5 Questions to Laier & Cairoli

Interview

1. WHAT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR SEASON / CAREER?

Stephanie Laier: For me it was the final race in Fermo, Italy. In one way it was not very good because I crashed pretty hard. But the team really got behind me. They were driving me on and pushing me to ride, and I am so grateful to them. With their help I was able to win the first race and also the championship. That was also one of the best moments of my career. Another great moment for me was when I took the lead in the 2009 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. It was at Teutschenthal in Germany and I was fastest in qualifying, and then I went on to win both races. That was a special victory for me because it was in front of my home crowd.

Antonio Cairoli: For sure, the best moment for me this season was when I got the red plate at the second GP. That is always the goal that you strive to reach as soon as possible each season, so to get it at the second round was very satisfying for me. I think the best moment in my career was the first title I got in the MX2 class. The first one is always memorable.

2. WHAT WAS THE WORST MOMENT OF YOUR SEASON / CAREER?

Stephanie Laier: I did not have too many bad moments in 2010. One big shock came when I crashed in the first corner at Portugal. When I got back on my bike I was in last place. However, I got going again and it was actually a really good race because I managed to pass almost everyone and get from fortieth position to third place on the last lap. It was not really the worst moment, but at first it was a big shock when I crashed. The worst moment in my career was at the beginning of 2008, during a pre-season race. One guy jumped onto the back of my bike and hit me. I crashed hard and it was just one week before the first Grand Prix. I was injured so I could not ride at round one in Bulgaria and, because of that, I lost the 2008 championship despite winning every other race that year.

Antonio Cairoli: Fortunately I did not have too many bad moments this season. When you crash it is always bad, and I had a few crashes this year, some worse than others. A couple of times I crashed quite hard and that is always a horrible moment. The same goes for the worst moment in my career, it is always the crashes and the injuries that you get as a result. The worse was definitely the injury I got in 2008, which resulted in me losing the MX2 championship that year.

3. WHO WAS YOUR TOUGHEST RIVAL AND WHY?

Stephanie Laier: Over the years it has been Livia Lancelot. We started riding at the same time, in 2005. We have a similar riding style and we have the same goal. Like me, she has been at the top for five years and she is always a threat. We respect each other and we have some big battles. We ride hard but we are always fair.

Antonio Cairoli: I think the toughest guy I have come up against in my career so far is Christophe Pourcel. He has a lot of talent and we had some really close battles in MX2.

4. WHICH RIDER IN ANOTHER DISCIPLINE DO YOU FOLLOW / RESPECT THE MOST?

Stephanie Laier: I respect Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel. He lives close to me, just thirty kilometres away. I like him because he is a normal guy. Even though he is the World Champion he is not arrogant at all and you can have a normal conversation with him. I think he is a really cool guy.

Antonio Cairoli: Valentino Rossi. He has been on top for so many years and he is still up there, so I think he is one of the best motorcycle riders in the world.

5. IS THERE ANOTHER TYPE OF MOTORCYCLE SPORT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY?

Stephanie Laier: I have tried supermoto but I think if I did it full time I would get bored with it quite quickly. I am also interested in MotoGP. I have a lot of respect for those guys because they lean the bikes over so much in the corners. I think I would be a little too scared to do that because the tyres I am used to are a little different!

Antonio Cairoli: Maybe! I have already tried road racing so, in the future, it would be nice to actually do some races. Outside of motocross that is the only sport I like really. I am not into speedway or enduro. I just like motocross and MotoGP, plus the other road racing disciplines.