• Both Desmo450 MX machines in the top 10 at the British Grand Prix
• Tony Cairoli’s return ignites the Matterley Basin crowd
The British Grand Prix, round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, took place this weekend at the Matterley Basin track, a magnificent circuit that runs through the Temple Valley of Winchester, with long and spectacular climbs and descents on hard and stony terrain. The two Sunday races were held in significantly lower temperatures than Saturday, on a wetter and more technical surface, as powerful gusts of wind swept across the English countryside throughout the day.
At the beginning of the first moto, Antonio Cairoli got off to a perfect start from the centre of the grid and launched his Desmo450 MX down the descent that leads to the first corner, managing to move into the top five on the holeshot line, followed by his teammate Seewer, who was 11th. After losing two positions on the opening lap, the nine-time World Champion found his rhythm and settled into seventh, while the Swiss rider slipped and rejoined in 15th. Meanwhile, Tony closed in on the group ahead and delivered an attack to take sixth. The response from his opponent was less than clean, and in the ensuing incident, the front brake disc on Cairoli’s bike was damaged. The clash cost him two spots, but in the final stages, he managed to recover and crossed the finish line in seventh. Seewer ended his race in 13th.
In race two, the Italian was once again among the first riders to pass the holeshot line, running eighth at the end of the first lap, closely tailed by Seewer in ninth. The two Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team riders quickly found a strong pace, finishing the second race in the same positions and ultimately taking seventh and 10th overall, respectively, at the British Grand Prix.
After a three-week summer break, MXGP will return to the Finnish track of the Kymi Ring for the thirteenth round of 2025, the MXGP Grand Prix of Finland.
Antonio Cairoli: “It was a very nice weekend here in Matterley Basin. We expected a better track yesterday, but it was in very bad condition. Plus, I had a little tip over in the pre-qualifying practice, and I banged up my knee a bit, which swelled up during the night. So today I wasn't really pumped about my condition. But actually I was feeling better, and the track was more technical. And yeah, I got two okay starts. I expect to have better starts, but I was a bit too wide on the starting lane but I could still fight for a good position. In the first moto, I finished P7, and in the second moto, I was P8, which gave me seventh overall. So it's good - it's positive. We are really happy about the riding considering the knee problem.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Well, it wasn’t easy—without any starts today, overtaking was really difficult. I think even in the second moto, I’m not sure anyone actually made a pass. We worked our way in a better direction during the weekend, but like I said, the starts. I could have been 6-7 or maybe fifth in both motos if I started there, but if you are 10th at the start, maybe you finish ninth. But yeah, we are learning, we are trying, we are changing, we are improving and now a few weeks off, which will help us to regroup. We'll keep grinding.”
