Cairoli satisfied with the KTM 450SX-F but will miss racing tests
Red Bull KTM rider Tony Cairoli has hinted that he will be stronger on the 450SX-F this year than last season. But due to the rib fracture, he will miss the most important tests in the three tests for the Italian championship that starts next weekend.
The 30-year-old Sicilian is forced to take about ten days of rest to recover from two broken ribs and will therefore miss the first two tests of this Italian championship in preparation for the opening Grand Prix on February 27 in Qatar.
Cairoli even did some 2016 testing during the last Grand Prix of 2015 in the US and has continued to work in and around Team Manager Claudio De Carli's workshop located near Rome and on the island of Sardinia in recent weeks . The former world champion switched from the 350SX-F to the 450SX-F after the fifth race last season to immediately win the GP in Spain and England. But during the Italian GP in Maggiora he crashed during qualifying and broke his forearm.
“The plan was to do some more testing during the Italian Championship races because we still had some things to do, but for now I am happy with the 450 and there is a noticeable difference compared to last year,” he claims. “The engine had already been developed for Ken (De Dycker, ex-teammate) so we couldn't do much more.”
As with most of his fellow riders at this time of year, it is also time for Cairoli to fine-tune the bike towards the start of the GP season. “The power was already OK and the bike felt good to ride, but we wanted to work a bit with the suspension and the whole set-up of the 450,” he says.
Despite this setback after crashing in Sardinia last week, Cairoli remains optimistic that MXGP fans will see number 222 at the start in Losail-Qatar. “It's a bit difficult now with this injury because the ribs can always move, but it's not that bad because I can still do some activities,” he says. “It is a risk to start driving and possibly crash again. So I have to wait… but I am certainly not worried about Qatar itself even if I lose about ten days of preparation now.”
Original: Adam Wheeler – ontrackoffroad.com – Dutch Version: @Kris…
Photo: KTM/JP Acevedo
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