Red Bull KTM’s Tony Cairoli was eying overall victory at the MXGP season opener after bagging a podium in the opening moto but a crash at the end of race two put paid to his hopes.
The ninr-time champion had only been passed by Tim Gajser and was heading for second until he crashed on the tricky finish line jump only minutes from the end.
Damage to the handlebar and the clutch forced the veteran Italian out of the running. He was 10th in final standings.
āIām quite disappointed with my mistake, especially with three laps to go and in a place where many people crash. It shouldnāt have happened and I should have thought a bit more,” said Cairoli.
“I was a bit distracted and crashed hard. Luckily, I didnāt hurt myself and wanted to restart as I had some time over the guys behind but the clutch was broken and bar was bent.
“Itās disappointing because I was feeling very good on this track after struggling in previous years. Letās regroup and see what we can do in England.ā
