English
Italiano
Tony Cairoli's return to motocross (photo Marco Rimondi) was a crowning one. Almost two years after his last race (Motocross of Nations 2022), the Sicilian-born champion won Race 1 of the MX1 in Ponte a Egola.
The race affected by the weather, making it almost practicability due to rain. In fact, many bikes stopped and many others fell, including Alberto Forato's, back in action after a three-month absence.
The fact remains that, among the many pitfalls, Tony Cairoli made his experience count, hitting the jackpot on his debut with Ducati. When there were 16 minutes left, the rider from Patti overtook Alessandro Lupino, taking the lead.
Number 222 then began to set his pace but, with two minutes to go, he made a mistake, opening the way to his own teammate, Alessandro Lupino. It seemed as if luck was on his side, but Race Direction opted to wave the red flag due to the impracticability of the track. They then interrupted the race, taking into account the last passage over the finish line for the purpose of the rankings.
Since Cairoli was first on the previous lap, the Sicilian rider secured the win, while Lupino got jipped and had to console himself with a 2nd place, which is still worth a one-two for Ducati.
Completing the podium for Race 1 was Honda rider Giuseppe Tropepe. Alberto Forato came in 6th. The Honda rider had gotten back in action after three months, but a crash in the early laps affected his performance. Davide Philippaerts followed him.
