Antonio Cairoli - Fighter

You have to respect Antonio Cairoli how he fought to try and regain his MXGP championship. Despite only winning two GP’s in 2015, and holding down second place in the series points the Italian rider was very much putting in a strong performance considering the circumstances.

Having picked up an arm injury earlier in the season the Italian legend had been riding with severe pain, and not anywhere near his best form. The bad news at the last GP in Latvia was the injury isn’t healing and the pain is becoming unbearable. So much so that Cairoli nearly pulled out of the Latvian event. Cairoli’s comments in Latvia didn’t give you the feeling he could last much longer.

“It was a clean fracture, but the fracture had moved sideways and it isn’t getting better, it isn’t repairing. I am riding already races with painkillers and no training, so it’s getting tough to not lose too many points. I have now some time before Loket, but if it doesn’t get better for Loket, then it’s time to rest my injury.”

As we all know now, that fight is over as he will miss Loket and Lommel. What Cairoli should be proud of is the strength he has shown in fighting the injury. I can’t think of any other rider who could do what the Red Bull KTM Factory rider is doing.

“That is a good point (hanging tough). I was noticing the last few races with just one arm and my speed wasn’t so far from the fast guys, so I have to think about my potential, and realize what is possible if I can get fit again. I don’t have much more time in my career.”

What had kept Cairoli still fighting is the fact he had remained in contention for regaining the title, and while Romian Febvre is on fire at the moment, anything can happen, that now is an impossible dream for the GP hero. The only problem for Cairoli was the injury sometimes takes the fight out of him. Places like Assen, or Glen Helen are now places he will have to work hard just to be competitive, instead of dominating like in previous seasons.

“I was not losing many points in the championship, but so often I was thinking this is so tough to hold on and when somebody passes me I would get really disappointed. You know it would have been so difficult to go to Lommel, I haven’t ridden a sand track for a couple of months and I wanted to ride the sand tracks later in the season.”

It seems as though Cairoli will still roll up to the last three rounds of the championship in Assen, Mexico and Glen Helen, then finish his year with the MXoN in France. It has been a tough season, but a rider like Cairoli only shows us just how tough he is in these circumstances.