IN
THE
WIND
P50
Cairoli Tops Mantova MXGP
T
he May 12 Mantova MXGP
in Italy was expected to take
place on a dry, hard-packed
surface, but Mother Nature had
other plans and dumped a heap
of water on the racing surface
prior to Sunday's motos. The
mud helped points leader and
nine-time World Champion Anto-
nio Cairoli pull clear from former
World Champ Tim Gajser, as
Gajser had a ton of trouble in the
inclement conditions.
Cairoli (Red Bull KTM)
grabbed the holeshot in the
first moto, while Gajser (Honda)
washed the front end in the
muddy first turn and went over
the bars, taking down a bunch of
racers with him. Gajser crashed
again later on in the race, even-
tually finishing 10th in the moto,
while Cairoli cruised home to his
sixth moto win of the year.
Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna),
Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna),
Max Anstie (KTM), Clement
Desalle, and Gautier Paulin (Ya-
maha) rounded out the top six.
Cairoli got the holeshot yet
again in the second moto, and
while Gajser got through turn
one unscathed this time. Pau-
lin and Brian Bogers (Honda)
chased Cairoli early on, while
Anstie ended up in a crash with
Shaun Simpson. Cairoli cruised
to another seemingly routine vic-
tory—his seventh moto win of the
year out of 10 motos run—over
Bogers, who passed Jonass in
the early going for the position.
Then came Paulin, Glenn Cold-
enhoff (KTM), and Gajser.
The 10-6 score for Gajser cost
him 24 points to Cairoli, and
although Gajser still sits second
in points, well clear of Paulin in
third, he now trails Cairoli by 40
points after only five rounds of
racing. There are 13 rounds left
to run.
In the MX2 division, Jorge
Prado (KTM) is closing back in
on points leader Thomas Kjer-Ol-
sen who has led the points since
Prado's no-score day at round
two in England.
Prado went 1-1 in Mantova
while Olden could only managed
a 6-2 score for second overall.
Prado led every lap of both mo-
tos in Mantova.
With his two-moto sweep in
Mantova, Prado has now won
all eight motos in which he has
competed, but trails Olsen in the
championship by 7 points due
to Prado's absence at the Grand
Prix of Great Britain, which Prado
missed due to a shoulder injury.
The series now heads to the
Grand Prix of Portugal in Agueda
this coming weekend. CN
MXGP
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 1-1
2. Pauls Jonass (Hus) 2-3
3. Gautier Paulin (Yam) 6-4
4. Clement Desalle (Kaw) 5-7
5. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) 8-5
MX2
1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 1-1
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Hus) 6-2
3. Davy Pootjes (Hus) 4-4
4. Mitchell Evans (Hon) 8-6
5. Iker Larranaga Olano (KTM) 7-9
Antonio Cairoli won
both motos at the
MXGP in Mantova, Italy.
PHOTO: RAY ARCHER
