World Champion Tony Cairoli is hoping to be on the line for the Spanish Grand Prix and round six of 18 in the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship next week and will assess the strength and feeling in his left hand when he next steers the 350SX-F in the coming days.
The Red Bull KTM rider crashed hard in the first moto at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands last Sunday and was perhaps lucky to walk away with just a broken lunate bone in his left hand; his race bike was considerably worse and bent triple clamps and a broken radiator forced his first DNF of the season.
Cairoli attempted the second moto but lost feeling in his hand after three laps – due to bruising affecting the nerve – and rode conservatively to seventh position. Afterwards the Sicilian underwent x-rays and medical checks with revered surgeon Dr Claes in attendance. He received an anti-inflammatory injection and is taking medication to help ease the bruising.
Cairoli informed us that when he regains good feeling in his hand then he will attempt to ride and then be able to judge on his participation for Talavera de la Reina and his possibilities for results at the Grand Prix.
The message so far is of quiet confidence that he can make it. Title rival Ryan Villopoto is also in the process of assessing a fractured Coccyx and cannot make a judgement on Spain either.
#222 has won the last six premier class titles on the trot due to his unrivalled consistency and ability to bounce back from adversity to post results that have lifted him back to the top of the standings. A freak double moto DNF in the 2011 Swedish Grand Prix is the best example of how Cairoli has been able to rally against misfortune. After losing the world championship lead at Uddevalla he motored back to win 13 motos from the next 14.
