Cairoli back on top in MXGP as Hofer celebrates historic MX2 milestone win in Italy

MXGP of Pietramurata: this weekend took the fifteenth Grand Prix of the 2021 Motocross World Championship in Pietramurata.

MXGP

Cairoli celebrates 94th Grand Prix win and fifth success at Pietramurata while in the first moto DNF keeps Herlings away from the MXGP podium for only the third time in 2021.

Tony Cairoli: “It’s been a struggle since the crash I had in Sardinia. It played on my mind in the next GPs. My ribs were really painful but in Spain I was already feeling a bit better. Coming here I was hoping for a good bounce-back after some tough races but I got sick on Saturday night and Sunday was difficult. Today I felt a bit better, and I’ve had some good races here in the past. I did everything I could to be on the podium. In the first moto I was very happy with my riding and in the second I had a holeshot and could mostly control the race. I was getting a bit tired but with my experience I could save some energy in parts of the track and could keep Jeremy behind me. I hope now I can feel even better and be on the podium every weekend; that’s what I’m here to do.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “It is pretty devastating. My front wheel washed out and someone rode over my bike. A lot of things were broken, my handlebar, gas cable. It was a done deal. It hurts to get that points-lead to where it was and in the blink of an eye it was done. I just had to watch from the sidelines. I then had to go straight into the second moto and I had some arm-pump and couldn’t get into my rhythm. I missed that first moto. It’s been a bad day. I’m not sure what else to say. It is going to be an interesting last three races. We’ll see how things will turn out.”

Jorge Prado: “I’m happy that I was just a little bit better and I felt a small improvement with my back. Two days is too short to heal when you need a couple of weeks. I had a very good start in the first moto and could finish 5th, which was a decent race. I didn’t get a start in the second moto and still managed 3rd after the second corner with a very nice line around the outside. The guys were faster than me and it was difficult to go fast when the bike was moving a lot. It was hard to control it because of the pain. Jonass touched my back wheel halfway through and we both went down. It was a pity. I was last and decided to stop because I couldn’t do better. I now have four days and I think I will feel even better on Sunday.”

MX2

Hofer goes 4-1 to take his maiden Grand Prix victory while Vialle wins first MX2 moto but falls out of the second race.

Rene Hofer: “For sure this is a day I will never forget. It was such a nice feeling once I crossed the finish line. I really hope the Austrian fans at home enjoyed it, it’s been a while! I feel a bit speechless. In the first moto I struggled a bit and didn’t have the best flow and the second moto was much better. Obviously, I was lucky to avoid the incident with Maxime and Tom but I felt great out there. I was a bit nervous with 10 minutes to go and made a lot of mistakes but, somehow, I brought it home. We put in the work for this season and also during the summer break and since then things have been getting better and better for me. Since Turkey my confidence has grown every GP. It’s also really nice to give KTM that win, I think they’ve waited long enough for an Austrian to be here. It’s a happy day for all of us.”

Mattia Guadagnini: “I was feeling much better today than I was on Sunday. Unfortunately, I had a bad start in the first moto and also had a small crash that meant I was almost last. My riding was not so bad to come back to 11th and the lap-times were good. My start was better in the second moto and when two riders crashed in front of me that meant I was 2nd. I had to get used to riding at the front again! I tried to stay focused and find good lines. 4th overall; but the most important thing was finding the speed and the feeling again. Hopefully on Sunday we can go for the podium again and the win.”

Tom Vialle: “A great first moto but when I touched Maxime and we had that crash in the second race then I hurt my arm and it led to a big one just before the downhill section. I was lucky it didn’t end up much worse. Nothing is broken and I hope I’ll be feeling less sore after a few days. It’s a shame because I had the starts and the speed but we just need to accept this and try to come back in a good way as soon as possible.”

Motocross World Championship 2021, Round 15 – Pietramurata 2 (ITA)

MXGP
1. Tony Cairoli (KTM)

11. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)

13. Jorge Prado (KTM)

MX2
1. Rene Hofer (KTM)

4. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM)

6. Simon Längenfelder (GasGas)

9. Tom Vialle (KTM)

13. Gianluca Facchetti (KTM)

14. Isak Gifting (GasGas)

26. Filippo Zonta (Honda)

32. Stephen Rubini (Honda)