The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship came to a conclusion with the third and final race at the Pietramurata circuit in northern Italy and new MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle scored his fourteenth podium from 18 rounds. Tony Cairoli finished the season 3rd in the MXGP series standings after classifying 12th in Italy.
Red Bull KTM news from the Grand Prix of Garda Trentino:
The eighteenth round of eighteen in an FIM Motocross World Championship unlike any other (back-to-back events at the same circuit, weekly triple headers, one-day formats) occurred over the slippery hard-pack of Pietramurata. After two Grands Prix at the venue the previous Wednesday and Sunday the riders were more than familiar with the narrow and jumpy course, although the surface was slicker and bumpier. Sunshine and temperatures that hovered around fifteen degrees blessed the final dose of GP racing in 2020.
MXGP
Tony Cairoli – Cairoli came into the meeting defending a 4-point advantage over Jeremy Seewer in the contest for 2nd place in MXGP for 2020. The tussle was one of the main talking points of the day. In the first moto – after completing Timed Practice in 19th and going to the gate in the same position – the Sicilian tried hard to overtake Arnaud Tonus for 5th but could not defeat the Swiss and settled for 6th. Cairoli tried hard for the holeshot in race two but was hit wide on the first corner and the impact broke his gearshifter and forced a DNF: the only one of the season for #222.
Cairoli wraps his seventeenth world championship term and his eleventh with KTM with seven podium appearances and three victories. Jorge Prado is 6th in his debut term with three wins and eight podiums (the second highest total) and unfortunately missed the final four GPs of the year. Jeffery Herlings was 12; the Dutchman victorious four times with five visits to the rostrum in six rounds.
Tony Cairoli: “It’s my fourteenth season of finishing on the podium of a world championship and I’m happy about that. It’s quite amazing after so many years of racing. Tim [Gajser] was very difficult to beat this year and after Latvia my knee became worse and worse every time. I couldn’t train or run and that’s important for me. I lost a bit of fitness and also a bit of confidence because when the track gets rough and slippery - like it was here this morning in the Timed Practice - I need to slow down and ‘survive’. This was not good for today’s races because I was wide in the start and it couldn’t have been worst at the beginning of the second moto. We lost 2nd place but we are OK and we’ll try to move forward for next year.”
MX2
Tom Vialle – The MX2 World Champion contested the last two motos of the season with his red #1 proudly attached to the front of the KTM 250 SX-F. Vialle faced some adversity after a crash in Timed Practice left him feeling sore and stiff for the two races but he blasted to his 21st holeshot from 35 starts in the opening moto and rode alone to his 14th success. In the second race he clipped the inside of the banking on the second corner and briefly crashed while at the front of the pack. Vialle worked hard to regain positions quickly -even though he made more mistakes - and was inside the top ten by the third lap. He took 5th by the end of the 30 minutes and 2 laps and it was good enough for the overall runner-up position.
Vialle signs-off 2020 with 14 trophies - 7 of those winner’s garlands – and 14 moto victories from 36.
Tom Vialle: “To be world champion in my second year is amazing. The last few days have been really good and today my riding was pretty good also. In the second moto I crashed at the start but came back from last to 5th. I crashed twice more and was a bit angry about that…but I was really fast today. I tried to be as consistent as possible this year. I was trying my best every time and focusing on good starts and riding like I do in training and it worked very well. I want to thank the whole team and my family. It has been amazing to ride in this race team the less two years. It has been fantastic.”
Results MXGP Grand Prix of Garda Trentino 2020
1. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda (2-1)
2. Romain Febvre (FRA) Kawasaki (1-2)
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA) Yamaha (4-3)
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI) Yamaha (3-4)
5. Clement Desalle (BEL) Kawasaki (7-7)
12. Tony Cairoli (ITA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (6-DNF)
Final standings MXGP 2020 after round 18
1. Tim Gajser 720
2. Jeremy Seewer 618
3. Tony Cairoli 599
4. Romain Febvre 572
6. Jorge Prado 476
12. Jeffrey Herlings 263
Results MX2 Grand Prix of Garda Trentino 2020
1. Ben Watson (GBR) Yamaha (3-1)
2. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-5)
3. Maxime Renaux (FRA) Yamaha (2-4)
4. Jed Beaton (AUS) Husqvarna (7-2)
5. Isak Gifting (SWE) GasGas (6-3)
Final standings MX2 2020 after round 18
1. Tom Vialle 759
2. Jago Geerts 679
3. Maxime Renaux 581
4. Jed Beaton 564
5. Ben Watson 551
26. Rene Hofer 73