Reigning MX1 world champion and AXO rider Tony Cairoli followed up a stunning first moto victory with a strong fourth place in race two to finish second overall in the MX1 GP in Loket in the Czech Republic on Sunday to keep a firm hold on the red plate as championship leader.

In contrast to his copybook first race, Tony had more problems in the second moto. He again got away from the gate sharply in the second moto but got involved in several race incidents on the tough and gnarly track.  He then had to settle down and pick off the riders in front of him to get back into contention. The Italian rider made his typical finish when he dropped the hammer in the last laps and moved up the order from seventh to fourth place.

Tony Cairoli: “The first race was good. I got the holeshot and made some good laps. I had very good speed and I could pull away and make a good gap. In the second I got a good jump out of the gate but I went a bit too wide in the first corner and one of the inside riders clipped my wheel. I didn’t want to crash so quite a few riders got past me and I was back at around 10 or 11. Then another rider made a mistake going over one of the jumps and he crashed in front of me when I was on the jump and I was again back in 7 or 8th place. It was difficult to pass but at the end of the race I managed to get up to Max who was riding well in third and passed him. By then it was too late to go for the win.”

Teammate Max Nagl was in good form and as a result he finished the week end in fifth overall. The positive news from Max is that he will not have to make a break in the season for surgery on his back and that had clearly lifted his spirits and confidence on the track. All weekend Nagl looked strong on the tricky, rain soaked serpentine circuit at Loket but he admitted that at the end of the second race he was physically exhausted. Because of his back injury, he is currently not allowed to train on the bike and his fitness exercise is restricted to swimming, and this, he admits, has cost him strength and muscle power. A solid fifth today means he hangs on to fifth overall in the championships standings and now trails fourth placed Evgeny Bobryshev by just five points.

A more difficult week end for De Dycker and Guarneri, who finished 12^th and 14^th overall.