Few motorsports athletes have been as successful as Italian motocross champ Antonio Cairoli.

Motocross is ruled by dynasties – every five years or so, a rider will come along who is simply more dominant than the rest of the field. Just think of Belgian legend Stefan Everts, a 10-time world champion who ruled the sport from 1995 until his retirement at the end of 2006.

Be it speed, consistency, fitness or talent, certain racers have the ability to continually rise to the top.

Then riding for Yamaha and now for KTM, Cairoli first rose to near the top in the MX2 class back in 2004, finishing third that season, behind New Zealand’s Ben Townley and runner-up Tyla Rattray, of South Africa.

Cairoli won the MX2 crown the following season, finishing ahead of Australia’s Andrew McFarlane and Italian Alessio Chiodi.

Cairoli finished runner-up in the MX2 class in 2006, finishing behind Frenchman Christophe Pourcel, and then won it back in 2007, this time ahead of Britain’s Tommy Searle.

He then immediately found success in the premiere MXGP class when he made the jump up to big-bore machinery in 2009.

In fact, Cairoli managed to capture the MXGP title six times in his first six attempts – taking the title each year from 2009 to 2014 inclusive – that’s a whole lot of winning.

After a couple of tough seasons in 2015 and 2016, Cairoli has once again found his winning ways in 2017.

Beyond Cairoli’s habit of being up front, he is also a fan favourite and we wanted to examine just what makes the Italian rider so popular.

Style

Cairoli was one of the first of Europe’s modern day riders. Replacing the stiffness and odd kit choices of ‘90s era riders, Cairoli’s riding style is what most young riders can and should aim to emulate. Aggressive and with a certain flair, his ability to go fast and look good while doing so harkens to the fluidity of Jeremy McGrath and the raw speed of James Stewart.

On more than one occasion, Cairoli has proven himself to be one of the best sand riders in the world. He bested his team-mate, Jeffrey Herlings (widely regarded as a sand specialist) during a heated two moto battle for the overall win in Italy earlier this year.

Branding

Cairoli has been at the professional moto game for a long time, and during his tenure he’s run the same number in every single MXGP race. The number 222 has become synonymous with speed, and Cairoli’s many sponsors over the years have used it as a branding tool. Much like Cairoli’s road racing countryman, Valentino Rossi and his number 46, a fan donning the 222 immediately shows their loyalty.

Team support

While Cairoli spent the earlier part of his career aboard Yamaha machines, he and the De Carli Racing outfit made a seamless transition under the Red Bull KTM tent beginning in 2010. The collective immediately found success in the MXGP class, and their winning ways have continued ever since.

With top riders in both the MX2 and MXGP classes, when the gate drops, the entire team is there for both technical and emotional support.

Pride

In Italy, fans go nuts for any and all forms of racing. When there’s an Italian winning, the excitement goes through the roof. When Cairoli wins in his home country, he does it with a sense of patriotism and, of course, his supporting statesmen lose their minds. After the race in Italy this year, Cairoli remarked on how he felt a sense of pride for winning in Italy on the same day that fellow Italian motorcycle racer Rossi won the MotoGP of the Netherlands.

Eight-time world champion Antonio Cairoli with BikesportNZ.com’s Bridget McGechan.

Fan appreciation

Some sports stars take the hands-off approach to dealing with fans. Perhaps they think that by remaining elusive, a certain aura of otherworldliness builds around them; perhaps they’re just shy. No matter, Cairoli’s approach is quite the opposite. Get in close with the fans and they will love you that much more. Following his win at the Italian GP at Ottobiano, Cairoli stuck around well after the rest of the paddock had thinned out to show that he appreciates his fan base as much as they appreciate him.

Legacy

Being in the game for a long time means you see, mentor and even compete against a lot of talent over the years. During Cairoli’s tenure with Red Bull KTM, he’s had riders (and world champions) like Ken Roczen, Herlings, Marvin Musquin and Jordi Tixier in the same tent at one point or another.

Today Tony shares the race rig with young talent including MX2 riders Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass along with Herlings and Glenn Coldenhoff in MX1. While every racer has their own training program, riders like Prado and Jonass would be wise to learn as much as they can from the number 222.

Staying power

Cairoli has been a winning machine for the majority of his long career. Most riders’ pro careers last five to eight years and if they are lucky, may score a few race wins or even a title along the way.

However, talent only goes so far, and as Cairoli stated recently: “People tend to think that my talent lets me take it easy with training but I always ride a lot with the bike, more than the other riders. My best form of training is riding, running and then the endurance gym work in the winter; that’s crucial when there are no races. This kind of programme has always worked well for me so I kept it.”

Cairoli is now in his 14th professional season and holds eight world motocross championship titles (along with several MX1 class overall wins in the annual Motocross of Nations). To top it off, he’s once again in the points lead.

Regardless of when Tony decides to hang up his boots, his legacy is already well established and he will be remembered as one of the greatest motocross racers (and motorsports stars) in history.

© Photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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