• Top 10 for Cairoli and the Desmo450 MX in race one at RedBud
Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, on the opposite side to Chicago, the legendary RedBud track hosted the American debut of the Ducati Desmo450 MX. The bike, entered with the support of Factory Connection, was piloted by nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli in the sixth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
After serving as Grand Marshal at the Southwick round the previous weekend and completing some valuable testing sessions, Cairoli lined up for qualifying at RedBud eager to begin his day in fine style.
Despite scorching temperatures and just two 20-minute timed practice sessions to get up to speed, Tony posted the 10th fastest time out of 80 riders – showcasing his ability to quickly adapt to the unique format and intensity of AMA motocross compared to the MXGP series.
In the opening moto, the Sicilian rider got off to a rapid start, exiting the first turn in fifth place. However, with the blistering intensity early on, Cairoli slipped back to 12th by the end of lap two. Admirably regaining his rhythm, Tony found a solid pace and began to climb back through the field, eventually taking the chequered flag in ninth after a close battle with the two riders ahead of him.
In the second moto, despite a last-minute gate position change, Cairoli launched to an even better start to propel himself into fourth and into the top-five fight for the first four laps. He even challenged for third place before an electrical issue forced him to retire early, ending what had been a promising run on the Desmo450 MX.
The testing and development effort for Borgo Panigale’s first motocross bike will now continue ahead of the next round at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota.
Antonio Cairoli: “It was an amazing experience to ride here in RedBud. In the first moto, I had some trouble during the first laps. I had a good start in P5, but my starting hook got stuck, and I lost a few positions. Then I was able to find a nice flow, and I came back to P9. I was happy with my pace. In the second moto, my plan was to get another fast start and manage the opening laps better, but after a strong launch into fourth and while pushing for third, we had a small issue with the bike, and I was forced to pull out. Overall, it was still a positive day. We’re here to test and develop the bike, and these things can happen. Now we’re looking forward to a solid week of training and coming back ready to battle for another top 10 in Millville.”
