It was a special day at Redsand for Antonio Cairoli. The nine time World Champion set many new records today as he won both motos and the GP. At the third round of the year Tony took his 84th victory of an astonishing career which has seen him take at least one win a year for the past 15 years in a row, whilst also landing his 300th heat podium. Tony, who rode for the first time on the Spanish soil of this new venue yesterday, took a solid fourth place in the qualifying race after making a strong come back due to contact with another rider at the start. 

In the first heat of Sunday’s races his start was not perfect but he managed to recover from eighth to second in the space of one lap, showing an incredible pace right from the outset of the moto. Tony remained in second until midrace before putting a move on the leader, then pushing hard until the end, taking the first 25 points of the day. When the gates dropped for the second time Cairoli took his fifth hole-shot of the year, immediately trying to put some distance on the pack as he hunted down his second win. After losing the lead it took TC five laps to regain his place at the front, where he remained until the chequered flag and his second victory of the day. With today’s 50 points the KTM Red Bull Factory Racing Team rider is back on top of the MXGP standings, equal with fellow brand mate Herlings, with the red plate on his KTM 450 SX-F. Next round of the MXGP 2018 in 14 days on the home soil of Arco di Trento.

“I’m really happy about the weekend, we are still looking for the best setup of the bike but we are on the right track, we made some structural changes on the bike before coming here and we have stepped up in a really good way. First moto I didn’t have the best start possible, I was 12th, but I managed to get back to second on the first lap, which was a job well done. I struggled to pass Febvre for the lead until half race as I was pretty tired, but thankfully I managed it. My second start was way better, with a hole-shot, but then Paulin was very aggressive in the first lap and he passed me, getting a really good rhythm going at the beginning of the race. I followed him until I found a spot to pass him back and from there I was able to control the race until the chequered flag. It’s very nice to get my 84th. Grand Prix victory here in Spain, where I have never ridden before, and to get the red plate on my bike before our first home race in Arco in two weeks, in front of my fans.”

A week earlier in Valkenswaard Cairoli again went 2-2, and again had to fight off the young Herlings. The deep sand hasn't been kind to the Sicilian in recent years and he came very close to beating the Dutchman on his favourite turf.

“The weekend was good, even if it was really cold! We knew that we were going to struggle a little bit on this track because it has been such a long time since we last rode here in Holland, but actually I was pleasantly surprised about my speed today. Unfortunately I had arm pump when I was leading in both motos and this cost me a lot. I also made two mistakes resulting in two stupid crashes, losing the rhythm that I needed to win. Anyway, we need to keep this momentum going, as it’s very important for my Championship hopes that I always finish on the podium. We showed today that Jeffrey and I have a different kind of speed compared to the rest of the field and we now look forward to the next race in Spain, hoping for another good result.”

As for the opener in Argentina, the Italian was more than happy with his result, and the start of his defence on his MXGP title. As always consistent and faster than ever, its going to be tough to beat him in 2018, and he knows it as well as anyone.

“First of all I have to say that I’m really happy to be on the podium,” Cairoli said. “We improved a lot from last year, when I was only seventh. This year we almost make it to the perfect weekend with the victory of both, the qualifying race and the first moto, but in the second moto, even if I had again a good start and a good gap, I didn’t get the final first place. Unfortunately when I found some lapped riders, I changed some lines and I made a few mistakes, coming out of the berms a couple of times, so I slowed down a little bit and Jeffrey could close very quickly the gap. He was stronger than me at the end and in the last two, three laps I was too tired and I was making some mistake. But as I said I’m happy, my 450 SX-F is fantastic, KTM is working very well and it’s improving the bikes a lot and is really nice that we took 1-2 at the opening round or the year. I’m really looking forward for the continuing of the season that will be really interesting for the fans.”

Now onto Trentino, a place Cairoli has shown brilliance, and a place Herlings has struggled. It might be a GP that we see the Dutchman just be conservative, and open the door for Cairoli to move away in the championship points race.

Ray Archer images