On Track Off Road No.182

mxgp
Feature
What did he do?
He was the only challenger, the only one to
keep pace. This distinction alone – especially
against a rival almost ten years younger – vindicates
any plaudits in 2018. Jeffrey Herlings
commented in interviews that he felt Tony, at
32, was riding better than ever this year and
while such remarks could have been made to
elevate his own achievements confirmation
was provided by the man himself at Assen. “I
think this is one of my best years… apart from
the last part of the series where I was struggling
with some injuries,” he said. “The speed
was unbelievable for sure. It’s an honour to
finish behind Jeffrey because he is the fastest
rider in the world at the moment and I didn’t
finish second to a slow guy. I know I can still
be competitive and have to work a bit harder
to be strong the whole race.” Nine titles and
eighty-five wins have not dimmed Cairoli’s enthusiasm
and, fortunately for motocross fans,
his thirst to lead and continually better himself
did not fade. 2018 would have been far more
boring without him.
What did we like?
Those starts, and attempts to break Herlings
by upping the ante from the first laps were
a formidable (but eventually unfruitful) tool
for Tony this year. It showed his competitiveness
and potent combination with the KTM
450 SX-F. Cairoli was also a class act. There
were controversial bumps with Herlings –
none more so than their contact at the British
Grand Prix at mid-season that sent the Sicilian
tumbling – but the slightly simmering rivalry
did not veer into drama or conflict behind the
scenes. Respect remained, along with a minor
distance under the awning. 2018 was a culture
shock for Cairoli. He’d never faced such
a virulent and consistent rival over the course
of an entire season, so he needed to work out
a strategy beyond his normal rate of unmatchable
consistency and didn’t quite manage it.
tony cairoli
Position: 2nd
Team: red bull ktm factory racing
Harrying, pressurising and even intimidating
Herlings on the track might not be in his
character but it is a tactic that maybe his
followers and general race fans would have
like to see more. A tweaked knee, yanked
thumb and fractured hand took the edge off
his conditioning at points of the term, even to
the extent where he might have hovered with
the white towel in terms of trying to actually
race Herlings each weekend, but Cairoli kept
on grounding out results and podium finishes
to frustrate Jeffrey and stretch the notion of
‘what if’ down to the last motos of 2018.
Standout moment?
A very fine win in Spain for round three was
the first of the season and a brief moment of
resurgence against Herlings’ growing confidence
but the effect of the victory was wiped
out the following week when his teammate
beat him on native ground at Arco di Trento
where he had prevailed in such spectacular
fashion in 2017. Tony gobbled his chance to
appease the fans at Ottobiano for round eleven
and while Herlings was at home nursing
his recently operated collarbone. #222’s energised
1-1 in the Italian sand drew the ball back
plump into his court and almost ‘reset’ MXGP.
More to come?
At the end of 2017 some were questioning Cairoli’s
motivation more than ever. Injury-hit seasons
in 2015 and 2016 had been successfully