Image: Octopi Media.

Nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli twisted his knee in a crash during the second 450MX moto at Millville, prompting the retired Ducati development rider to withdraw after racing to an impressive P6 in the opening race.

After qualifying 15th, the 40-year-old was on track for a successful day in his third scheduled Pro Motocross start this season, spending much of moto one inside the top-five before being passed late by Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) to finish sixth.

A difficult start to race two saw Cairoli lose the front-end, with another rider collecting his leg while he was on the ground and causing the injury. He withdrew from the moto following the incident to avoid aggravating the issue further.

“In the first moto I really enjoyed riding, but unfortunately, I got pushed off the track on the first lap, lost some positions, and had to work hard to recover. I feel like fourth or fifth was possible, but sixth was still a strong result,” reflected Cairoli.

“In the second moto, I didn’t get a great start, tucked the front while trying to make passes, and another rider hit my leg and twisted my knee. I decided to stop because I didn’t want to risk making the injury worse. We’ve had three good races, and I wanted to head home healthy.”

The ever-competitive Italian legend remains instrumental in the development of Ducati’s off-road program, with his Pro Motocross appearances serving as further opportunities to refine the Desmo450 MX.

“Today was another tough day, but we completely changed the bike in a lot of areas
compared to last weekend,” he continued. “From the first practice this morning, I wanted to see if we could change direction and improve, and we definitely did.”

Cairoli claimed 12th overall at RedBud, followed by 18th at Southwick, and 13th at Spring Creek this past weekend, capping off a solid run across his three Pro Motocross appearances for this season.