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Grand Prix of Belgium - Cairoli on World Championship Pace

By finishing 3rd in the Belgian Grand Prix, championship leader Antonio Cairoli is still on course for a first world title in the MX1 class. Cairoli raced with his new Defiance III knee braces in Lommel, they gave his knees the stability he needed in the rough sand.

“Tony the Tiger” was again the fastest man on the track, but poor starts didn’t help his effort on the sandy track. Cairoli gated 18th in the first heat and fought his way back to 5th position. In the last 2 laps the double world champion made a big impression by passing world title rivals Nagl and Philippaerts and gaining valuable points. “I’m happy with 5th”, said Cairoli. “It looked bad in the beginning and with the pouring rain the riding was really hard, but I was happy that my neck was ok. I crashed heavily in the qualification heat on Saturday and I heard a little crack, my neck was very sore and stiff. In the evening I got a Compex treatment and a massage, that got me ready for the race day.”

The championship leader was even better in the last heat. He finished 2nd, just behind Max Nagl and now holds a 51 point lead in the world championship. With 3 races to go, the DJO rider is the big championship favourite now. Next week the GP riders travel to Loket in the Czech Republic for the 13th round of the world championship.

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