Tony Cairoli registered his 90th career win and the first since the Grand Prix of Lombardia in May 2019 at yesterday's MXGP of Riga.
Cairoli, nursing a sore right knee after the Grand Prix of Latvia last Sunday, made an ideal start in the first moto and followed teammate Jorge Prado in a KTM 450 SX-F ‘1-2’. The formation was short-lived as Prado suffered a broken front wheel and had to pit, losing a lap and would reach the finish line in 29th. Cairoli was free to mark his own pace and defend a comfortable gap to the flag. Jeffrey Herlings meanwhile had been caught in a first-corner crash and had a busy race flying through the pack to reach third.
It was Prado’s turn to suffer at the start with the launch of the second moto. The Spaniard was pushed wide and spent the 30 minutes and 2 laps trying to regain ground to 13th. At the front Cairoli led until he was passed by Herlings and Arminas Jasikonis, and then filled part of a close-running quartet. Herlings surprisingly crashed on a small waves section with two laps remaining and by quickly picking up his racebike forced Cairoli into evasive action and the nine-times world champion also briefly fell. By the end of the moto Herlings was just two seconds behind winner Jasikonis for another third place while Cairoli cruised to 4th and secured the overall victory.
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium and with a win. Last Sunday wasn’t my day and I was dealing with another injury to my knee,” said Cairoli. “I didn’t know what to expect. I went to the hospital to get some fluid and anti-inflammatory treatment. It was pretty sore and swollen. In the first moto I stayed out of trouble, made my rhythm, kept smooth and tried to keep my feet up. I was really happy with how it went. In the second moto I made another good start but Jeffrey and [Arminas] Jasikonis were riding really fast. I just tried to follow, and I knew my condition was OK: if I could be with them then I could push even more at the end. At one point in the waves I saw the yellow flags and Jeffrey on the floor. He picked up and started very fast in front of me and I was a bit shocked and had to brake. I lost the front wheel. I had a gap over the others so held my position and watched what would happen. I’m really happy with the result and the improvement over last weekend – especially with the starts – so now I’m looking forward to the next Sunday. Hopefully the knee can be a bit stronger and ready for the battles we all want to see.”
Herlings may have lost his chance at a third triumph of the four-round season so far but managed to increase his MXGP championship lead thanks to Tim Gajser’s DNF. The Dutchman has an advantage of 28 points with Cairoli now up to 3rd in the rankings.
“After getting stuck behind the pile-up in the first moto I had to pretty much regroup and come back again, like I did in the second moto last Sunday,” said Herlings. “I made it to third and was on the rear wheel of [Romain] Febvre but couldn’t pass him. The start was way-better in the second moto – up to 3rd and my best since we arrived in Latvia – I passed Tony and was leading up until two laps to go when my front wheel washed-away. I still managed 3rd and apologized to Tony because he might have crashed because of me! Anyway, we are both on the podium and we extended our points lead in the championship. Hopefully next Sunday we can finally be on top of the box.”
Jorge Prado: “I had a better gatepick compared to last Sunday and had a perfect jump out of the gate. It was good to lead for a while but then the front wheel broke and I had re-join the race, more or less in the same place but a lap down! I let Tony through and then just followed him. Just bad luck. Another rider hit me from behind at the start of the second moto and pushed me completely to the outside. I had to start charging hard and passed many guys until [Gautier] Paulin blew-out a full berm in front of me and I was already committed to the line. My front wheel grabbed the sand and I almost went over the bars. It was another situation that I could do nothing about, and I lost the rhythm. It’s a pity. Luck was not on my side today but I’m happy in a way because I made big progress with my riding from last Sunday. I’m hungry for even better this weekend.”
Results MXGP Grand Prix of Riga 2020
1. Tony Cairoli (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-4)
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Yamaha (4-2)
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (3-3)
4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU), Husqvarna (8-1)
5. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki (2-11)
Standings MXGP 2020 after Round 4
1. Jeffrey Herlings 170
2. Tim Gajser 142
3. Tony Cairoli 129
4. Arminas Jasikonis 121
5. Jeremy Seewer 120