Reigning MX1 world champion Antonio Cairoli geared up for the defence of his title with a blistering pre-season ride in Valence in France.
Cairoli was racing the new KTM 350 SX-F bike and the Italian, who also won two weeks ago in another practice run in Mantova, Italy, looks in great form ahead of the start of the World Motocross Championship in April.
The latest recruit to KTM Factory Racing Team topped the list in MX1 and the combined super final but treated the run in Valence on Sunday more as a test and was delighted with the performance of his new bike.
Riders in the super final had an extra challenge to overcome as well as the heavens opened, adding rain to the already cold and windy conditions.
Cairoli said, "It was good training, also for the starts and quite different conditions than Mantova. I wanted to test the bike in hard competition and on a hard surface."
'I wanted to test the bike' - Tony
KTM team-mates Max Nagl and Mike Alessi were also riding in Valence.
Nagl used the event purely as a practice, finishing eighth in the MX1 and ninth in the super final. Alessi came 14th in the MX1 and 24th overall.
German Nagl admitted afterwards that Valence was not his favourite track.
“My starts were not as good as I would like but we know that with a small adjustment to the settings, I will again be fast out of the gates,” Nagl said.
Round 1 of the 2010 World Motocross Championship takes place in Sevlievo, Bulgaria on April 4. To find out more about the tournament visit www.motocrossmx1.com
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