Red
Bull Teka KTM factory riders Tony Cairoli and Max Nagl rode two
masterly motos on the deep and tricky sands of Valkenswaard in the
Netherlands on Easter Monday to deliver two consecutive moto victories
and finish the day 1-2 on the GP podium. |
The result, following on from a 1-2 in the MX2 class GP was proof of
the depth of talent in the Orange factory team and underlined the
qualities of the KTM 350 SX-F machine, ridden this year by both Cairoli
and Nagl.
The performance was even more spectacular for Cairoli who was
riding injured after hurting his knee in the first GP at Sevlievo,
Bulgaria, and while he was clearly in pain and discomfort as he climbed
onto the highest step of the GP podium, he never let it deter him from
another triumphant ride.
The two riders split the results of the day's ride - Tony won
the first moto and Max took second place. Then Nagl of Germany, also
buoyed by the support of his new Belgian based fan club, whose members
flocked over the border to support him, put in a great ride to take the
second moto with his Italian team colleague finishing second.
While
Cairoli won the MX1 title in 2010 on the newly released 350 SX-F
machine, this is Nagl's first year on the new bike. In 2010 he rode the
KTM 450 SX-F. The result moves Nagl up to second place in the
championship standings, just five points behind the leader Steven
Frossard with Cairoli in overall fourth with a 13-point gap to the
leader.
It was the fifth time that Tony had won at Valkenswaard and the
third in a row in MX1. He paid tribute to the enthusiasm of the Dutch
fans and the way they support him.
Tony Cairoli: "I am happy that this is the third
time I have won in MX1 here but I did struggle a bit today. Normally
this track is a lot of fun to ride but today I tried to be more careful
with my injured knee and I tried not to put it on the ground so much.
Today we could also close the gap in the championship points and I hope
it's not too long before we get the red plate back again."
Max Nagl said it had been a good weekend for him, including a
great qualifying when he took the pole position but he had not been so
confident in the first moto.
Max Nagl: "Then in the second heat I changed my
strategy. I was leading after about 15 minutes so I was able to find my
rhythm and find some nice lines on the track. That makes it easier," he
said.
Team boss Stefan Everts expressed satisfaction with the
performance of the two MX1 riders saying it had been a tough and
physically hard GP.
Stefan Everts: "I was mostly impressed with the comeback of
Antonio. We knew he had a knee injury but he did better than we
expected. He came back to win in the first moto after not having a very
good start. Also in the first moto Max was third and showing a good
speed. Then it was the opposite in the second race when Max put in a
nice performance and fought really hard to be in front," he said.
In other related news, it was also announced at Valkenswaard
that Cairoli has signed to stay with the Red Bull Teka KTM Factory
Racing Team for another two years.
The MXGP at Valkenswaard attracted a huge crowd of followers on
the Easter holiday weekend and the KTM riders clearly enjoyed chalking
up yet another Orange victory on the traditional sandy track.
MX1 Round 2
1, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM 25-22—47 points
2, Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 20-25--45
3, David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha, 18-20—38
4, Steven Frossard, France, Yamaha, 22-16--38
5, Rui Goncalves, Portugal, Honda, 15-18—33
Standings after two rounds
1, Steven Frossard, France, 85 points
2, Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 80
3, Clement Desalle, France, 78
4, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 72
5, David Philippaerts, Italy, 63
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