Legends of the sport are always proud, maybe even selfish men. Putting their career in the first place, ahead of anything else. Greatness doesn’t come easy, and all great sportsmen, give 100% in everything they do. For me as a fan, watching Stefan Everts, or Antonio Cairoli do what they do makes it worthwhile going to the motocross.
What Antonio Cairoli did in Trento a couple of weeks ago, it was one of those days when you are glad you follow this amazing sport. His come from behind victory made me remember another legendary performance by the GOAT of MXGP, Stefan Everts. Back in 2004 Everts had started badly in the Grand Prix of Namur. It was muddy, and conditions were going to make it tough to come through.
Anyone who knows Namur, knows it isn’t a track you can pass, even more so than Trentino two weeks ago.
Covered in mud, and fighting his way through the pack, Everts had found a line in the trees, a part of the track on one of the treacherous down-hill sections at the Citadel. One by one he picked off the riders in front, each lap getting one after the other in that section, until he had done enough to win the Grand Prix.
I can’t think of too many other moments when a rider did such a thing, which makes the Antonio Cairoli performance in Trentino all the more special.
We caught up with Everts and asked him about the AC222 performance, and how he feels about the Italian legends.
MXlarge: First, the Grand Prix at Trentino. The performance of Antonio, what a piece of brilliance. How did you see it?
Everts: You can see what a great racer he is, an intelligent rider. He saw that Strijbos made that pass and he picked it up straight away. Strijbos had passed Butron in the same place, and Antonio was right behind him. At that moment, he knew that is where it was going to happen. He set himself up I think as early as the finish line, to make that pass there.
MXLarge: I remember you having a similar thing at Namur back around 2004?
Everts: Yes, it reminded me of my passing in the mud at Namur, before the steep downhill. You know before you get to that spot, that you know you will get them, and it’s a fantastic feeling.
MXlarge: Namur, it was a special day, can you remember many special days like that, or other riders doing that. I mean not only coming through the pack, but have that special place to do it. I mean the riders he passed probably didn’t know he was going to pass there, because most of them didn’t see his previous passes in that spot.
Everts: Those type of days, they don’t happen that often in your career. I had a few super days, and I think this is one of his super days, where he can come from so far behind and nobody could do anything. He was also fast, first he had to catch them, then he had to pass them. I only really remember Namur as doing it in a single spot. I remember passing Demaria in the last turn of a race to win the GP.
MXLarge: When you think about yourself and Antonio, both having the two years of injury, and ok, the injuries you had were worse than what Antonio has had, but still, any injury that can slow you down, or put you out completely can ruin a complete season, or even a career. Coming back, everyone said you wouldn’t come from your injuries, and I still remember standing on top of the hill at Bellpuig in Spain as you crossed the finish line to win your first GP in a long time, and thinking, ok Stefan is back. How though is it to come back from two years of injury, as Antonio has also had in 2015 and 2016?
Everts: You know, it was not so tough. I knew what I had to change and what I had to do, and I did that and it did come good. It’s difficult to know how it is for Antonio. I know in the middle of the 1990s and I was working so hard and I couldn’t get it right, in those years against Albertyn, it’s very frustrating when you can’t find the answer. With that comeback in 2001 it worked out good, and when I was at my lowest point, probably in Grobbendonk on the Husky, I knew what I needed to do. It worked out for me and I came back strong.
MXlarge: You are the greatest of all time, statistics tell us that, but Antonio is tapping you on the shoulder, and his form is good. How is that, because you are a man of great pride, as is Antonio, but you are also a fan, so to watch him doing what he is doing, that must also be enjoyable, or not?
Everts: I enjoy watching Tony, he has been off for a few years due to injury or other problems. He is back, it’s like the old Cairoli, also in Qatar you could see it there. It’s good to have that competition from Tim, it’s going to be a tough battle this year, between those two, and he is working hard for it, and if he gets the record I can only congratulated him. It would hurt me a little of course, because I want to be the best ever, but records are there to be broken. You have to accept it, I have no problem if Tony is the guy to beat my record, because I have a lot of respect for him, and he has a lot of respect for what I did.
MXlarge: Talking about respect. I remember when you equalled the record of Joel Robert in Namur, I think in 2001, and Joel was on the podium with you. Obviously, you had known Joel since you were a little kid and he is also Belgian, so maybe that made it easier for him, but did that teach you a good lesson in how to react if it happened to you?
Everts: You know, you get older and you learn to deal with things and maybe some things are less important.
MXlarge: It is less important to you?
Everts: At the moment no, but we will see if it happens, how I will be. It’s still a long way for Tony to go, he is on eight, so he would need to win three to beat it, so there are some years to go before he could do it. But you never know.
Ray Archer image
Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 12:42PM 
