Seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli is this week celebrating his first overall Motocross of Nations podium as part of Team Italy in near a full decade of trying.

The Red Bull KTM rider was the standout individual performer at Teutschenthal in Germany last Sunday, winning both the MX1/MX2 and Open/MX1 motos in convincing fashion.

Combined, David Philippearts, Alessandro Lupino and Cairoli finished third on the podium behind Belgium and Team USA – a dream result for the current MX1 World Champion.

“It is a dream. I have been racing with the Italian team for almost 10 years and have never been on the podium,” Cairoli said.

“Our goal was to finish in the top three and I know we couldn’t really get first or second because the others have a more ‘complete’ team than us.

“David [Philippearts] has been out with injury and Alessandro [Lupino] this year finally had a good bike and has improved for sure. I hope we can be ready to fight for the big trophy next year.”

“For me this doesn’t feel like anything super-special in terms of performance but the overall result feels like a victory. If you look at us then realistically David didn’t have the best season, didn’t make the top 10 in GPs and knows he can do better and Alessandro is getting better-and-better but always has bad starts.

“I kept telling them the podium was possible but I knew it would not be so easy. They rode fantastically today. I did the best I could, but they really made the difference.

“Winning the MX1 class to me isn’t so important but in another way it is because it helped put us here [on the team podium].”

Italy’s last MXoN podium came in 2002 when the team took victory in Bellpuig, Spain.