net third overall and collect another World Championship for KTM.
“When you are a kid you wish for such a thing 9a championship) but you never think you can do it,” Cairoli said. “It’s hard work, but it gives you back many good things. I managed to finish on the podium in all but three races and that was good to achieve points for the season. This was a track that was nice for training, but when you race here there’s a lot of big jumps and not many places where you can really ride your bike and make a difference. Now I will go to Mexico, and it’s always my goal to win. Then the next big goal is the Motocross of Nations, and I will try to be on the podium for the Italian team.”
Brazil was a very good round for Team HRC Honda rider Max Nagl of Germany, who steamed to a 1-1 sweep of the MXGP class. Nagl was on fire all weekend, posting the fastest qualifying Saturday time and then building on that momentum Sunday. Nagl grabbed the holeshot in the first moto and set a blistering pace as he stormed to an easy moto win, his third of the year. In moto two, Nagl got off the line second but only remained there for a couple corners before he took over the lead and rode away from the pack to complete the sweep, claiming his first overall victory of the season both for himself and for Team HRC. Gautier Paulin of France finished second overall via 4-2 moto performances.
“I just had a perfect day–I didn’t make any mistakes and I could control the race from the front so, I’m really happy about today,” Nagl said. “From the beginning we had a really good setup and already from Saturday morning we were in a good direction and I was feeling really comfortable. Actually this morning I was a bit nervous because I know everyone expected me to win today because I was so good yesterday, but as soon as we started I was just feeling so well with riding, and very comfortable and confident again.”
The day was disastrous for the Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing team, as fill-in rider Dean Ferris suffered a season-ending injury in the second moto. Ferris had come to Brazil hoping to build on his strong form from at the four previous European rounds of the MXGP series, and he appeared well on his way when he finished sixth in the first moto. However, Ferris’ GP ended when he crashed heavily in moto two, hitting the ground at speed and suffering a broken right femur.
MX2
KTM already has a lock on the MX2 World title, but it remains to be seen which KTM rider’s name will go on the trophy. KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings is still recovering from a broken femur, so there is nothing he can do but watch as his teammate, Jordi Tixier, continues to make up ground in the series standings. In Brazil, things probably didn’t go as well as the Frenchman had hoped they would. Tixier recorded 5-4 moto scores for overall third in the two motos, narrowing the Herlings’ points lead to just 23 going into the final round in Mexico next weekend.
Meanwhile, Husqvarna’s Roman Febvre and the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team landed their first overall MX2 victory. Febvre struggled with flu-like symptoms during the weekend, but proved to be healthy enough to excel on the hard-packed, jump-filled Goias circuit. In moto one, he quickly took the lead and kept it to take the win. A cautious start in moto two left Febvre down in the standings, but he dug deep and passed his way from seventh place to third place, securing the overall win ahead of Dylan Ferrandis (2-2) and second-moto winner Tim Glasjer (7-1).
“This is an incredible moment for me. I won my first race and took my first overall result–it’s fantastic,” Febvre said. “I’ve been really sick, and I honestly didn’t expect to show this form. During the races I could hardly breathe, I was even sick–it was really hard. Race one was perfect–a start to finish victory. Maybe nerves got the better of me at the beginning of race two, or maybe it was the sickness because I was slow to get going. I had to dig deep at the end of the race, but when I crossed the finish line in third it felt amazing to know I was the overall winner. A massive thanks to Husqvarna, the Wilvo Nestaan team and my family for helping me achieve this important result.”
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