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Antonio Cairoli - Motocross Illustrated Feature
Interview Saturday 25th February 2011 By Geoff Meyer
Our very first issue of Motocross Illustrated the new e-magazine we ran this cool Antonio Cairoli interview. For those who missed it, here it is again. Antonio talks about his dream to one day race in America, and also to win the 2011 World MX1 Championship.
It’s hard to tell where Antonio Cairoli will end up in the history books of World Motocross. After just seven years on the World scene he has four FIM World Motocross Championships and is the favorite to win the 2011 World MX1 Championship. If he can add 2011 to his other four titles he will be equal to four Belgian legends in Eric Geboers, Roger De Coster, Georges Jobe and Joel Smets. Not bad company for a kid from Sicily who only a handful of years ago was struggling to get a podium.
Cairoli is the total professional. Always looking for the best way to promote the sport of Motocross and always looking to give his much adoring fans what they desire. He hates losing, yet never takes too many risks. Injury did rob him of winning the 2008 World MX2 Championship, and his 2006 loss to Christophe Pourcel (losing the title by a handful of points) still disappoints him.
A riding style that resembles a ballet dancer as he slips and slides his way around the toughest Motocross circuits in the World (Lommel and Lierop) gives you the opinion he could win in any form of the sport, be it World Motocross or World Supercross.
The month of November though did put a dampener on his challenge to the American scene. At the Genoa Supercross and Bercy Supercross he looked anything but comfortable. Not riding on the edge, just taking his time to learn. A quick trip to America in the coming months and we might see the Sicilian lining up at the biggest Supercross race in the World Anaheim I. Only time will tell if he can become the first Italian to impress the yanks, or if he will return to Europe and concentrate on the World Motocross Championships, just as Stefan Everts did nearly 20 years ago.
We decided to ask Cairoli about his childhood, his progress to the World scene and that all important showdown with Supercross in America.
Motocross Illustrated: What type of boy were you growing up?
Cairoli: I was a normal kid; I was not getting into trouble. I liked school, I didn’t like too much the study, but I liked school, I always sat at the back of the class talking. I liked for sure when it was lunch time.
Motocross Illustrated: What type of area did you grow up in Sicily?
Cairoli: Where I lived was a normal area, but it wasn’t really a pure area around where I lived. Some places their families had a house but not a real house if you know what I mean (Shanty houses). When I was a kid I liked to play with friends so much, every day there were kids at my house. We played soccer and we also on our push bikes, sort of like BMX.
Motocross Illustrated: When did you get your first motorcycle?
Cairoli: My first bike was when I was four years old. I got an italjet 50cc for my birthday. My father took me to the bike shop and the bike was there, that was really nice. I was at my parent’s house and I just liked to ride, I rode every day for two years, every single day.
Motocross Illustrated: How did you get into motorcycles?
Cairoli: My cousin was riding and he was 10 years older than me. My father was always watching and he really loves motorbikes. My father build a track in front of our house for me to ride, so it was very easy for me to ride as much as I wanted.
Motocross Illustrated: When did you start racing?
Cairoli: I started racing when I was at the good age, I was six years old. I had a Maragudi bike, it’s an Italian bike. It was really not a professional bike, and when you are six there wasn’t a bike to ride. It broke all the time.
Motocross Illustrated: How did you feel in those early years, did you race to win also back then?
Cairoli: I was okay when I started, no fast, but top three in the season, always on the podium. I remember until I was 80cc I never thought about being World Champion, but then I started racing 85cc in the Italian Championship and I started thinking more about racing in the World Championship.
Motocross Illustrated: I remember James Dobb telling me back in 2004 that he saw you racing on your 80cc bike and he said you would win many World titles. Do you remember when that might have been?
Cairoli: We used to have a trophy race that went together with the Motocross Grand Prix’s. It was amazing to ride on the same track as the Grand Prix riders. I remember looking for Claudio Federici, because he rode for the De Carli team and he was one of the top guys and he was also riding for the team I wanted to ride for in the future.
Motocross Illustrated: I often think about that Grand Prix of Valkenswaard back in 2004 when you were still rather unknown and you smoked both Ben Townley and Tyla Rattray out of the start. That was really an amazing day for you or not?
Cairoli: I think it was a good battle for me, one of my best races with Ben Townley and Tyla Rattray. 2004 I got many holeshots, which was my strong point. At that point I wasn’t that fast and my preparation wasn’t that good, but I was really learning and it was my first year. I got good starts all the time, but I always went back to sixth of seventh. I also liked that race because it was sand and I always liked sand. I had good memories of that race.
Motocross Illustrated: Ben Townley will be coming back to race in the FIM World Motocross Championships in 2011. What do you think of that?
Cairoli: I think it’s nice for the Grand Prix’s to have him back; he is one of the best guys in the World. He is really fast and he is also a nice guy and there are a lot of guys who will be fast. It will be important for me to be concentrated and not just worry about one guy, just do my own thing.
Read the rest of this interview at www.motocrossillustrated.com and go to old issues section.
Stanley Leroux Design
