KTM's Cairoli the king of MX1 in Loket

KTM's Cairoli the king of MX1 in Loket as he moves closer to the world title
Red Bull KTM's Tony Cairoli scored his 35th career GP victory powering his KTM 350 SX-F into at 2-1 result in the two motos on the hard pack circuit in Loket on Sunday. It was the first time that KTM had won a MX1 GP on the Czech circuit since it became part of the GP calendar in 2004.

Cairoli took a comfortable holeshot in the first moto and held onto the lead until lap 11 when Tanel Leok slipped by. In typical fashion, Cairoli played the waiting game until the last two laps then went on the attack but was unable to gain the advantage on the Estonian racer. His second place still extended his championship lead to 81 points
as he went into the second moto.

Double holeshot for Tony
Tony immediately seized the advantage and the holeshot in the second moto and while he stuck to the lead for the duration of the race it was not without challenges from the likes of Clement Desalle, second to Tony in both the second moto and the championship standings. Places third to fifth in the second moto, also toughly contested by Red Bull KTM teammate Max Nagl of Germany, were all very hard fought, especially in the last laps with riders reluctant to yield any advantage on the deeply rutted track.

Visibility problems

Tony said later that he had had some visibility problems in the last stages of the first moto. "I had some problems with my goggles and I didn't see so well. I was having a problem with the tear-offs and Tanel (Leok) passed me. Then I got the problem fixed and I tried to attack in the last part of the race but this is a track that it's very difficult to overtake. The second heat was nice because I had a great start and I got the holeshot. I knew that Clement (Desalle) was behind me so I tried to pull away and make a gap and I managed to do this in the last 10 minutes." When asked if he would like to close up the championship title in the next race in Brazil, Tony said he was just trying to concentrate on winning each race. "It would also be okay to do it in Lierop," he added.

Return to speed and form for Max Nagl
Max Nagl who finished fifth in the first moto was in the thick of the action and was able to finish fourth in the second moto for a total of 34 championship points. The German member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team is fourth in the championship standings and with 150 points still up for grabs in the remaining three GP's is still in with a realistic chance of finishing in the top three.

Max Nagl: for sure I wanted to finish on the podium but the important thing was that my riding was good and my physical condition is back where it should be. I managed to finish fifth in the firs moto then I had a big battle with Rui (Goncalves) in the second and it took me a long time to get past him. This is a difficult track and there is only one line in most of the corners and straights. Normally I like these conditions but anyway today the speed was there and that's important. I can still finish third in the championship and I closed the gap to Philippaerts so it going well." There is now only 12 points separating Max and third placed David Philippaerts of Italy.

Goncalves on the upwards curve
Teammate Rui Goncalves of Portugal is steadily improving in form and results and also had a solid race day at Loket. The Portuguese rider finished with a 10-8 result for overall eighth in the GP and can now look forward to lots of support when he goes to Brazil for the next round.

Rui Goncalves: I didn't have such a good start in the first race but I tried to work my way through the pack. O was feeling good all weekend and I came with a good result from Lommel, which was good for me. In the second moto we made some adjustments on the bike for it was better for me at the start. I was in the top 10 but then half way through the race I stalled the bile and some guys passed me. I finished eighth but it could have been sixth. For the next races I will just try to keep improving and to do my best,




MX1 Results
1 Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 22-25—47
2. Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki, 20-22—42
3. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Honda, 25-16—41
4. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki, 15-20—35
5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 16-18—34
Other KTM
8. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 11-13--24

Championship Standings
1 Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 531
2. Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki, 447
3. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha, 394
4. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 382
5. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki, 376
Other KTM
Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 177

Manufacturer's Standings MX1
1 KTM, 560
2. Suzuki, 497
3. Yamaha, 448

Credits: KTM press release.

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