Interview: Antonio Cairoli talks Ducati, the USA project and more

Interview: Jonathan McCready

With Ducati unveiling the Desmo 450cc machine to the American media at the Anaheim 1 press launch, the legend that is Antonio Carioli is in the American paddock this weekend. He was kind enough to take some time out to give us an interview to discuss the USA project and much more…

You can read, listen or watch below…

GateDrop: Antonio Cairoli, it is a nice surprise to see you here at Anaheim, not just obviously for the racing but this Ducati project with Troy Lee Designs, that’s a pretty big thing for the brand, for such an iconic guy in the sport really, what are your thoughts on being part of the whole thing?

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Cairoli: I mean for me it’s a big pleasure to join today’s event, of course we push a lot for this and to have such a great collaboration with Troy and we know how he works, we know the creations he makes, so as an image it’s a very top team to start our relationship with them.

GateDrop: You’ve always had style when you rode and the stuff you wore, the bike looked pretty cool as well, must be quite exciting for you to see the creation as well?

Cairoli: The bike looks quite cool of course and it’s something different, let’s say, so we are really excited to present it here and to present this collaboration.

GateDrop: So whenever it comes to riding the bike you said you were impressed initially as soon as you rode it, what is that engine like to ride, do you have to change how you ride it, how does it compare to say the previous bikes you rode?

Cairoli: No, for sure the engine has a different character with anything else you can find because with this system there’s more, you can allow the bike to have more RPMs and so this one makes the bike, let’s say, safer, also safer in a lot of situations than the 450’s are, especially on the jumps and whenever you have a kicker or somewhere where you are a bit short of gearing, this one is always helping you through a lot of difficult situations. Also with the starts it helps because you can rave more the engine in a lot of situations. So I think the bike has a lot of pros. Of course different riding styles you need to have so you need to adapt a bit on this kind of bike.

GateDrop: Do you need to ride it more like a 250cc then, to rev it more?

Cairoli: Yeah, it’s character, it’s more similar to a 250cc bike.

GateDrop: You made an appearance at Arnhem at the Dutch GP, a very competitive appearance. First of all, for you, was it nice to race again and be that fast? And second of all, did the bike work better than you thought at GP level?

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Cairoli: Actually, I mean we had some issues, small issues, but it’s a part of racing development, of course. But the speed was quite okay, I was happy with it. Of course it was easier for me to choose a race where I was more comfortable, which could have been a hard pack race but I really wanted to test on that kind of situation because I know that on that situation you have good feedbacks. So it was difficult on one side, but on the other side we had good information, so I was happy with it.

Image: Danny Relouw

GateDrop: You got good starts, was it nice to see the front of the pack again and race with Jeffrey and Jorge and all, did that bring back memories of your career?

Cairoli: Actually it was good, especially on Saturday, on the qualification race, it was good, I mean, the pace was… But actually all the weekend the pace was for a top five, top six with the lap times, but we had some small issues that always bring us a bit unlucky in some situations. But I mean, I was happy with it, I was super happy because I didn’t ride the sand for more than two years and that kind of sand especially, which was very tricky, so I was happy overall with that.

GateDrop: How have you kept your speed so good in your late 30’s, I mean, when you were still racing full-time, you were contending for a title until you got that injury in Riola, and even last year you came back, you’re still world class speed, where does the speed keep coming from, you don’t seem to be getting any slower?

GateDrop: I mean, I still ride quite often, like every week at least one time I rode, even if I was for fun or for whatever. Of course, the race pace is different, it’s something that if you aren’t used to do it every weekend like everybody does, you’re going to lose a lot of race pace. But the speed, you still know how to go fast, but sometimes if you’re not practising, it’s quite tricky. You know it’s quite a risky sport so if you’re not sharp in a lot of situations, you end up bad, but I still feel quite safe when I was riding, so I keep going, that’s it normally.

GateDrop: Do you miss racing? You did some when you were KTM team manager and beat Everts in the sand on the 250, last year you done a couple of races as well, do you still miss racing?

Cairoli: Yeah, for sure I miss racing, it’s really something that you may have done for so many years, so you miss it. 2023 was a team manager year, so I rode like almost nothing, I just raced one international races in the sand, it was quite fun. Of course, when you step down to the 250, you still can have 10 minutes more than when you are racing 450s, so it was quite a fun race, but with the 450cc, if you don’t practise, it’s not fun, so it’s more easy to step down with the CC.

GateDrop: Have you rode the 250cc Ducati yet, has testing with that started that?

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Cairoli: The 250cc Ducati is still not on track, the engine is running on the Dynos, let’s say, but the plan is to do it is maybe the end of February, we will have some bikes ready to ride properly on track, but everything is evolving, so we don’t have really a date.

GateDrop: There’s rumours you might be racing some AMA Nationals this year, is that something you’d like to do, or can you say if you’re going to do any or not?

Cairoli: Yeah, I mean, I’ve always been a fan of the AMA Nationals. I was here in 2022 for some rounds, it was just for fun, so I had some good results also, and yeah, you never know. To launch the bike in the US, it would be a nice thing with an Italian rider and an Italian bike, so we are not on the plan yet, but yeah, if there is an opportunity, I would like it.

GateDrop: And for you, that must be pretty cool, you raced Stefan Everts, you’ve now raced Liam Everts, I think, Alessio Chiodi when you were really young, and now you’ll be racing Jett Lawrence, Chase Sexton, 20 years later, is that quite nice for you, that career longevity?

Cairoli: I think no one has done something like this before. To be competitive, actually, from the first year to the last year you’re still riding, it’s something very difficult to do it and I’m very proud about this, so let’s see if we can still have some years of competitiveness or not, let’s see.

GateDrop: That’s good to hear! Finally, Mattia Guadagnini and Jeremy Seewer, how are they finding the bike, and is the bike a lot different from what you raced in Arnhem? Are they enjoying the Ducati?

Cairoli: For sure the bike is evolving and they have some updates, they are fine with the bike, of course they need to adapt, like I said, it’s a completely different bike than what they are used to riding. They will need to have some time to get used to it, and also to understand the bike with testing, which direction to move, but they are quite happy with it and they are riding quite good.

GateDrop: Is there anyone going to test Supercross for the Ducati, is that the plan?

Cairoli: At the moment it’s not in the plan, but of course if they need to go and race Supercross, they will have sooner or later to decide what kind of approach they need to go with.

GateDrop: Just on the MXGP season, Jorge Prado took the win just about against Tim Gajser, a really exciting season with Jeffrey as well, you’ve raced all those guys, you were teammates with Jorge, what were your thoughts on the season, were you surprised at the level Jorge got to, because you saw him from when he was really young?

Cairoli: Yeah, for sure, Jorge, you cannot discuss his talent, he is one of the most talented riders there is and finally he was more mature in 2024. He had a very good year, let’s say Tim was very fast, let’s say maybe some races were faster than him, but he made some more mistakes, and Jorge was very consistent, very fast, so he deserved the title for me. He really was the guy who deserved the title here.

GateDrop: When you were working with Jorge, did you teach him a lot, and then was it frustrating when he got to your level and you were battling him and you wish you hadn’t taught him so much?

Cairoli: No, I mean, I’ve always been a guy who always liked to train with my teammates in my career, a lot of times and a lot of years it was the opposite for my teammates. But I think when you train with somebody who is at your level, you can just make it better, so for me it helps, for him it helps, so we were quite happy to ride together,

GateDrop: Thanks Antonio, nice to see you again, thank you.