The British Grand Prix, round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, took place at the weekend with multi-time former world champion Antonio Cairoli to the forefront in a guest appearance.
The two Sunday races were held in significantly lower temperatures than Saturday, on a wetter and more technical surface, as powerful gusts of wind swept across the English countryside throughout the day.
At the beginning of the first moto, Italian hero Cairoli got off to a perfect start from the centre of the grid and launched his Desmo450 MX down the descent that leads to the first corner, managing to move into the top five on the holeshot line, followed by his team-mate Jeremy Seewer, who was 11th.
After losing two positions on the opening lap, the nine-time world champion found his rhythm and settled into seventh, while the Swiss rider slipped and rejoined in 15th.
Meanwhile, Cairoli closed in on the group ahead and delivered an attack to take sixth.
The response from his opponent was less than clean, and in the ensuing incident, the front brake disc on Cairoli’s bike was damaged. The clash cost him two spots, but in the final stages, he managed to recover and crossed the finish line in seventh.
In race two, the Italian was once again among the first riders to pass the holeshot line, running eighth at the end of the first lap.
The Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team rider quickly found a strong pace, finishing the second race in the same positions and ultimately taking seventh overall at the British Grand Prix.
After a three-week summer break, MXGP will return to the Finnish track of the Kymi Ring for the 13th round of 2025, the MXGP Grand Prix of Finland.
Antonio Cairoli: “It was a very nice weekend here in Matterley Basin. We expected a better track yesterday, but it was in very bad condition. Plus, I had a little tip over in the pre-qualifying practice, and I banged up my knee a bit, which swelled up during the night.
“So today I wasn’t really pumped about my condition. But actually I was feeling better, and the track was more technical. And yeah, I got two okay starts. I expect to have better starts, but I was a bit too wide on the starting lane but I could still fight for a good position.
“In the first moto, I finished P7, and in the second moto, I was P8, which gave me seventh overall. So it’s good – it’s positive. We are really happy about the riding considering the knee problem.”
© Photo courtesy Ducati
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RESULTS & STANDINGS, ROUND 12:
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 45 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 41 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 38 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, DUC), 27 p.; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, HON), 23 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 21 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 20 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 584 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 552 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 411 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 383 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 347 p.; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 325 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 319 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 312 p.; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 274 p.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 37 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 32 p.; 5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 30 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 9. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 27 p.; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 27 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 575 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 523 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 505 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 464 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 433 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 417 p.; 7. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 358 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 281 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 267 p.; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 246 p.