Fighting for success

Red Bull KTM Factory riders Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings haven’t had an easy run in 2015. The defending eight times MXGP champion and two times MX2 champion are fighting one problem after the next and while their success of the past is impressive, the present is as tough as it gets.

For Cairoli it’s been nothing like seasons of past. Sure he has won two Grand Prix’s, but apart from those fleeing moments of Cairoli magic he has been battling against one thing or another. His current struggle with his arm injury is as tough as it’s been for the champion.

“It was a tough weekend in Sweden,” Cairoli said. “I was thinking that the two-week break would have better effect on my arm, but in fact since the Saturday in Sweden I realized that it was not going well at all. In race one I was chasing the sixth position, when I had contact with a rider and I fell. I restart in 22^nd place. Luckily I found the pace and managed to close in thirteenth position. In race two, things went much better and after I passed some rider, I took the third position, which is really good considering my injury. It’s a shame for the first heat, because maybe today it would even possible to be back on the podium, but this is motocross. This week, in Belgium, I will make other controls that were in any case already in scheduled and I’ll be back to training for the next race.”

For Herlings the injuries from Germany and Italy have taken their toll. Not surprisingly the Dutchman is fighting to look at the positives and he struggles to find the form of 2012 and 2013, and fighting through one injury after another is taking its toll on his mental strength.

“I don't know how much more I can take, I'm only human,” Herlings said after his Sweden crash. “I could never have expected to win the opening moto in Sweden. I took it easy early because there was a lot of water down, and I didn’t want to take any risk. I just wanted to take my time and I could eventually get the win. A bit of surprise to be honest.”

As for his health issues, the 2012 and 2013 MX2 world champion can’t even remember when he was 100% fit.

“When was I 100%? Man it feels like it’s been so long since I was 100%. I know for sure when this season is over I will take a couple of months off and get my body back to 100%. Sunday is a different story, I want to get in the lead as quickly as possible and lead, but it all went wrong. Same in Sweden.”

Both Cairoli and Herlings will arrive in Latvia with hopes of a change in their health. Hopefully then they can start to look ahead and try and do what they have done so often in the past and that is win.