MxLarge Story
Antonio Cairoli interview - I want to be better
Interview Sunday 19th January 2013 By Geoff Meyer
Six times World Motocross Champion Antonio Cairoli is very much a rider who always looks for the next step in his level of riding. Never satisfied with what he did the previous season the Italian will come into 2013 with the attitude of being at his best from the very first race.
A daunting proposition for his competition and one of excitement for the public.
Cairoli is working hard down in Sardinia and with three International races selected before the opening round of the FIM World Motocross Championships in Doha, Qatar the little Italian will be going to the Grand Prix of Qatar to win.
MXlarge: Antonio how is your training program going?
Cairoli: Just after New Year I started riding a little bit because I started later than normal. I didn't train after the des Nations for a couple of months. Then I started riding just two or three times in the week, then after the New Year I started the program.
MXlarge: I guess being in Sardinia you are not having too much trouble with snow and cold conditions?
Cairoli: No the weather here in the south is good. We don't have any problem with the cold or snow that you have in the North of Europe.
MXlarge: Are you looking forward to the night race in Qatar?
Cairoli: For sure I am looking forward to that a lot. I mean it is a nice place I think, I have never been. I hope they make a nice track and I am sure it will be a nice race. It is good for Motocross to have races in places like this. It's a place where people go on holidays and I think it will be really good; I look forward to it a lot.
MXlarge: Nice that the weather will be good for a change. Something like 20 degrees in Qatar and 30 in Thailand.
Cairoli: That is great, it's nice to have good racing with good condition, better for everyone, the media, mechanics, riders, everyone.
MXlarge: Last year you ended the season on fire, totally dominating your competition. Is that your goal in 2013 to continue that form or go back to your normal strategy of just being good enough to get more points than your rivals?
Cairoli: My goal is to be World Champion and to be better than the year before. Last year my start of the season was no so good, like the early Grand Prixs, but I was happy what happened in Sweden in some ways, because it made me more motivated and I wanted to do really well. For sure this year I will try and be at my best for the first round of the championship.
MXlarge: Can Jeffrey Herlings race with you or even beat you in the combined races?
Cairoli: I don't know, for sure, I think the 250 bike is a really strong bike and in some races for sure it will be possible, to be with the MX1 guys and it's possible.
MXlarge: What do you think of the combined races between MX1 and MX2?
Cairoli: I think is ok, I mean we will see. I don't know what to think at the moment, at the first race we will see how it goes, it is a new thing and for the crowd it can be more interesting. In one way it is sometimes boring for some spectators watching three or four hours of Motocross on television, so in some ways it is better to focus on the one big class and some TV will make it good.
MXlarge: You always try and make some nice plans for your fans; do you have anything special for 2013?
Cairoli: At the moment we don't have any plans, we are working on some things, but we want to bikes to look good.
MXlarge: Have you been keeping up with the AMA Supercross?
Cairoli: I watched the second race, I think it is nice that there are a lot of guys who can win, it is always a big change in the standings and some guys are coming. Like Justin Barcia, I expected him to be fast and he won the last race. He is very, very fast at the moment and I look forward to seeing how he does in the next round.
MXlarge: Final question, do you think the circuits will be okay for the pre-season races, with so much snow and cold weather at the moment. How will you do in the Italian races you are going to race in?
Cairoli: The first two rounds will be ok. The first round is down here in Sardinia and the next round at the team's home tracks near Rome, so it will be okay, they are both in the south and the first round is a nice sand track. The third round is in the north of Italy and in the mountains, so we will have to see how that is.
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