Toni's three 'n easy

Yet the Sicilian didn't get his hands on the series leader's ‘red plate' until mid-season in Sweden and sat out the series finale at Fermo as the next generation of youthful challengers clicked into top gear.

 

Even though the triple-champion was still only a 25-year-old when he wrapped up the 2011 crown, only one moto all year was won by a rider older than himself and half the top 20 were younger than the champ.

 

KTM's 350cc revolution and the subsequent pressure on the Japanese to work to make their 450s more manageable and less tiring to race has changed the face of MX1 GP racing.

 

But the flagship factory bikes of the world's premier outdoor series are just waiting to bite, and the only real shock was how far the season went before the injury toll started to rise. Once those injuries did hit, the impact was dramatic – but more of that later.

 

Early season activity had only deprived the series of Ben Townley and Greg Aranda at round one, while the champion had started to feel the heat during the ‘Internazionale Italia' as ebullient newcomer Steven Frossard stole that title from under Cairoli's nose in the very last moto of the series. A fortnight later in Bulgaria the Frenchman was again the man to beat.

 

While the champion rode defensively in the pack after tweaking the knee on which he had required surgery the previous autumn, Frossard ran away with the opening moto at Sevlievo.

 

And he was again the dominant figure in race two as he stormed out of the pack to take over the lead within four-laps, as he parked Clement Desalle in a turn.

 

A self-inflicted error as he let the front wheel wash out in a turn cost Frossard the lead, but he was back on the Belgian entering the final lap and came up just yards short of a sensational class debut double. 

 

However, it was Desalle, who took the ‘red plate' to Valkenswaard on Easter Monday as the points-tie was decided on the second moto result.

 

The sombre Frossard brushed off speculation that he was disappointed to have missed his first ‘red plate' so narrowly, but he didn't have to wait long to make amends.

 

Sand had been his Achilles heel in MX2, but you would never have guessed that as he forced his way into the lead and 

out-distanced the pack for ten of the 13-lap qualification moto.

 

It was at this point that the Frenchman – riding on the edge – got his first reminder of the year that 450s are simply waiting to bite. 

 

With stretched shoulder ligaments as the result of a spectacular flight over the bars when the front wheel dropped in the wave section, Steven was in such agony next morning that he only managed one lap during warm-up.

 

But injections, heavy strapping and clenched teeth saw him only miss the podium on a tie-break in the afternoon, as he was rewarded with the red plate after twice defeating a subdued Desalle. 

 

The Belgian was unable to clear his head of the shoulder injury he had suffered at the same track 12 months previously and Valkenswaard was the only one of the first six GPs he didn't make the podium.

 

After struggling around the full-bore hillside of Sevlievo, the 350 KTMs were again in their element at Valkenswaard as Cairoli and Nagl went 1-2.But they had no answer to Desalle at Glen Helen, where 450 power proved decisive as the bikes needed grunt after the uphill jumps. 

FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX JANUARY 6Toni's three 'n easy

 

Words and pictures: Alex Hodgkinson

 

In the end Toni Cairoli completed his hat-trick of World MX1 titles with the most clear-cut winning points margin of his career. 

 

Yet the Sicilian didn't get his hands on the series leader's ‘red plate' 

until mid-season in Sweden and sat out the series finale at Fermo as the next 

generation of youthful challengers clicked into top gear.

 

Even though the triple-champion was still only a 25-year-old when he wrapped up the 2011 crown, only one moto all year was won by a rider older than himself and half the top 20 were younger than the champ.

 

KTM's 350cc revolution and the subsequent pressure on the Japanese to work to make their 450s more 

manageable and less tiring to race has changed the face of MX1 GP racing.

 

But the flagship factory bikes of the world's premier outdoor series are just waiting to bite, and the only real shock was how far the season went before the injury toll started to rise. Once those injuries did hit, the 

impact was dramatic – but more of that later.

 

Early season activity had only deprived the series of Ben Townley and Greg Aranda at round one, while the 

champion had started to feel the heat during the ‘Internazionale Italia' as ebullient newcomer Steven Frossard stole that title from under Cairoli's nose in the very last moto of the series. A fortnight later in Bulgaria the Frenchman was again the man to beat.

 

While the champion rode defensively in the pack after tweaking the knee on which he had required surgery the previous autumn, Frossard ran away with the opening moto at Sevlievo.

 

And he was again the dominant 

figure in race two as he stormed out of the pack to take over the lead within four-laps, as he parked Clement 

Desalle in a turn.

 

A self-inflicted error as he let the front wheel wash out in a turn cost Frossard the lead, but he was back on the Belgian entering the final lap and came up just yards short of a sensational class debut double. 

 

However, it was Desalle, who took the ‘red plate' to Valkenswaard on Easter Monday as the points-tie was decided on the second moto result.

 

The sombre Frossard brushed off speculation that he was disappointed to have missed his first ‘red plate' so narrowly, but he didn't have to wait long to make amends.

 

Sand had been his Achilles heel in MX2, but you would never have guessed that as he forced his way into the lead and 

out-distanced the pack for ten of the 13-lap qualification moto.

 

It was at this point that the Frenchman – riding on the edge – got his first reminder of the year that 450s are simply waiting to bite. 

 

With stretched shoulder ligaments as the result of a spectacular flight over the bars when the front wheel dropped in the wave section, Steven was in such agony next morning that he only 

managed one lap during warm-up.

 

But injections, heavy strapping and clenched teeth saw him only miss the podium on a tie-break in the afternoon, as he was rewarded with the red plate after twice defeating a subdued 

Desalle. 

 

The Belgian was unable to clear his head of the shoulder injury he had suffered at the same track 12 months previously and Valkenswaard was the only one of the first six GPs he didn't make the podium.

 

After struggling around the full-bore hillside of Sevlievo, the 350 KTMs were again in their element at Valkenswaard as Cairoli and Nagl went 1-2.

 

But they had no answer to Desalle at Glen Helen, where 450 power proved decisive as the bikes needed grunt after the uphill jumps. 

 

FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX JANUARY 6