«In motocross since I went to kindergarten, but I dream of racing in F1» – Corriere.it

The podcast organized by Red Bull is back to tell unpublished aspects of the history and personality of the athletes belonging to the sports team of the tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz’s group. The particularity of the initiative is that the moderation and management are entrusted to an astrophysicist, Luca Perri from Bergamo. a relative oddity, because as the interested person points out, exploring the human mind is a bit like scanning the depths of the universe.

Here then is under the press motocross ace Antonio Tony Cairoli, born in 1985, nine times world champion (six in a row)
, the second most titled rider ever in the history of this discipline, until last year’s retirement. Tony could never have imagined, in his childhood years, that two wheels could have taken him so far from Patti, the town in the province of Messina where he comes from. N would never have imagined becoming one of the pillars of a sport that was certainly not predominant in his Sicily. But this is life, Cairoli has become a great and even a reference for champions from other worlds: for example the Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher, winner (among other things) of eight absolute World Cups in a row (a record that will probably remain unbeaten), who often went to him. To learn its secrets, since in turn, for pleasure, a motocross rider, but also because knowing how to better manage a motorcycle on muddy and dirt tracks gives you a very useful know-how when it comes to putting on your skis and going to the starting gate . So here are the highlights – which we selected from the podcast – of Cairoli’s confession chat with the star scientist.

We remind you that all this Red Bull and Luca Perri initiative starts from Experimental generation of interpersonal closeness. Was a test based on 36 questions formulated to create intimacy between two people at the table. Its creator, psychologist Arthur Aron of Stony Brook University in New York, wanted to find out if two subjects, after asking each other these questions, would feel closer, and if a more direct and intimate bond would be born between them. .

Burning gasoline

Sicily, we said, is not a land of motocross. So Tony discovered the area near home to start practicing the sport that would make him famous. But all born, unexpectedly, from the gift of the mother. When did I discover motocross? When I was very little. One day I came back from kindergarten, I must have been no more than 4 and a half years old, and my mother told me that she had bought a motorcycle. She was small, but she already allowed me to do many things. I began to burn gasoline in the ground near my home: I walked every day for at least 3-4 hours, I am tied to this memory. So the thing that amused me most is the same as today. Among other things, I wasn’t even jealous of my bike: mates, friends, anyone could try it. And I’ve never hurt myself: just a few crashes, nothing in particular.

Become a champion

Practice for pleasure gradually became more engaging. Getting into competition was so automatic and inevitable. I didn’t dream of becoming a professional: the bike for me was just fun. But when I was 17-18 years old, when I started competing in more important races and having the first results, I realized that I would be a champion or that in any case I would have won something significant: I didn’t have great means, but I was able to stay ahead of the strong ones.

The first title is never forgotten

It is difficult to put so many victories in order: each brings a unique joy as a dowry. But the first World Cup… Yes, I won a lot and at a very high level. The title I remember most gladly is the first world champion: he crowned the dream of a lifetime and I hit it early, in my second year as a pro. If I could go back and relive a moment of my life without changing anything, I would choose that day: I was really excited. I was in the Netherlands, I was 19 and I celebrated in the disco together with all the other competitors who had contended for the victory.

Perfectionist

A champion is never satisfied with half measures: the goal is to win, always and in any case. so also in the case of Cairoli, even if it makes you smile as you consider it a defect to have lost, here and there, opportunities and points. Is there a quality I missed? Perhaps I could have been more determined at some point. But over the years I have managed to fix this defect and thanks to these corrections I have managed to collect a lot of satisfaction.

An improvable cook

The king of slopes, jumps, mud and dirt roads has a passion for cooking. But better by motorbike, so it seems. Ah, among the things to fix there is also the skill in the kitchen: I like to eat, but I’m not that good in the kitchen
. I get along with the first courses, indeed let’s say I’m good; but otherwise, just zero. We will send it repeatedly to Antonino Cavanacciuolo, chef but also a strict examiner of Master Chef candidates.

Genie in a Bottle

Asking what you would do if you traveled back in time an evergreen question from certain interviews. was also proposed to Tony. I would certainly ask the genie of the lamp to go back in time to change something, correcting mistakes that cost me decisive points for a championship victory maybe at some juncture where something could be changed. Sometimes you lose for a foolish thing.

Waivers

Sport is joy, but above all sacrifice. Here then is Cairoli’s thinking on the subject. To carry on my career I had to give up many things: at this level you need a correct life, without too many mistakes. In short, at the age when it would be nice to go out, go dancing, turn left and right, you must be ready to make important sacrifices in the name of your career.

Joy from dad

The joy of sporting triumphs is that of becoming parents: happiness does not have just one face. I have won a lot as I said, but one of the greatest joys in life is having become dad. an experience that gives you many thoughts and that fills you at various times of the day. Afraid of my son’s arrival? Certainly not, if anything I was curious to find out how he would grow up, seeing the differences day after day, trying to follow him in learning. I understood the role that touched me and it occurred to me that parents have been the reference of my existence: they have taught me sacrifice and respect for others. When I lost both of them I felt pain, those are bad and unforgettable moments. They passed away when I was still in the middle of my career: unfortunately, many of my victories have not experienced them. However, the bike helped me overcome this terrible obstacle.

The missed confrontation

A champion used to measuring himself first of all, but also with his opponents. Tony has a regret and explains it. If I could go back in time I would like to do something else: confront the American James Stewart. He changed the way of racing in cross, but despite being the same age I never had the chance to compete together because we were in different championships. He then retired early.

The departure

There are moments of tension on the starting grid of the F1 GPs and the World Championship. But this is also the case in motocross. The atmosphere before a motocross race is tense, also because it is quite a dangerous sport and the start is a crucial moment, perhaps already decisive. In those 10-15 minutes that precede the start, they try to focus on the various scenarios and hypothesize how to behave. What is the first thing I do after the race is over? In addition to looking at my result, seeing how the others fared and how we are placed in the general classification.

Useless talent

Each of us has his own unsuspected curiosities. Here is Tony Cairoli’s. I think I have many qualities: for example, there is no sport in which I am completely denied. But I also have a talent that I consider useless: shelling walnuts quickly. I did it all the time as a child. For now that they also sell nuts already shelled, I might as well eliminate it.

The unfulfilled dream

Dreams are cultivated, but they don’t always bloom. Even the champion of the cross has one that will not be able to come true. I’ve always wanted to race supercross but I never did. As a child I never had the opportunity to train on that type of tracks and when I started winning I was already too old to throw away what I was doing in the World Championship. So this is my unfulfilled dream. THEn actually I would have liked to have been good at motoring too, especially in rallying: I lacked the time to practice, but now I can do some races.

If the world ended

The podcast ended with another classic question: What would you do if you knew everything was about to end? Tony’s answer is not bleak, far from it. If I found out that the world will end in a year I would change … Uhmmm, I don’t know, in the end I am quite satisfied with how everything is going and therefore difficult to change anything. For if the end was so near, behold, I would try to get on an F1 car to compete in a Grand Prix: I tried one once and it was a fantastic experience.