IN
THE
WIND
P22
CAIROLI, GUILLOD VICTORIOUS IN SPAIN
R
ed Bull KTM Factory Rac-
ing's Antonio Cairoli cel-
ebrated his first victory of the
season at the MXGP of Spain
at Talavera de la Reina, May 10.
The defending champion parted
ways with his usual 350 and
made his debut aboard the KTM
450 SX-F, and the switch proved
to be a good one. Cairoli rode
to the overall victory with a 3-1
finish, topping points leader Max
Nagl.
In the MX2 class, Swiss rider
Valentin Guillod celebrated his
first-ever victory. Guillod's 6-1
tally gave him the overall win
ahead of Factory KTM's Jeffrey
Herlings who overcame a hard
crash in the second moto to
finish second overall with a 1-7
finish.
Cairoli overcame a fifth-place
start in the first moto to finish
third and backed it up with a win
in the second moto after battling
with early race leader Romain
Febvre. While Febvre was lead-
ing, he stalled his Standing Con-
struct Yamaha, which allowed
Cairoli to retake the lead, and
hold it all the way to the finish.
"The 350 was our 'baby' and
we brought it to the top, but it is
time for new challenges," Cairoli
said of his switch to the 450cc
machine. "We test a lot with the
new 450 and I like it a lot. I was
sure I should ride with it from the
first race, but I was not so fit."
In the opening moto of the
MXGP class, Nagl was, once
again, unstoppable aboard his
Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna
Factory Racing FC 450. He
grabbed the holeshot and led
the charge all the way to the
finish for his fifth race win of
the season. He was unable
to repeat his dominant per-
formance in the second race,
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
RAY
ARCHER/KTM
IMAGES
Red Bull KTM Factory
Racing's Antonio Cairoli (222)
rode a 450 SX-F at the MXGP
of Spain, where he celebrated
his first victory of the season.
