MXGP Round 3 - The Netherlands Valkenswaard 31/03/2019
The third round of the 2019 MXGP series was hosted this weekend on the circuit of Valkenswaard, a classic of the northern sandy races. Tony Cairoli, a previous six time winner at this track, arrived in Holland with the red plate after winning the first two rounds aboard his KTM 450 SX-F, started this weekend’s Grand Prix in the best possible way, putting himself on the top of the list in all Saturday’s sessions. First in both free and timed practice, Cairoli picked the first gate for Sunday’s heats, after taking the hole shot and dominating the qualification race. In the first moto Tony again got away ahead of everybody but lost first place after a few corners when Anstie passed him. The 33 year old rider was struggling with arm pump due to muscle contracture but was still able to keep the right speed and capitalise when Anstie crashed, taking the lead after nine laps and managing to cross the finish line first. In the second heat TC222 got out of the gates like a rocket as the hole-shot again went to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team rider. This time nobody got close enough to attack his leader as Cairoli notched up the best lap time of the race and passed under the chequered flag first after 17 laps. With 50 more points in his pocket Tony increases his advantage in the standings by 22 points over second place, taking his seventh victory on the black sand of the Eurocircuit, the 88th of his career. Next round of the MXGP 2019 is in six days in the beautiful surroundings of the Alps, for the MXGP of Trentino.
Antonio Cairoli: "Of course overall I’m happy, even though riding on the sand made my shoulder problem more noticeable than last week. I felt it a little bit more and also with such a sketchy track it wasn’t as easy to ride because you have to hold onto the bike much tighter, and this is where I struggle at the moment. I don’t feel so good so I ride stiff and I get arm pump immediately because I can’t lift my shoulder very well. Anyway even with the bad shoulder I knew that I should be able to get some decent lap times in because I love this track and I have a lot of good memories from here. It definitely wasn’t easy because Tim’s riding so well at the moment but at least the fans got to see a good race because it played out at such a high tempo! Going into Trentino next week on the back of this double is nice, we have a busy few days in front of us but I’ll try to be as relaxed as possible and hopefully we’ll get plenty of fans come to watch."
