Did anyone have “Tony Cairoli/Justin Brayton rivalry” in the betting pool? The veteran Italian racer, age 36, known almost exclusively for racing motocross, and the veteran American racer, 37, known for racing supercross, somehow met, literally, in the final corner of the Paris Supercross. In the final race of three, Brayton was battling to get around Cedric Soubeyras for second, but when he tried to go way inside in the final rhythm lane, it cost him time, and Cairoli rolled up to the inside…and they collided.
So, we had that drama, but the two veterans were cool about it afterwards. Oh, and 39-year-old Chad Reed returned for race as well!
Steve Matthes chatted to all three in Paris.
Chad Reed | 5th overall | 6-5-7 race finishes
Racer X: Good to see you back racing again. Your first race in a while and you had fun, you looked all right, you felt competitive. I think you’re probably happy?
Chad Reed: Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. I was probably about where I thought I’d be.
Like a tick off of the leaders…
Yeah, yeah. I didn’t expect to come in here and be on Marvin’s [Musquin] pace. But I think that, it’s typical, right? For me, I’m 12th in qualifying. Let’s put people in the stands, let’s turn the lights on, and then I’m seventh. I don’t know why that is, and even after a year and a half of retirement, I still do the same thing. Clearly, that’s just what I do. Nothing changed. All the same sensations, all the things that I remember. They all come flooding back to you. Weirdly, probably the thing I struggled with the most was yesterday. I think I’ve been riding the same two bikes for a year and a half and you kind of just learn the noises, the sounds, everything like that, and I think it’s been so long that I actually rode a brand new bike, brand new exhaust, and it took me a long time. It felt really, it’s hard explaining it to the fans, but it runs tight and runs kind of on the slow side. And then, as a rider you always learn to translate noise to power, and it was always really quiet. So, it always felt like I didn’t quite have the power to do the jump. But then I started getting used to it and then when I would do the jump, I would massively overjump the jump. So, it was hard to learn that a little bit.
And your frame at home is probably five to 10 millimeters stretched out.
Yeah, possibly. For the most part I ride the factory frame, where the last three weeks I’ve been riding the stock frame. Obviously, it’s not terrible, but I think the factory frame is a little better for supercross. But overall, I really had fun. In some areas, I felt better than I thought I would. I thought I would suffer a little more when the gate dropped and getting amongst the pack and being aggressive and making passes. But weirdly, I actually felt stronger there than when I retired. And maybe that’s just a year and a half of recovering the body, the mind, everything. There’s no pecking order, everything feels fresh, and my instincts kicked in a little more. Probably one of the things that keeps me awake at night still is in my last year of racing, I just didn’t really have the get up and go pace. I felt like I had it today which wasn’t so bad in the races.
You and JB [Justin Brayton] definitely could have used a set of whoops. Something!
The last moto, I mean same old thing it’s just on like repeat, right? The first two, I rode good, and the result was good, but I rode tight and there was things that I needed to just kind of let happen a little easier. The last moto, I was like 10th or 11th, and I was probably my most consistent. I hit my marks, rode better, but yet the result doesn’t show it. So, it’s just funny. It’s like golf. It’s like that one little feeling, and it keeps you coming back for more.
What else do you have on your calendar? Are we going to see you at some races? Any plans?
It’s hard to say. Will I show up at Anaheim? No. Don’t get your hopes up, people. I really enjoy this. For me, this is what’s fun. I can come and take on what I enjoy out of it. For instance, I’m 12th fastest and I’m the wildcard and they throw me in the Superpole, and then I put it seventh and kind of earn my spot a little bit. And then in the main events, it’s like the gates drops and I’m on the gate. I don’t feel like I have to suffer through practice, timed qualifying, and then be in a good position. Because, I mean truthfully, those guys racing now, to make top 22 is hard. You’ve definitely got to be out of your comfort zone a little. The way that the sport is, they do a lot of track prep, so the speed and the pace is really really high when I’m probably lacking that at this point in my life. I have always said that I wanted to race a race at 40. Will that happen? I don’t know. I have something that I want to work on and if that happens, I would for sure do it. But if that doesn’t happen, I don’t know where my motivation is on trying to make it happen.
Justin Brayton | 3rd overall | 2-3-4 race finishes
Racer X: You really needed some whoops. All over Soubs [Cedric Soubeyras], and hey Soubs rode well, you’ve got to give him some credit, but how frustrated were you there in that last main because you knew that was for second overall?
Justin Brayton: Yeah, absolutely I knew it and I was super frustrated, to be honest. I’m just like, “I’m trying everything!” and we were just basically going inside everywhere besides for two turns and yeah. I don’t know what I would have done different other than maybe make some contact and take him down and I did not want to get booed out of this place because I’ve been part of some races where that’s happened. Not specifically to me, but there’s some impassioned fans. But overall, stoked on the weekend. I just never got track position to race with Marv honestly. That’s my biggest frustration. It’s not really that I didn’t pass Soubs, although if I would have got him early, who knows.
Yeah, Marv [Marvin Musquin] wasn’t gapping you in that last one. He was kind of right there.
Yeah, maybe he was laying up a little bit. But yeah, it was just frustrating that I never really got starts. The first main, I had a really good start and Marv just kind of went by me down the start straight and ran me wide. But overall, it was awesome. Really intense racing. Like you said, I needed some whoops. It really took all my strengths away of what I rely on in the States which is whoops and some bigger rhythms and stuff. Overall, I thought it was awesome. Stoked to be back! Stoked to be back in Paris racing an international event and yeah, the event was awesome with some good racing and good to get some gate drops.
I felt like you could have jammed it in a couple times on Soubs before the sand because he was going a little wide and then he was pulling you into the sand coming out of the corner because you were going a little tighter. I thought that’s where you were going to get him in that spot.
I felt like that too, but when I would pivot out of that turn, I would just get some wheelspin and then he could rail the turn and then he would gap me. I got up alongside of him twice and then I’d hit the right side of the wall and it was really steep. The far left was really flat, the flattest it has been all day. Like I said, I tried and kind of decided it is what it is. [Laughs] I got cleaned out by a nine-time world champ, so I guess that’s kind of cool.
![Chad Reed]()
Chad Reed Steve Matthes ![Cedric Soubeyras and Justin Brayton]()
Cedric Soubeyras and Justin Brayton Christophe Desmet ![Justin Brayton]()
Justin Brayton Christophe Desmet ![Antonio Cairoli]()
Antonio Cairoli Christophe Desmet ![Antonio Cairoli]()
Antonio Cairoli Christophe Desmet
I just talked to Tony [Cairoli] about it and he said, “Oh he turned down into me. He didn’t know I was there I don’t think.” You and Soubs were jacking with each other, and he caught you both, you know. But yeah, Cairoli!
Yeah, Cairoli! Honestly, they all rode good. A lot of the French guys, Cairoli rode good, [Romain] Febvre was on it. Their intensity is just so high, especially on a fairly easy track. So, it was good for me. I mean, I’m not getting any younger, so I’ve got to keep that intensity.
Good to be back here in Paris too. Good to be back at a Euro supercross. I enjoyed the vibe of having Cairoli here and Febvre here and hopefully he’s okay. I soaked it in more than I might normally because we’ve missed it.
For sure, we’ve taken it for granted for so long. I mean, you’ve done it for way longer than I have but I’ve been to a lot of these races, and you know Chad and I traveled over here together from Charlotte. We were just saying that it’s awesome to get on a plane and fly international again and get there, get here, and you’re tired and you’re having coffee and you’re trying to stay up all day. All of that. It’s just an experience that we’ve really taken for granted and hopefully next year more of them come back. Overall, it was just a really cool event. Good to be part of it and get some great gate drops.
Tony Cairoli | 7th overall | 17-6-3 race finishes
Racer X: Looks like you can ride some supercross with that move on the last lap!
Antonio Cairoli: Oh man, I’m sorry about that! Normally I don’t like to do those kinds of moves, but they are supercross moves! They messed up the section before, Brayton and Soubeyras, so I come closer and closer. I tried to go inside and thought “Maybe he will see me” but I think he thought I was farther back. So he cut back and I was already there. But, yeah, I enjoyed the race. Let’s say, without the whoops it made it easier for me, because otherwise it would have been a real struggle.
Did you have fun?
Yeah, I had fun, of course.
Do you think you will do more of this stuff?
Yeah, it’s not easy, you need to be sharp on this stuff, supercross, and as you get older it’s not easy. Today I felt okay. When the tracks are not too difficult, I can risk a little bit, but when it gets very technical…you know, you need to get on eye on those kinds of jumps. But this, today was fun.
How did you prepare? Did you build yourself a track?
Never! I practiced this week with my friends, but these are amateur guys. The track was very smooth and nice. The ground was sandy because it was raining like hell in Italy the last two weeks. Barely rode supercross since 2011 or 2012.
You mentioned on your speech there that it’s hard to walk away from GPs when you have the speed and you’re still winning GPs. What made that decision for you.
I think I was a little bored of the routine with the World Championship. The tracks also are not so fun anymore to ride. With the format of one-day racing that’s a little better, because everyone is going flat out all the time, but anyways, still, after so many years on the top, mentally, I needed something else to get the fun again.
I hear we might see you at some AMA Nationals?
Yeah. It was my dream, always. It will be different because when you’re retired, you’re not in the shape you would be if you were doing the full season. But if I feel great, I would like to do some races, of course.
Main image by Christophe Desmet
