Scritto lunedì 9 Novembre 2020 alle 08:34.
MXGP 18 – GARDA-TRENTINO
Diciottesimo ed ultimo GP stagionale, il Gran Premio di ‘Garda-Trentino’ si è disputato sul tracciato ‘il Ciclamino’ di Pietramurata, terzo appuntamento di fila sulla pista trentina, con condizioni meteo ottimali.
Nel turno cronometrato, con terreno bagnato e molto insidioso, Antonio Cairoli non è riuscito a far meglio del diciannovesimo tempo. La qualifica ha compromesso la giornata del nove volte Campione del Mondo, chiamato in questo ultimo GP a difendere la seconda piazza in campionato.
Al via di gara uno comunque Cairoli (team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MXGP) con la sua KTM 450 SX-F ha trovato un buono spunto ed è uscito dalla prima curva intorno alla settima posizione. Nel corso della manche ha guadagnato una posizione e si è classificato sesto.
In gara due era partito ancora meglio e in fondo al rettilineo del via era quarto, con all’interno Paulin (Yamaha), Gajser (Honda) e Tonus (Yamaha), ma quest’ultimo ha ritardato la staccata ed è finito sulla traiettoria di Cairoli. I due sono riusciti a non cadere ma sono finiti dritti per la tangente alla curva, fuori pista. Ripartito nelle retrovie, Antonio si è subito reso conto che la leva del cambio si era danneggiata nell’impatto; ha provato a fare un paio di giri ma ha capito che non era possibile in quelle condizioni andare avanti e si è fermato segnando il suo primo zero in stagione.
La giornata sfortunata è costata a Cairoli la seconda posizione in campionato. Il pilota siciliano ha comunque concluso sul podio finale di campionato in terza posizione, con sette podi e tre vittorie di GP.
Jorge Prado (team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MXGP) con tre vittorie e otto podi è sesto in campionato nella sua prima stagione nella massima categoria. Purtroppo è stato costretto a saltare gli ultimi quattro GP dell’anno per la positività al Covid.
Antonio Cairoli: “Nei turni della mattina avevano bagnato troppo e la pista era viscida e pericolosa, non sono riuscito a fare un giro buono. Però in entrambe le gare ero partito bene, anche meglio nella seconda dove poi praticamente sono stato buttato fuori pista alla prima curva e mi sono dovuto fermare con la leva del cambio rotta. E’ stato un GP sfortunato ed ho perso la possibilità di difendere la seconda posizione in campionato. Sono terzo della MXGP, ed è la mia quattordicesima stagione su diciassette in cui finisco sul podio di un campionato del mondo, e almeno di questo sono felice… è davvero sorprendente dopo così tanti anni di gare. Gajser è stato molto difficile da battere quest’anno e dopo la Lettonia il mio ginocchio è peggiorato ogni volta. Non potevo allenarmi o correre a piedi e questo è stato un problema. Ora bisogna tornare al meglio come condizione fisica e proveremo a pensare al prossimo anno”.
GP of GARDA TRENTINO 2020 – NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
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The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship came to a conclusion with the third and final race at the Pietramurata circuit in northern Italy and new MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle scored his fourteenth podium from 18 rounds. Tony Cairoli finished the season 3rd in the MXGP series standings after classifying 12th in Italy.
The eighteenth round of eighteen in an FIM Motocross World Championship unlike any other (back-to-back events at the same circuit, weekly triple headers, one-day formats) occurred over the slippery hard-pack of Pietramurata. After two Grands Prix at the venue the previous Wednesday and Sunday the riders were more than familiar with the narrow and jumpy course, although the surface was slicker and bumpier. Sunshine and temperatures that hovered around fifteen degrees blessed the final dose of GP racing in 2020.
MXGP
Tony Cairoli – Cairoli came into the meeting defending a 4-point advantage over Jeremy Seewer in the contest for 2nd place in MXGP for 2020. The tussle was one of the main talking points of the day. In the first moto – after completing Timed Practice in 19th and going to the gate in the same position – the Sicilian tried hard to overtake Arnaud Tonus for 5th but could not defeat the Swiss and settled for 6th. Cairoli tried hard for the holeshot in race two but was hit wide on the first corner and the impact broke his gearshifter and forced a DNF: the only one of the season for #222.
Cairoli wraps his seventeenth world championship term and his eleventh with KTM with seven podium appearances and three victories. Jorge Prado is 6th in his debut term with three wins and eight podiums (the second highest total) and unfortunately missed the final four GPs of the year. Jeffery Herlings was 12; the Dutchman victorious four times with five visits to the rostrum in six rounds.
Tony Cairoli: “It’s my fourteenth season of finishing on the podium of a world championship and I’m happy about that. It’s quite amazing after so many years of racing. Tim [Gajser] was very difficult to beat this year and after Latvia my knee became worse and worse every time. I couldn’t train or run and that’s important for me. I lost a bit of fitness and also a bit of confidence because when the track gets rough and slippery – like it was here this morning in the Timed Practice – I need to slow down and ‘survive’. This was not good for today’s races because I was wide in the start and it couldn’t have been worst at the beginning of the second moto. We lost 2nd place but we are OK and we’ll try to move forward for next year.”
MX2
Tom Vialle – The MX2 World Champion contested the last two motos of the season with his red #1 proudly attached to the front of the KTM 250 SX-F. Vialle faced some adversity after a crash in Timed Practice left him feeling sore and stiff for the two races but he blasted to his 21st holeshot from 35 starts in the opening moto and rode alone to his 14th success. In the second race he clipped the inside of the banking on the second corner and briefly crashed while at the front of the pack. Vialle worked hard to regain positions quickly -even though he made more mistakes – and was inside the top ten by the third lap. He took 5th by the end of the 30 minutes and 2 laps and it was good enough for the overall runner-up position.
Vialle signs-off 2020 with 14 trophies – 7 of those winner’s garlands – and 14 moto victories from 36.
Tom Vialle: “To be world champion in my second year is amazing. The last few days have been really good and today my riding was pretty good also. In the second moto I crashed at the start but came back from last to 5th. I crashed twice more and was a bit angry about that…but I was really fast today. I tried to be as consistent as possible this year. I was trying my best every time and focusing on good starts and riding like I do in training and it worked very well. I want to thank the whole team and my family. It has been amazing to ride in this race team the less two years. It has been fantastic.”
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