CA Rain Continues!

Ben Rumbold of MX Vice Talks Tony Cairoli

Racing with the number one plate in 2006, Cairoli just lost the title to Christophe Pourcel. (Image: Yamaha Europe)

Third in the world was a great result for his first year at the top level. He did run the #3 for the following season, and led the series from the third round onwards, stretching away from early challenger Stephen Sword. Many might say that Tyla Rattray’s injury helped, but Tony was already ahead of the South African. 13 moto wins was 9 better than anyone else that year, and fittingly the title was clinched in the deep sands of Lierop, finishing ahead of the late Australian Andrew McFarlane.

He ran the #1 plate that he earned for 2006, but came up against the super-talent of Christophe Pourcel. He still won more races, 12 to the Frenchman’s 4, but two DNFs early in the year left him always chasing, and he lost his crown by 18 points.  From there on, he carried the #222 plate as the internet age arrived and encouraged riders to build brands around their numbers. In 2007 he was virtually unstoppable with 21 moto wins of the 28 he raced in MX2, plus a successful MX1 debut in a wildcard appearance at Donington Park, splitting the motos with Kevin Strijbos and taking the overall verdict at his first attempt!  The following year, his last in MX2, saw a monumental scrap between him and the two factory KTMs of Rattray and Tommy Searle. All three led the series at one point, and it got testy with Searle being shown the “Clean Him Out” board in reference to Tony at the Swedish GP! It all came to an end for the Sicilian, however, with a badly-damaged knee injury from the South African round, the tenth of the series, and Rattray emerged as Champion.

 

Shocking everyone with his domination of MX1 in 2009.(Image: Yamaha Europe)

At the age of 23, he moved up with his de Carli Yamaha team to MX1 in 2009. Teammate Tanel Leok took the opening round, a true mudder at Faenza in Italy that got cancelled before race two, but after a double win in the Turkish round three Tony was able to bolt the red plate to his bike.  It never came off!  KTM’s Max Nagl gave chase, looking to give the orange marque their first title in the MXGP era.  But new KTM boss Stefan Everts had a plan…

De Carli’s team was in direct competition to the long-established factory Yamaha squad run by Michele Rinaldi., who had won the previous year with David Philippaerts. They were all black and Monster Energy backed, and Tony was a lifelong Red Bull athlete. Both Italian as well, it just didn’t fit, so Yamaha deferred to Rinaldi.  That’s where Stefan and KTM jumped straight in, fitted things around the Sicilian’s favoured arrangements, and in so doing changed the face of MXGP for the immediate future in which we are still living!

With his throttle-happy style and diminutive 1.7 metre/5ft 7in stature, KTM’s new 350 SX-F fitted him like a glove, and it became a lethal combination to the rest of the field.  Winning his second GP on it, he took 15 of the 30 motos in 2010, a positively barren 9 from 28 in 2011 but still 100+ points ahead of Yamaha’s Steven Frossard, 21 from 32 in 2012, 20 from 34 in 2013, and finally 15 from 34 in 2014.  It is one of the most dominant spells in Motocross history, and it might have been boring had it not been for Cairoli’s Valentino Rossi-esque Charisma and personality, all with that famous toothy grin and fans cheering around the world. The parallels with Rossi are striking – multiple Italian champion carrying the sport in its new four-stroke era, not quite able to match the all-time figures set from a different time but in a lot of fans’ eyes, especially when combined with his massive brand and popularity, he was the very best.  He even had a much younger, controversial but crazily fast young buck eventually rise to challenge him, just like Rossi had with Marc Marquez.

Injury prevented Cairoli from making another run at the 2015 title, although factory Yamaha new boy Romain Febvre and Husqvarna-mounted Nagl were making life more difficult than usual even before he hit troubles. 2016 saw the arrival of new MX2 Champ Tim Gajser, on a much more sorted factory Honda, and for the first time the now 30-year-old Tony looked a little outgunned, even running behind Febvre until the Frenchman crashed out of the season at Matterley Basin. Tony was 2nd in the series but 84 points back from the Slovenian.

Tony worked incredibly hard in the off-season, however, moving up to the 450cc machine after years on the 350, and shot out of the blocks with a double win at the Qatar opener in 2017. Gajser was strong and took two more GP wins, but the incredible circuit of Arco di Trento saw one of Cairoli’s all-time best rides. After passing and pulling away from Tim in race one, a troublesome second corner put him outside the top twenty on lap one. Gajser was away and clear, but Cairoli found an incredible passing point on a right hander after an uphill step-up, passing Arnaud Tonus, Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, Jeffrey Herlings, and Evgeny Bobryshev all in the same spot! An inspired and incredible fightback that sealed the GP win and kept Gajser in sight in the points chase. Tim’s season did get interrupted by injury, and after a pre-season issue had slowed Herlings, the Dutchman started to get on the pace of his elder teammate. Cairoli’s experience showed and he kept himself in the picture, all hopes for Jeffrey being dashed by a broken chain in Sweden. Cairoli was crowned Champion for the 9th time in Jeffrey’s back yard at Assen.

2018 was another incredibly tough season for Tony, even with Gajser taken out of the equation with an horrendous pre-season crash. Herlings was fully up to speed on the 450, and despite an early double victory in the brutal heat of Red Sand in Spain, he couldn’t stop the Bullet, almost exactly 9 years his junior, from steamrollering to his first Premier class title. Only Desalle got a single moto win outside of the two KTM riders all season, and Cairoli kept the pace with an amazing 29 top three motos out of 38.

More injuries to Herlings put Cairoli in a top spot for 2019, however, and he won four out of the first five GPs, before a crash at Kegums in Latvia put him out for the season.  It’s a tribute to his mentality the he won the next GP there in 2020, on his way to third in the series, before taking two further victories in his final year of 2021. The first was on a mixed day of weird weather at Matterley Basin, and his final GP was won amongst the pandemic-condensed end to the year, on home soil at Trentino. That was actually a month after a gloriously emotional involvement in the Italian win, on home soil again, in the Motocross of Nations at Mantova.

He’ll always be the Italian #1

Just for comparison’s sake we have listed Tony’s career breakdown alongside the only rider to win more world titles than him, Stefan Everts. Amongst those with five titles or more, only Gajser was marginally younger on winning his fifth crown, and only Herlings has won more seasons with over 50% of the GP wins to his name. He earned his ninth title at the same age as Stefan did, but it has to be said that Tony faced stiffer opposition in his attempts to get to number ten, and he was still very close to achieving that.

Tony now moves into a management role, his main charge being a certain Dutchman who he battled with so fiercely in his final few years.  We’re sure the pair will make an incredible team, and we wish them all the best this season.

MXGP Argentina

Race One: It was Ruben Fernandez who had the early lead but he had Jorge Prado for company in what was a Spanish 1-2. It didn’t take Prado too long to get himself into the lead while Fernandez had Febvre and Renaux for company.

Fernandez was riding well though and was keeping them behind him. Renaux had a big crash over the waves section which put him back to seventh. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Herlings was riding brilliant on his return in the top five. Fernandez who was comfortable in second then crashed which promoted Febvre and dropped the Spaniard down the order.

Renaux was flying on his Yamaha passing Coldenhoff, Jonass and Herlings to come home a superb third after such a big crash – he is flying! Herlings ended up an impressive fourth which is quite the turn around since yesterday but it was the smooth Prado who took an impressive win.

Race Two: The second race was the Ruben Fernandez show as he was on another whole other level right at the front and also won the overall GP – the first MXGP overall of his career and what a way to do it.

Jeffrey Herlings was aggressive in the first couple of laps as he made moves on the likes of Febvre, Prado and Renaux to get into second. Renaux, after the first  five minutes started to move forward and just as he was about to make a move on the impressive Jonass crashed which dropped him down to ninth.

Prado who had been so good all weekend didn’t ride with the same flow and faded back to sixth with Febvre who earlier crashed passing him with two laps to go.

Jonass had a very strong weekend on the Standing Construct Honda for fifth overall.

Despite winning the GP, Jorge Prado has the championship lead due to the qualifying points which is a new change for 2023.

Jeffrey Herlings will also be delighted with second overall on his return to racing and a superb second moto keeping Jeremy Seewer at bay.

KR Takes Suzuki to Supercross Win!

Ken Roczen Gives Suzuki Their First Win In Seven Years At Indianapolis Supercross.

By translating a holeshot into the main event victory inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, Ken Roczen delivered Suzuki its first Monster Energy Supercross win since he came out on top aboard a Suzuki RM-Z450 in East Rutherford 2,507 days ago.

Roczen’s 0.739s margin of victory over TLD Red Bull GasGas rider Justin Barcia was the difference as he won for his first time since last year’s Pro Motocross visit to Thunder Valley.

The feat is also the Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki rider’s first Supercross win since the 2022 season opener at Anaheim.

First to the first turn after the night’s final gate drop, Roczen faced initial pressure from fastest qualifier Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC), but that dissipated when Sexton went over the handlebars on the on-off table that followed the track’s treacherous whoops section.

On a severely deteriorating track, Barcia stalked Roczen, particularly during the race’s closing two minutes. The two opted for opposing rhythms through certain sections, with Barcia closing to within a single bike length at one point entering the whoops.

An off-track excursion near the whoops for third-placed Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) further dialed the focus on the two-rider battle for the win, with Roczen ultimately holding Barcia off by just over seven-tenths of a second at the checkered flag.

Webb was 8.852s in arrears of Barcia to claim the final step of the podium, and nearly half a lap ahead of Webb’s KTM stablemate Aaron Plessinger in fourth.

Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates Jason Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo finished next in fifth and sixth, with Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), former points leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Justin Hill (Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports), and Sexton filling the rest of the top 10.

A nearly mid-pack start for Tomac limited his ability to move forward on the rutted circuit and he faced further adversity when Fire Power Honda’s Dean Wilson crashed in front of him in the whoops.

Webb’s run to third, paired with unideal outings for Tomac and Sexton, means the No. 2 KTM 450SX-F FE will carry more than just Red Bull branding when it appears next in Detroit; the two-time premier class champion’s machine will also don red number plates as he moved ahead of Tomac in the standings by one.

Webb and Tomac have amassed 202 and 201 points thus far in 2023. Sexton will race next inside Ford Field in Detroit looking to grow his collection of 189.

200cc Two Stroke for Hard Enduro???

200cc two-stroke not enough for Hard Enduro? Jonny Walker proves you wrong

Febvre Returns to MXGP

Febvre Back From Surgery and Ready for Argentina

Ben Rumbold

After two solid pre-season races Romain Febvre and the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP are ready for the opening round of the FIM MXGP World Motocross Championship in Argentina this weekend.

Words: Press Release | Images: Kawasaki

It has been a busy winter for the Frenchman who underwent surgery straight after the final GP of 2022 to remove a pin in his leg. “The surgeon also took this opportunity to clean the knee so I had to wait until the end of November to get back training physically and later on the bike. For the first time in a while I can run and undertake physical training without pain, and that was great to have a strong winter to prepare the season,” explained Romain, who also decided to have further minor surgery on his forearms in January. “Two years ago I experienced pain in my arms and underwent surgery then last year, when I was back after six months, the pain returned. That’s pretty usual after you don’t ride for a long time, but after intensive training and testing this winter I felt the pain again so I didn’t want to take any risks and had surgery in January. I had to stop riding for a few weeks which is why I didn’t race the Italian International series.”

For the ninth time in his career, Romain will line up in the MXGP class where he won the world title in 2015. He narrowly missed a second title in 2021, his second year with Kawasaki, when the series went to the final moto of the season, and of course it’s his main goal this year to clinch gold again. “It’s impossible to explain what a great feeling it is when you are world champion. Already as a child I was dreaming to get a title at least one time; it was a dream initially but when I finally got it I wanted more. When you take part in any sport, whatever it is, you want to be the best but it’s not easy. Then when you miss it by just a couple of points like in 2021 you look back on the season and you see where you could have got those few more points. And that’s not easy to accept,” he said in analysis. With all his experience he knows how important the mental approach is. “The mental side is a big part of the puzzle! Even if you work hard and are ready for the challenge you know before the start of each race that it’s a tough affair. To be strong mentally can help you to handle the pressure, and that’s something that you must have in you. Either you have it or you don’t; you can’t invent it.”

The pre-season races were pretty good for Romain, who achieved several podium results, but now it’s time to line up for the first GPs against even stronger opposition. “I’m nearly at 100% now, and the season will be really long. I love that track in Argentina, and the goal will be to score as many points as possible at each round. I know that in 2021 I was missing some speed compared to Herlings at times, and that’s a point we have worked on with Kevin Strijbos. If I regularly take good starts, like in the first moto at Hawkstone, I know what we are capable of this season. Let’s go !”

Yamaha MXGP 2023

Monster Energy Yamaha Press Release – With Sweet Video

Ben RumboldMarch 8, 20230

After a productive off-season spent testing and developing the all-new YZ450FM, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team and its trio of MXGP title contenders Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux and Glenn Coldenhoff are geared up and ready to put the new bike through its paces at the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Villa la Angostura, Argentina, this weekend.

Yamaha enters 2023 as the defending champions in the Manufacturer’s World Championship after a memorable year in 2022 that saw the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team secure seven pole positions, 14 race wins, and 22 podium finishes, of which five were Grand Prix victories, between its three riders Seewer, Renaux and Coldenhoff enroute to the crown.

Continuing with the same potent line-up and armed with a new weapon, the all-new YZ450FM, the team is fired up and focused on reaching the top step of the podium. See the official team video below:

Seewer enters his sixth year inside the premier class and sixth season in blue with his sights set firmly on a maiden world title. With 49 podium finishes, 10 Grand Prix wins and five Championship silver medals to his credit, and after a hugely successful pre-season in which he celebrated three, from four, race wins, on his way to the Internazionali d’Italia crown, the Swiss star is bound to be a force to be reckoned with this year.

After an impressive rookie season, in which he celebrated a maiden Grand Prix win in the 450 class as one of his seven podium appearances in 2022, Renaux will be targeting the title in 2023. The young Frenchman has spent the past few months refining his race set-up on the new bike and arrives in Argentina buoyed by the memory of his very first MXGP-class race win, which was in Race 1 at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, last year.

The new season begins with added motivation for MXGP veteran Coldenhoff, who has instantly gelled with the new YZ450FM right from his first ride. The Dutchman started 2023 with a stunning victory against a few of MXGP’s toughest at his first and only pre-season race in England a few weeks ago, and arrives at the stunning Patagonia Race Track revved up and ready to fight for his first-ever world title.

The track, located in the greenery of the Correntoso and Nahuel Huapi lakeshores approximately 70 kilometers north of Bariloche, is one of the most spectacular on the calendar. Unlike anything seen in Europe, the track’s base is dark and grainy volcanic soil, and the layout is fast, wide and flowing. This weekend, the venue that has hosted six MXGP rounds since its introduction in 2015 will also see the start of a new era with Championship Points being awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Qualifying Race on Saturday for the first time ever. The rider that wins the Qualifying Race will earn 10 points; second place gets 9 points, third gets 8, and so on.

The first opportunity for the riders to go out on track will be on Saturday (11th March), starting with MX2 Free Practice at 10:45 followed by MXGP Free Practice at 11:15. Gates will drop for the points paying Qualifying Races at 15:25 (MX2) and 16:10 (MXGP). All timings are local (GMT – 3).

Jeremy Seewer

“My winter and off-season was honestly one of the best I have ever had in my career. It was very busy with a lot of things happening like sponsor events among other things. The new bike meant there was a lot of work to do. So we had a lot of extra days testing in comparison to our usual off-season to try and get the bike ready for the season. Overall, I had a really solid off-season with no setbacks. Going into Argentina, the goal is clear. I want to win, but I also know it’s a long season. I will just line-up relaxed and without pressure and do what I’ve trained all winter for. I love the place in Argentina, it’s always been special to me, it’s actually where I had my first ever podium in MX2, so I always feel a special buzz when I come here.”

Maxime Renaux

“I definitely feel ready for the season to start. The winter was good. We did a lot of testing and training, so I am ready for it. The goal for the first round is to relax, give my best and look to build my season from there. I really like the track in Argentina. Obviously, I have some great memories from there last year after taking my first race win in the MXGP class during my rookie season after some good battles. There are also a lot of fans, and they always create an amazing atmosphere, and this is something I love.”

Glenn Coldenhoff

“I had a really good winter with some solid weeks of training both physically and on the bike. We did a lot of testing with the new bike, as you would expect. I am really happy with where we are at. I can’t wait to start. The goal is to have fun, enjoy the racing and that way I’m sure a good result will come. I haven’t had the best results in Argentina in the past, but I hope to change that this weekend.”

Red Bull 'Day in the Dirt'

Motocross stars head to Dade City this weekend for Red Bull 'Day in the Dirt'

Travis Pastrana, Tyler Beremen and Ryan Sipes are among the confirmed racers.

By Ray Roa on Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 11:55 am

Participants complete at Red Bull Day In The Dirt Down South in Dade City, Florida, USA on 12 March, 2021.

Pasco County knows how to party, and it’ll do it in its own special style this weekend when motocross stars like Travis Pastrana, Tyler Beremen and Ryan Sipes arrive at Dade City Motocross for the “Red Bull Day in the Dirt.”

Racing kicks off Friday, March 10 with the reunion race (supposed to be friendly) and really gets going on Saturday, March 11 with a handful of competitions (including the Red Bull-athlete-only “Old Switcheroo” team race) and different Grand Prix races.

A “Coup de Grace Survival Race” wraps up the action on Sunday, with various awards and afterparties set for each day. Registration to race opens at 7 a.m. all weekend and will cost you, but it’s free to watch.

Event Details

Red Bull Day in the Dirt

Fri., March 10, 7 a.m., Sat., March 11, 7 a.m. and Sun., March 12, 7 a.m.

Dade City Motocross 36722 SR-52, Dade City Pasco

MXGP Prep...RFME Spanish Motocross Championship

Nestaan Husqvarna’s Coenen And De Wolf Enjoy Solid Spanish Hit-Out

Edward StratmannFebruary 6, 20230

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing ramped up their preparation for the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship by lining up in the RFME Spanish Motocross Championship at the hard-pack circuit of Montearagon. Lucas Coenen and Kay de Wolf sat behind the starting line and enjoyed success in their first competitive outing of the term.

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Lucas Coenen, making his debut aboard the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 250, was just incredible across the weekend and gained some valuable momentum as he works towards his first campaign as an MX2 rider. Using the power within his steed to claim two good starts, he won moto one with an advantage of fourteen seconds and then won moto two by eight seconds. Not only did he stand atop the podium, but he also gained some knowledge to apply in testing.

The Spanish adventure was a little more eventful for Kay de Wolf, who had a fall on Saturday. The mistake meant that he had to start from the far outside in Sunday’s motos, but he did well to progress to third in moto one and second in moto two. Sadly, he was demoted to fifth in that first moto and therefore occupied third in the overall classification via 5-2 moto scores. ’74’ got to experience many different challenges in the pre-season shakedown.

The next appointment for the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team is the first stop of the 2023 Internazionali d’Italia term in Ponte a Egola, where the duo will continue to work on their respective strengths and weaknesses ahead of the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina on March 12.

Lucas Coenen: “It was a good weekend. We made a lot of progress and saw some hard work from the winter pay off. I was second off the start in both of the motos today, then took the lead quite quickly and controlled things from that point. It was a great way to start the year and I want to continue this form in Ponte a Egola in Italy next weekend.”

Kay de Wolf: “It was a difficult day, as I had a big crash yesterday and was very sore. I was happy to walk away from that one! I did not have the best gate pick today, because of that, and had a lot of work to do, but it was good practice. I finished third in the first race and then got docked a couple of positions, then I finished second in moto two. It was not a bad day.”

Free Spirit...Magoo