Tony Cairoli, Shaun Simpson and Marvin Musquin wrapped up a near perfect weekend for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team at the Mantova Starcross in Italy on Sunday with a first in MX1 and a one-two in MX2.
The event, which sees MX1 and MX2 riders competing in the same races, also marked a successful debut for KTM’s new machines, the KTM 350 SX-F, which was launched the previous day, and the 250 SX-F, both of which have been developed by the company’s R&D team and 10-times world champion Stefan Everts.
Sunday gave Cairoli his first opportunity to ride the bike in anger as a new member of the KTM factory team, and his home fans could not have been more impressed.
The reigning MX1 World Champion rode the ground-breaking bike to victory in the first two of three finals and was third in the last race for a clear overall victory. "It was a fantastic start for me and I enjoyed riding the 350,” said Cairoli.
“I wanted to do some tests to see how it went at the start and everything went well for me. I'm happy with the bike and the results today and its always a terrific atmosphere here at Mantova.”
The Starcross lived up to its name with not only a host of MX star on the track but also on the guest list. Among the spectators were Cairoli’s friend and compatriot, Andrea Dovizioso, his fellow MotoGP star Marco Melandri and the 2010 Dakar winner Cyril Despres.
'The first two races went really well but then I crashed in the third' – Shaun Simpson
Back on the track, there was a welcome return for Shaun Simpson, who missed much of last year due to injury. The Scot made a triumphant start getting well up with the bigger 450 machines to finish fourth in the race, first among the MX2s.
"The entire race weekend was good for me," said Simpson. "I just wanted to come here and fun. The first two races went really well but then I crashed in the third.
“I had a good start and a good race in the first and I was really pumped for the second race. I came seventh but then I had the crash in the third. I've only been on the bike for two weeks so it was a good result. I'm in good physical shape and now I'll settle down to training on the bike.
Simpson also finished ahead of his world champion team-mate Marvin Musquin to make it a KTM Factory one-two on the final podium. The Frenchman wasn’t losing any sleep over it as a 4-2-1 showed solid progress through the event.
"It was difficult at the start because we were racing with the 450s but it was great training for me and for the GP season. I was happy that I got better and better as the day went on and the last race was really perfect because I was riding along with (David) Philippaerts and (Max) Nagl, the 450 guys," he said.
Another first was set by Stephanie Laier who became the first woman to race in the Starcross in its 27-year history. But despite having won on the circuit before, Laier struggled on Sunday among the other world champions.
But in the end the German, who was last year crowned women’s motocross champion, finished 16th in the MX2 class, competing in a field that also included Mike Alessi, Steve Ramon and Jonathan Barragan.
KTM/Red Bull Photofiles
The new FIM MX World Championship kicks off in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, on April 4.
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