Since 1947 the FIM Motocross World Championships have brought the best motocross riders in the world together for what is the most prestigious championship in the off-road world. Year after year names like Joel Robert, Roger DeCoster, Torsten Hallman, Joel Smets, Georges Jobe, Eric Geboers, Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli have broken records, and produces magical performances.
In 2018, we are looking at more records to be broken, as the Sicilian legend Antonio Cairoli goes for his 10th world motocross championship, something only done in the past by the GOAT of Grand Prix motocross, Stefan Everts.
For Cairoli it hasn’t been easy to get to his ninth championship, and he did it in emphatic style, by beating home the young guns of the sport, Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings. What makes the 2017 title even more exciting was the fact Cairoli had come off two years of injury, and many had written the brilliant Italian off.
“For sure we didn’t start as favourite,” Cairoli said after his victory. “With a lot of people talking about it. This is for them. I know what I can work for, and I know what it takes. We made it, and I am happy about this. An amazing season, one of my best. After 15 years of world championship, I am proud of this. I think we can work to get better in some cases, but I want to enjoy this title.”
With that ninth world championship in his trophy cabinet, you can be sure Cairoli still isn’t satisfied. It isn’t even about the record of Everts that drives Cairoli, but his own performances. Back in 2016, in the middle of his injury riddled season, Cairoli told he we hadn’t seen the best of the Italian. At the time, I thought maybe we had, but he proved me wrong, and had great pleasure in telling me after his victory in September.
But now it’s into 2018, a year older and having to face the might of Jeffrey Herlings, who ended this season on fire, and clearly the fastest rider in the MXGP class, but Cairoli knows how to play the mind games, and you can be sure, we will see some very interesting confrontations on the track as the two go head to head in Argentina, Valkenswaard and Redsand. All circuits that will suit Herlings, but also circuits that Cairoli likes.
Cairoli knows Herlings will be the man to beat in 2018, he also knows that mind games play a major part in the sport. He has already told many media that it is easy to win with nothing to play for, as Herlings did this year, but a lot more difficult when a championship is on the line.
“For sure,” Cairoli said. “Jeffrey (Herlings) has proven he is one of the fastest in the world, even on a single lap, and for sure he sped it up a little more (this year). For some it’s easy to follow, for others not so easy. It is also the evolution of motocross; the bikes are getting easier to ride. So even a middle rider can be faster, because the bike lets you do that, with the suspension and the evolution of the bike itself. It is easier to go faster for many people.”
Whatever happens in 2018, we have Cairoli with his nine world titles, Herlings with his three, Gajser with his two and Jordi Tixier and Romain Febvre with their single MX2 and MXGP titles. It is a class of the champions, and one that will bring us a lot of enjoyment in the near future.
