Tony Cairoli after finishing 6th at Spring Creek: “Maybe I’ll be back”

In qualifying at Spring Creek, the seventh round of the US Nationals, Antonio Cairoli, riding the Ducati Desmo 450MX, finished 15th, over 6 seconds behind pole-setter Hunter Lawrence (Honda). A 6-second gap per lap is a world of difference in this sport. Something had to be done about this immediately.

Radical changes for the Ducati

“I told the team: ‘We need a drastic change’,” he explained in an interview with VitalMX. “I think we can radically improve a lot of things, such as the triple clamp, the steering linkage and the suspension settings. Together with the team, we then found a good solution that I felt very comfortable with.”

Top 6 in the first race

After the start of the first race, Cairoli found himself in the leading group. “I know I’m not in the best shape anymore,” says the nine-time world champion. “In the first race, Cooper Webb overtook me. I went off the track and tried to overtake him again. By the time I’d caught up with him, my heart rate felt like it had shot up to 200, and after that I was pretty much done for. I tried to draw on my experience and managed to keep up with the pace of the top four or five. When you consider how little I’d trained, that’s actually incredible. I’m surprised by my result myself.”

Hardly any preparation for the US races

“Last year, I took part in two World Championship rounds before the US races and was actually much better prepared,” muses the Sicilian. “I did do a few practice laps in Italy this year, but that was on a smooth practice track, without ruts or brake bumps.”

Foxhills would have been easier

In Europe, the Grand Prix of Great Britain took place on the same weekend – old-school with modern elements and on hard-packed ground. Millville is one of the few sandy tracks in the US. “The hard-surface track at Foxhills would probably have been easier for me than Spring Creek. The conditions here were really tough, so I’m actually surprised myself at how well things went, at least in the first race.”

Cairoli’s problems in the second race

“There was a minor problem with the bike at the start,” recalls Antonio. “I got off to a bad start and found myself somewhere around 18th or 19th. I worked my way up to 15th and then tried to overtake another rider. As I did so, someone hit my leg – my bad knee, that is. I could tell straight away that it was swelling up. If it had been a championship decider, I’d certainly have carried on. But as it was, I didn’t want to risk a crash on this tricky track and injure my knee even further.”

Are there any more races with Antonio Cairoli?

This coming weekend, the action continues on hard-packed ground at Washougal. When asked whether Cairoli might compete there again, he replied: “I’d like to prepare a bit better. After 15 minutes, it’s a real struggle for me. Perhaps I’ll take part in one more race at the end of the season. For now, I’d like to return to Italy, have a bit of a rest and prepare better if I want to race again at the end of the season.”

Is the World Championship still an option for Cairoli?

Given his performance at Spring Creek: is the World Championship still an option for him? “No, no,” replies the 40-year-old. “Racing for two days is really tough. I enjoy it more here. I wake up on Saturday feeling fit and refreshed. It’s different in the MXGP. When you wake up on Sunday, you’ve still got Saturday’s races in your bones and then you’re expected to ride two more 40-minute races.”

New frame set to solve old problems

“The standard Ducati is a really good motorbike,” says Cairoli. “It’s easy to ride. What we still need to improve is how the bike handles in changing track conditions, when the track deteriorates towards the end. That’s why we’re now racing with a new frame in the World Championship.”