Tony Cairoli on His American Agenda
When Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MXGP icon Tony Cairoli announced that he was leaving the FIM world championship competition full-time last summer, one goal still lay ahead: compete one lap of the racing series. The most competitive national motorcycle in the world, AMA Pro National People.
Through the combined resources of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in Austria and operations in North America to calculate the long American supercar and motorcycle calendar, space has been found for the record-setting Italian to come to the United States. and join the likes of Aaron Plessinger and Ryan Dungey returning for select appearances with the new KTM 450 SX-F.
The arrangements were put together in time so that Tony could afford to ride and train in Europe and his base near Rome to be able to fly across the Atlantic in reasonable shape to run. race. One of the most revered superbikes of this century, the #222 was greeted with open arms by eager American fans and showing off its class despite approaching its fifth birthday. 37 by scoring a series of top results and circulating at the edge – and even inside – on the same year. After events in California, Colorado and Pennsylvania, Tony returned home to continue his role as ambassador and experiment with the factory as well as contribute his considerable experience to the current MXGP endeavor.
Tony, you’ve come to America with a month of preparation.
It’s not much, don’t you feel?
“Sure, and I know it’s going to be tough to compete but then I’m also a bit surprised that I could have made it into the top 5, if not for a few mistakes. We’re always there: 7, 8, 5, 6, 4, 4. In the end I’m pretty happy with the pace I have.“
You’ve always wanted to try the series and some of those American hits are very popular.
You’ve spent almost twenty years on Grand Prix circuits so it must have been an interesting discovery…
“It was really cool and because everything was so new I had to learn the moves, tracks, opponents and speed of the motorcycles. It’s definitely fun. “
You also raced the KTM 450 SX-F 2023…
“It was a great experience riding the new bike. The engine has great results just like my bike came out of the factory last year but we didn’t have much time to work on the suspension settings for the new frame. We tested while we were racing and in a couple of days we were going between races. After two races, I started to feel much better and satisfied with the feel of the bike.“
The plan is for one, then two, and you’ve finally committed to four races.
Is it too little or more than you expected?
“It’s nice to just do those four things. It was always a plan to do it the first two times but then we stayed two more times because I could see we were making a lot of progress. We were in the USA and it was very inexpensive to stay a few more weeks for two more races. We knew we had to make a decision after those four games but I base it on how I feel. I’ve been getting better from time to time but it’s been very difficult for me to do the whole season after so many years focusing on the world championship. Looking back now, I should have been on the show in the first place. It can happen later, but with good preparation, I put in a great effort to win the championship.. “
Is it like going early from a good party?
“Right! It is like this. It was a great experience and we played well until round four when I had some problems on my first bike and I fell and hit my knee a little bit. I know it’s my last race and, if I fight for the championship I’ll get another hit, but I’m already outside the top 10 and I don’t want to risk that much. I was just there to enjoy the races and not get bumped and injured. “
What aspects of this series are easier than MXGP?
“I like the track preparation. The team really listens to the riders and will have a dialogue with the top riders after each practice session. If we have suggestions for parts of the track they will immediately fix them. I also like the one date format. It’s more stressful and people go faster at the beginning.“
What do you find more difficult?
“The starting gate is different but then also the speed of the motos. The first laps went very quickly because I think the boys were used to doing it from the superhighway. The first two laps they were very fast and aggressive and that was different from MXGP where everyone would set up the laps first and then the tempo was higher. It was a bit difficult to adapt to the fact that the craziest part of the race was at the beginning. You have to adjust quickly. “
How do you perceive your reception by US fans and people who have probably wanted to see you race for a long time?
“It was crazy! The fans were really supportive and cheered a lot. I see many Italian flags around the track. It was really nice and I didn’t expect such a warm welcome. That’s the other really fun part of it all.“
In the end, you had to race against Ryan Dungey and previous teammates like Ken Roczen as well as all Americans. Usually, your experience of this opposition is limited to once a year at Motocross of Nations. What was it like?
“Racing with people you’ve never really had a chance to is another special part. Everyone has their own style and of course, in the Country, you only compete against two of the riders. There’s obviously a lot here! So the start of the race is fun but also difficult because you have to get to know other people. It’s nice to see some old rivals back on track.“
Tony Cairoli on tour!
