Defending MXGP world champion Antonio Cairoli of the Red Bull KTM Factory team is slowly working his way towards regaining the red plate he has so often owned.

The Italian looked brilliant in the opening moto of last weekend’s Grand Prix of France, winning just ahead of eventual GP winner Romain Febvre.

In the second moto a terrible start saw the eight times world motocross champion stuck mid-field, from that moment on it was not going to be an easy job to win the GP.

Still, he made the podium in third place and continues to be the smartest rider in the MXGP class. Cairoli had won two Grand Prix overalls in Spain and England and is doing what he does every year, piling on the points and putting pressure on his competition. France though wasn’t the weekend he had hoped for, yet he still made a small inroad into the series led by Max Nagl.

“I struggled pretty much all the weekend,” Cairoli said. “You need to get a good start with a track like this, it is really important to be at the front as quickly as possible.

“The track was not one of the best for me, for sure in the second moto it was tough. You had to ride carefully because the ruts were deep and it was difficult. I am happy, I am healthy and we got two points on Max and that is important for the championship.”

Going into France the Italian wasn’t really looking at winning, as his main goal was to score more points than his rivals. With friend Max Nagl holding the red plate Cairoli wanted to walk away from the Grand Prix of France with a big smile on his face and more points than his German rival.

“For sure my goal was to score more points on Max, and the first moto I rode well and was feeling good. It was so important to get a good start at least top five or top six to try and stay with the front guys. I made a mistake myself in the second moto and I couldn’t go closer to 16th in the start then I made some mistakes and nearly crashed four times so I just though I needed to get as many points as possible for the championship.”

The Red Bull KTM Factory rider will now head to Maggiora, Italy where he will try and continue his climb towards Nagl and that red plate. There is expected to be a huge crowd in attendance and that will help the Italian legend reach his goals.

“I love racing the GPs in Italy. Maggiora isn’t one of my favourite circuits, but I still love racing there and I have done well in previous years.”

Look for Cairoli to bring something special to Maggiora, he will once again want to give his fellow countrymen something to cheer about.

Words by Geoff Meyer

Photo by Ray Archer

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