Huge crowds flocked to the famous Assen TT Circuit over the weekend, watching on as Sicilian rider Antonio Cairoli claimed his 9th FIM Motocross World Championship title.
Pirelli have once again stamped their authority on the series, with KTM mounted Cairoli helping them to claim their 68th World Title in the sport.
After two series blighted by injury, Cairoli can now set his sights on equaling Stefan Evert’s record of 10 titles next year, and may look to go beyond that record is he can.
The 31 year old wrapped up the title before the end of the season, after showing amazing consistency throughout the 2017 championship – including six GP wins and finishing runner-up in a further four.
For much of the season, Cairoli has used Pirelli’s Scorpion Mid Soft MX32 on both front and rear, by far the most popular tyre choice amongst all riders using the Italian brand in MXGP and MX2.
An understandably elated Cairoli commented:
“After two unlucky seasons, going back to winning the world title is something fantastic that we have achieved with the will and the work of the whole team and our technical partners. That’s why I want to thank Pirelli”.
Pirelli Moto Racing Activities Giorgio Barbier praised the rider saying:
“I want to congratulate Tony for this successful season. He has managed to get nine world titles in fifteen years and by achieving something unique has become a true legend in motorcycling world. As Pirelli we are pleased to have been supporting Tony and the KTM Factory Racing team for many years and have been contributing to these achievements thanks to the performance of our tyres, which are now a benchmark in the paddock and for all the fans of this discipline. Like all our racing products, the tyres used in the FIM Motocross World Championship are easily available sale and anyone can buy them. We have always invested a lot in the FIM Motocross World Championship, as demonstrated by the 68 world titles we have gained since 1980, and we will continue to do so alongside Tony and the many riders and teams that each year decide to entrust Pirelli to fight and give a show in this beautiful Championship.”
Pirelli riders currently hold 5 of the top 6 spots in the MXGP class, with Jeffrey Herlings and Gautier Paulin occupying 2nd and 3rd place respectively. It’s the same story in MX2, where Pauls Jonass leads Jeremy Seewer going into this weekend’s season finale with Thomas Kjer Olsen rounding out the top three.
You can find out more about the Pirelli motocross range here.
