The Italian tyre manufacturer
mathematically confirmed the 2018 MXGP title after results at the Bulgarian
Grand Prix, bringing their world championship haul to 70 in the sport since
1980
Thanks to the extraordinary performance of the SCORPION™ MX32 ™ range,
the Milanese brand is the undisputed leading tyre manufacturer of the most
important international off-road competition
Milan (Italy), 27 August 2018 –
Pirelli is an FIM Motocross World Champion for the 70th time in history.
At the end of the Grand Prix of Bulgaria held last weekend, the Italian tyre manufacturer has mathematically conquered the MXGP World Title after having obtained the one of the MX2 class in the Grand Prix of Switzerland,
thus bringing to 70 the number of World titles won since 1980 thanks to the performances of one of its most winning tyres, the SCORPION™ MX32™. Pirelli mathematically obtained the
MXGP World Championship title with three Grands Prix still to run and had wrapped
MX2 four rounds before the end of the season. This was possible thanks to the results of
Jeffrey Herlings and
Antonio Cairoli in
MXGP and
Jorge Prado and
Pauls Jonass in
MX2; all
Red Bull KTM riders using
Pirelli tyres.
Pirelli’s commitment and success in the
FIM Motocross World Championship is renowned and the Milanese brand is the only tyre manufacturer able to boast a
Hall of Fame of
70 World titles in this
Championship.
Pirelli is very much present in the history of the sport and has a strong association with the
Motocross Champions of the last 40 years; winning numerous titles with the most important representatives of such discipline. Most noticeably 7 World Championships with Belgian legend
Stefan Everts, 6 with the Italian
Antonio Cairoli, 9 (3 each) with the Belgian riders
André Malherbe,
Eric Geboers and
Jöel Smets and 3 more with British rider
David Thorpe. The most recent were conquered with the Dutchman
Jeffrey Herlings (three) and twice with the Slovenian
Tim Gajser, just to name some of the athletes that over the years have decided to rely on
Pirelli.
Besides the relationships with the riders, the collaborations that
Pirelli has managed to establish with the motorcycle manufacturers has been crucial as well. As many as 20 world titles were won with
KTM, 16 with
Yamaha and another 16 with
Honda, 10 with
Suzuki and 3 with
Husaberg and 2 with
Cagiva; demonstrating the ability of the Italian company to produce tyres for any manufacturer. In particular, from 2008 until today,
Pirelli has reached 16 World Titles with the manufacturer from Mattighofen: six consecutive titles with
Antonio Cairoli in
MX1 and three with
Jeffrey Herlings in
MX2, besides the ones with
Ken Roczen,
Marvin Musquin,
Jordi Tixier and
Pauls Jonass.
From the beginning of the
2018 season,
Pirelli riders have already won 53 out of 54 races (26 out of 27 in
MXGP and all in
MX2).
Piero Misani, Pirelli’s Business Unit Moto Director, commented on this important result
: “We are very proud to have reached this extraordinary goal. For Pirelli, the FIM Motocross World Championship is a top activity in which we have always believed in and continue to do so and that has seen us for almost forty years the undisputed leader among tyre manufacturers. During the years, we have had the chance to witness and contribute to the exponential growth of this championship which today features a large number of both riders and manufacturers and, most of all, a great global media visibility. This World Championship is an exceptional stage for us to create brand awareness in some countries which are very important for our business and, at the same time, a perfect proving ground to develop the tyres with which we are increasing over the decades our silverware alongside the greatest Motocross champions. I wish a season finale full of satisfaction to our four riders who compete for the world titles in MXGP and MX2!". Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli’s Head of Moto Racing Activities, stated
: "Seventy titles in less than forty years I think perfectly summarises the value of the work done by Pirelli over this time in developing offroad tyres. The SCORPION™ MX range, and in particular the SCORPION™ MX32™ tyres, are now a recognized and appreciated trademark all over the world by those who practice motocross at a competitive or amateur level. As with on-road products and with regard to our commitment to the FIM Superbike World Championship, even in the development of off-road tyres our philosophy remains the same because the FIM Motocross World Championship riders use strictly standard tyres that any motorcyclist can regularly buy. This approach to racing and to tyre development has been, and continues to be, the strategy that has allowed us to get the preferences of riders and motorcyclists around the world". Jeffrey Herlings took another step towards the
MXGP title in
Sevlievo with a solid double victory. The Dutchman, equipped like all
Pirelli’s riders by
SCORPION MX™ 32™ Mid Soft, is looking a solid bet for the #1 spot thanks to a 73 point margin. There was an excellent performance by
Tim Gajser who finished second behind
Herlings. Good placements also for
Antono Cairoli, still second in the standings, and
Romain Febvre who finished in fourth and fifth place respectively.
The
MX2 class overall win went to
Jorge Prado for his fifth consecutive victory in the last five races.
Pauls Jonass was second despite a slip in the second moto and remains the first of
Prado's pursuers in the championship with a deficit of thirty points. Third place belonged to
Hunter Lawrence who headed
Thomas Olsen, fourth at the end of the day.
Mathys Boisrame took victory in the tenth round of
EMX250 European Championship grabbing the European title with still one race to go.
Below are the
MXGP and
MX2 Championships overall and Bulgarian one standings. Riders on
Pirelli tyres are highlighted in bold.
Championship overall: MXGP1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) p.7832. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.7103. DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.581
4. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.5495. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.5446. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.483 MX21. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) p.7392. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.7093. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.5554.WATSON Ben (GBR) p.515
5. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) p.4806. VLAANDEREN Calvin (RSA) p.462 Race results: MXGP race 11. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)3. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
4. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) MXGP race 21. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)3. GAJSER Tim (SLO)4.DESALLE Clement (BEL)
5. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) MX2 race 11. JONASS Pauls (LAT)2. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)3. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)4. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)5. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS) MX2 race 21. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)2. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)3. JONASS Pauls (LAT)4. WATSON Ben (GBR)
5. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) GP Overall: MXGP1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)2. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)3. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
4. COLDENHOFF Glenn (NED)5. ANSTIE Max (GBR) MX21. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)2. JONASS Pauls (LAT)3. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)5. WATSON Ben (GBR)