Italian Antonio Cairoli is world MX1 champion for a second consecutive year.

Last year he won on a Yamaha in his MX1 debut season and this year he won on his debut season for KTM, wrapping up the title at the weekend’s Brazilian GP, taking the title with four races to spare.

Cairoli finished 2-1 in Brazil, winning the day in the MX1 class on a count-back from fellow Italian David Philippaerts (Yamaha), who recorded 1-2 results. Third best in Brazil was Germany’s Max Nagl (KTM), who was 4-3.

The next GP is round 14, the Dutch event at Lierop, in a fortnight, followed by the season-ending GP at Fermo in Italy.

As if Cairoli’s achievements like winning his maiden MX1 world title already at his first full season in the category in 2009, or taking his maiden MX1 GP win at a single selected outing in 2007 while he was a regular MX2 rider were not enough to prove his value, in 2010 an upbeat Cairoli went on to take the revolutionary KTM 350 SX-F machine to success and wrap up his fourth world title – putting him equal to legends Harry Everts, Torsten Hallman and Heikki Mikkola.

Winning seven GPs on board his new bike, which represents a total revolution in the sport of motocross by combining the agility of a 250 and the power of the 450, Cairoli has worked his way inside the top 10 of all time GP winners courtesy of a total of 36 Grand Prix wins – as many as Roger De Coster and Mickael Pichon. Starring another hard battled season, Cairoli is currently the most successful Italian racer to have taken part in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The arrival of the KTM 350 SX-F marked also the Austrian manufacturer’s return to success in the MX1 class with their last title dating back to 1996 when Kiwi Shayne King won on board a 360cc two-stroke or back to 1985, when Heinz Kinigadner took his second of two world titles in the 250cc class.

“I did not expect to win here but it is always nice to be world champion as soon as possible,” the 24-year-old Sicilian said. “I did not take any risks and I was also a bit lucky that (Belgian rider Clement) Desalle stopped (with bike problems in Brazil), but that is racing. For sure I am happy with the new bike. I never had to stop for any technical problem and that is really important if you want to be constant. I love this bike and the whole team, they have helped me a lot!”

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Josh Coppins (Aprilia) finished ninth and seventh in his two outings at the Brazilian GP, giving him seventh overall for the GP.

This was enough to lift the man from Motueka up one position, from 12th to 11th in the championship standings.

BRAZILIAN GP RESULTS:

MX1 Race 1 top 10: 1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 41:20.839; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.791; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:13.112; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:20.864; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:46.909; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:54.816; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +1:13.946; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +1:21.489; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +1:23.814; 10. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +1:25.132.

MX1 Race 2 top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:15.746; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:08.278; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:16.775; 4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:29.866; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:43.882; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.480; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +1:03.281; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +1:08.317; 9. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +1:09.895; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +2:03.205.

MX1 Overall top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 47 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 32 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 29 p.; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), 26 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 24 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 24 p.; 10. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), 23 p.

MX1 Championship leaders:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 578 points;

2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 471;

3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 441;

4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 420;

5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 408;

6. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 314;

7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 309;

8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 291;

9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 270;

10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 242;

11. Josh Coppins (NZL, Aprilia) 210;

12. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM) 208.

MX2 CLASS:

MX2 Race 1 top 10: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 39:52.656; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:23.697; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:53.952; 4. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +1:01.715; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +1:06.236; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:10.772; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +1:16.108; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:46.335; 9. Michael Leib (USA, Kawasaki), +1:56.549; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), +2:01.833.

MX2 Race 2 top 10: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 41:22.126; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:18.016; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:25.375; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.532; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:36.430; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:38.248; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:38.531; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:24.599; 9. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +1:29.587; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), +1:32.968.

MX2 Overall top 10: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 50 points; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 35 p.; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 35 p.; 5. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 30 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 26 p.; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 26 p.; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), 22 p..

MX2 championship top 10:

1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 571 points;

2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 499;

3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 430;

4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 391;

5. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 343;

6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 337;

7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 329;

8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 328;

9. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 326;

10. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 280.

© Photo courtesy KTM