Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli settled his career eighth world motocross title on Sunday in the opening MXGP moto at the GP of State of Goias in Brazil to send the Brazilian fans into a frenzy of excitement as they chanted his name. Greeted by jubilant members of KTM’s factory team, Cairoli crossed the line in fifth place in the opening race to give him an unassailable lead in the championship points of 89 with just 75 up for grabs in the three races that remained. With the victory he moves another step closer to challenging the 10 world titles of Stefan Everts, manager of KTM’s MX2 factory team and one of the first to congratulate Tony in the finish area. It was the second time that Cairoli has secured a world title in front of the enthusiastic Brazilian crowd. Despite racing with a painful eye injury picked up in Saturday’s qualifying, Cairoli, a Red Bull sponsored athlete, rode his KTM 350 SX-F to a 4-3 result on Sunday for his eventual overall third. The GP went to Germany’s Max Nagl, with Gautier Paulin in overall second. His teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium did not compete in Brazil as he has undergone recent surgery to correct a wrist injury and opted to finish his season after the last European round. Cairoli said it was amazing to have taken his eighth title. “When you are a kid you wish for such a thing but you never think you can do it,” he said. “Its 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.”
Tixier still in the hunt for the MX2 title
With the championship title in MX2 still up for grabs, it was another dramatic day on the MX2 track in Brazil. KTM’s Dutch rider and championship points leader Jeffrey Herlings is still recovering from a broken femur so it was up to his teammate Jordi Tixier to try to pick up some more points in this two-way race for the title. The French rider scored a 5-4 result for overall third in the two motos to narrow the points difference to Herlings to 23 going into the final round in Mexico next weekend. Roman Febvre won Sunday’s MX2 GP and the minor places went to Dylan Ferrandis and Tim Gaijser. Both Herlings and Tixier compete on the KTM 250 SX-F racing bike.
Tixier had a big crash in Saturday’s qualifying and he said while the track looked like it had a lot of grip, it was in fact very slippery. “In the first moto I had a really bad start, I think I was last going around the first corner but in the end I came back to fifth. My feeling was not so good on the track but I took a better start in the second moto. Then when I tried to push I made a mistake. Fourth place was not the result I was hoping for and I was not on the box, but I still got some points for the championship and there’s still one more round to go,” Tixier said.
Riders contest the final round of the 2014 season in Leon, Mexico next weekend.
Cairoli’s journey to his eighth career world title
• 3rd MXGP Qatar
• 1st MXGP Thailand
• 1st MXGP Brazil
• 5th MXGP Trentino
• 1st MXGP Bulgaria
• 1st MXGP Netherlands
• 4th MXGP Spain
• 1st MXGP of Britain
• 3rd MXGP of France
• 1st MXGP of Italy
• 5th MXGP of Germany
• 1st MXGP of Sweden
• 1st MXGP of Finland
• 3rd MXGP of Czech Republic
• 1st MXGP of Belgium
• 3rd MXGP of State of Goias, Brazil
More at www.mxgp.com
MXGP of State of Goias at Trindade, Brazil - Round 16
MXGP Results
1, Max Nagl, GER, Honda, (1 – 1)
2, Gautier Paulin, FRA, Kawasaki, (4 – 2)
3, Tony Cairoli, ITA, KTM, (5 – 3)
4, Steven Frossard, FRA, Kawasaki, (2 – 7)
5, Tommy Searle, GBR, Kawasaki, (7 – 4)
6, Kevin Strijbos, BEL, Suzuki, (3 – 9)
7, Davide Guarneri, ITA, TM, (12 - 5)
8, Milko Potisek, FRA, Yamaha, (10 –
9, David Philippaerts, ITA, Yamaha, (8 – 10)
10, Matiss Karro, LAT, KTM, (11 – 11)
Other KTM
12, Shaun Simpson, GBR, KTM, (19 – 6)
DNS, Ken de Dycker, BEL, KTM
MXGP Standings after Rd. 16
1, Cairoli, 705 (2014 MXGP World Champion)
2, Jeremy van Horebeek, BEL, Yamaha, 596
3, Strijbos, 530
4, Clement Desalle, FRA, Suzuki, 484
5, Frossard, 392
Other KTM
6, Simpson, 382
13, Karro, 217
19, de Dycker, 131
20, Dennis Ullrich, GER, KTM 126
MXGP Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 16
1, KTM, 705
2, Suzuki, 648
3, Yamaha, 618
MX2 Results
1, Romain Febvre, FRA, Husqvarna, (1 – 3)
2, Dylan Ferrandis, FRA, Kawasaki, (2 – 2)
3, Tim Gajser, SLO, Honda, (7 – 1)
4, Jordi Tixier, FRA, KTM, (5 – 4)
5, Valentin Guillod, SUI, KTM, (4 – 6)
6, Arnaud Tonus, SUI, Kawasaki, (3 –
7, Jeremy Seewer, SUI, Suzuki, (10 – 5)
8, Christophe Charlier, FRA, Yamaha, (8 – 7)
9, Julien Lieber, BEL, KTM, (6 – 11)
10, Max Anstie, GBR, Yamaha, (12 - 9)
Other KTM
16, Jose Butron, ESP, KTM, (22 – 13)
DNS, Jeffrey Herlings, NED, KTM
MX2 Standings after Rd. 16
1, Herlings, 594
2, Tixier, 571
3, Febvre, 534
4, Ferrandis, 511
5, Gajser, 487
Other KTM
7, Guillod, 412
9, Butron, 345
12, Lieber, 260
16, Mel Pocock, GBR, KTM, 143
17, Harri Kullas, FIN, KTM, 127
20, Damon Graulus, BEL, KTM, 94
MX2 Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 16
1, KTM, 750
2, Kawasaki, 616
3, Husqvarna, 550
Antonio Cairoli secures 8th World Motocross title
Cairoli, man on a mission picks up podium third in penultimate round of MXGP
Tixier goes into final round trailing Herlings by 23 points in MX2
