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2009 International Six Day Enduro - Figueira da Foz, Portugal Report & photos by Bob Mullins Day 6 It was much cooler this morning than it has been all week but as soon as the sun rose so did the temperature. The riders were all breakfasted & on their way to the paddock by 8.00am in good spirits. Ollie Moyce had a crab in the hood of his Midwest fleece. It is a traditional symbol of good luck. With good luck he will find it before it finds him. It is Matt Ridgway's 22nd birthday & he was looking forward to a present from the FIM. The riders started in reverse order today to ride the 50km from Figueira to the grand finale at the GP MX track in Agueda. Paul Edmondson was the last Brit competitor away followed by sweeper Justin Wilson. Mike Turner has ridden well all week but he was almost excluded on the final day due to a clerical error. He was 40 minutes late starting because his start time read 9.08 instead of 8.09. The course to Agueda used some of the sections that the riders rode on Day 3, 4 & 5. They were deeply whooped out in places. The circuit at Agueda was well watered to keep the dust down. The order of the classes was a little confusing to fit in with live television coverage. Eeros Remes won the MX & the E1 class ahead of Simone Albergoni. Paul Edmondson in 9th won his 16th gold medal to become the most successful ISDE rider of all time. Greg Evans was 15th. Rodrig Thain was the best E2 & Luis Corriea was the runner up. Christophe Nambotin won the E3 class from Samuli Aro. Euan McConnell was 15th. France once again was the Best Team with Italy as runners up & Finland in 3rd. The French Trophy team werre once again the winners. Spain won the Juniors from France & the USA. The best club was Haruda Team Rac Sedlcany. Wales A was 6th. France won the women's Trophy. After each MX heat the bikes were held in the Parc Ferme for 30 minutes & then they were loaded on to the trucks. The Purple Helmet closed the event with a couple of laps & some familiar faces. Greg Evans, Si Wakely, Justin Wilson, Ashley Wood & Matt Ridgway all donned the battered great coats. The riders had a long drive back to Figueira & time to cool off. The award ceremony was held at the Casino. After a night of celebration, some of the British team were struck by another mysterious illness which was diagnosed by Dr May-Miller as the Beer Bug. In the Sunday morning rush to get away to flights & ferries, Justin Wilson almost left something important behind at the hotel. It was Paul Eddy, who was having a well deserved lie in. Ollie Moyce's report
The GAS GAS riders Nambotin and Puy were champions at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), one of the most important Enduro tournaments worldwide. The test took place in Figueira da Foz, in Portugal, from the 12th to the 17th of October; and it gathered the best riders and teams from all over the world in a tournament which great atmosphere could only be that of these so-called Enduro’s Olympic Games. The competition was held under the very characteristic hot weather of this part of Portugal at this time of the year. France proved to be the best when its contestants beat the rest in both male and female categories. The two riders from GAS GAS played a very decisive role at the final victory. The male team, with Nambotin, got to the highest place at the podium, together with the riders from Italy and Finland -second and third place, respectively-; as in the female category, Ludivine Puy also got to first position, followed by those representing Sweden and Australia. With respect to the individual categories, GAS GAS got first place with both of its two riders. Nambotin made history when he became the first GAS GAS rider to win this competition. As far as Ludivine Puy is concerned, she defended her title as the best female rider of the moment. The performance of these two riders meant the perfect finale for GAS GAS this weekend. The person responsible for GAS GAS races, Carles Ferrer, evaluated the outcome of these two riders’ performances in Portugal and was very positive about it: “They have both played a very important role in their teams and they have proved everybody that they are the best at what they do. What happened with Nambotin is particularly praiseworthy, since this is the first time one of our riders has got first place at the Enduro’s Six Days competition. Spain got first place in the Junior category, thus beating France, which got to the number one spot in the rest of the categories. For further information, please contact Quim Doménech: quim@adstore.es
For a rider that was drafted into the French Trophy Team at the last minute for this year’s International Six Days Enduro CH Racing Husqvarna rider Antoine Meo has much to be pleased about. Making his six days début while competing aboard machinery he’d only ridden for a few hours prior to the start of the race, Meo claimed a superb third place result in the competitive Enduro 3 class behind countryman Christophe Nambotin and Finn Samuli Aro. In addition he played a key role in ensuring that for the second year in succession France topped the Trophy Team classification. Not really knowing what to expect from the event Antoine came close to topping the E3 class on day one, eventually placing third and less than five seconds behind the day winner. Backing his impressive opening day performance up with third in class on day two, Antoine again secured the runner-up position on day three showing that despite having raced a 250cc four-stroke in the ’09 World Enduro Championship he was more than competitive on Husqvarna’s WR 300. Day four saw another strong performance from Meo as he finished third and just 16 seconds off the day winner. With France headed toward a second consecutive Trophy Team win Antoine finished the penultimate day of the event fourth in class. On the sixth and final day Meo then placed second behind Husqvarna team-mate Alex Salvini in the E3 class final motocross race to claim third in the Enduro 3 class and as a member of the victorious French Trophy Team.
Husaberg toughs it out In the Enduro 1 class Australian Trophy Team rider Chris Hollis claimed Husqvarna’s best result as he placed his TE 250 in a well-deserved fifth position. Enjoying a relatively trouble free week, Hollis placed inside the top 10 of the E1 class on all but one of the six days with sixth in class on days two and three being his best results. Antoine Meo – Enduro 1: “Considering that everything has been very last minute as I wasn’t planning on racing in the ISDE I am really pleased with the way my race went. Being my first ISDE everything was new to me, but it went well, really well. Being a part of the winning French Trophy team is great. All the riders performed really well. Like I said I didn’t know what to expect. I only spent a few hours riding the bike before the event, and switching to a two-stroke again after a season on a 250cc four-stroke wasn’t easy in the beginning. I made a few mistakes during the week, but that’s normal. It was a tough race but I enjoyed it.” They say that when the going gets tough the tough get going and that is exactly what Husaberg factory riders Joakim Ljunggren, Calle Sjoo, and Valtteri Salonen did during the International Six Days Enduro staged in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. With the event known for being extremely demanding on both man and machine the Scandinavian trio ensured Husaberg were the only manufacturer to finish the event with three riders inside the top 10 of the competitive Enduro 2 class. Solid week ensures top six E2 class result for Ljunggren Knowing that the sandy Portuguese terrain around Figueira de Foz would suit him well Swedish trophy team rider Joakim Ljunggren secured Husaberg’s top result at this year’s ISDE with a well deserved sixth in the competitive Enduro 2 class. Confident of a good result after finishing third in the Enduro 2 class of the World Enduro Championship Joakim made a somewhat cautious start to the event placing 12th in class on day one. But after what would be his lowest E2 class result came his best. On day two the former Enduro Junior World Champion stormed his way into third position, finishing less than 10 seconds behind E2 class winner Rodrig Thain. With days three and four bringing new special tests and less sand Joakim continued to perform well claiming seventh and sixth place finishes respectively. At the end of the event’s penultimate day Joakim claimed another top 10 E2 class result with seventh in class, before going on to finish his great week with a ninth place result in the E2 class final motocross race. “It’s been a great week for me really,” enthused Joakim at the end of the event. “I was a little disappointed with 12th on day one but the first few days were tough on riders and bikes, so I was happy to get the first day out of the way. I felt great on day two. I knew the tests and everything went well. The sand was good for all Scandinavian riders, and I really enjoyed the tests. I was pleased with my results on days three and four, because I was still on the pace and there wasn’t so much sand. The final motocross was great. Getting to race on a true GP track was the best way to end a great week.” Calle Sjöö delivers the goods in Portugal Despite being the most inexperienced rider on the Swedish Trophy team international enduro rookie Calle Sjöö delivered one of the stand out performances of the 84th ISDE as the Swedish youngster punched way above his weight to secure an impressive eight place finish in the Enduro 2 class. 13th and just one position behind team-mate Ljunggren at the end of the opening day, Calle came out fighting on day two and claimed his best result of the event with fourth in class. Revelling in the sandy conditions, and enjoying competing among the top named Enduro 2 class riders, he continued to ride well throughout the week. After a tough third day where he placed 20th, Calle bounced back on day four with a 12th place result. Improving to eight on the fifth day, Sjöö then gave his final motocross race everything. Storming out of the start gate and narrowly failing to claim the holeshot Calle kept pace with the class leaders while entertaining the Portuguese spectators. Finishing a creditable fourth he secured eighth in the E2 class. “The final motocross was amazing,” explained the young Swede. “I was really looking forward to it and it was everything I was expecting. It was a great end to a great week. The sand tests were perfect for me, but I was pleased with the way I rode all week. Day three was a little disappointing but I’ve really enjoyed the event.” Salonen enjoys Trophy team honours with Finland Although finishing ahead of pre-race favourites France was always going to be tough for any nation Valtteri Salonen did his best to help Finland claim a podium result in the Trophy team competition while securing a top 10 Enduro 2 class result for himself. Enjoying a relatively trouble free week the Finn ensured that Husaberg had no fewer than three riders inside the top 10 come the end of the event. Injury forces Carlsson out of event As one of the most experienced riders in the event, and competing in what will likely be his last six days, Bjorne Carlsson was hoping for a trouble free event in Figueira de Foz. Wishful thinking. Finishing a steady 15th on day one the burly Swede then jumped up to ninth in class on day two before placing 12th on day three. On day four Bjorne badly cut his right forearm ending his race. “It was a pretty deep cut,” said the tough Swede. “The Swedish doctor did his best to fix it but it was too deep. It’s so frustrating. I’ve had so many injuries this season.” Mena in the wars after big crash on day one Competing as a member of the winning Spanish Junior Trophy team Oriol Mena came close to putting himself out of the event before it had really begun. Crashing heavily on one of the enduro tests on day one the reigning Enduro Junior World Champion knocked himself senseless but refused to stop. In pain, unable to turn his head properly, and with five demanding days ahead of him, Oriol amazingly managed to finish day one. Struggling through day two Oriol then put in the best performance of the Spanish junior team on day three before performing well on each of the three final days. Had Oriol decided not to continue after his day one crash Spain certainly wouldn’t have won the Junior Trophy team competition.
Picture of Euan McConnell
After 3 days & 1 hour/40mins of tests Ollie Moyce is less than 1 second ahead of Ashley Wood. Christophe Nambotin has re-taken the lead from France's Antoine Meo. Samuli Aro has dropped to 3rd. Paul Edmondson has maintain his 32nd position. He replaced his clutch springs in the morning & the clutch plates in the evening. Despite the hills, the soft sandy conditions have resulted in surprisingly little tyre wear & Paul will be running with the same tyres for second day. Greg Evans is the 2nd highest placed British rider in 58th. France lead the Trophy teams from Italy in 2nd & Finland in 3rd. Britain is currently 8th. Out of the 91 teams competing for the Club award, Wales A (Dylan Jones, Andrew Edwards & Gethin Price) are 7th & the Army team (Steve Hunt, Darren Wilcocks, Kev Murray) are 10th. Haruda Team Rac Sedlcany currently lead from Moto Italia. Scottish 2nd Day - Report - Euan McConnell Report
Day 1: The first 3 riders were flagged away at 8.00am. The course took the field south - over the spectacular harbour bridge - for 2 100km laps. There were 2 Enduro tests & one MX test that were timed on both laps before the riders returned to Figueira & the Super Test on the beach. Ricky Dietrich was one of the first retirements when his exhaust exploded. He was being towed back across the bridge by a marshal before half the entry had left the start. Ricky Mair revelled in the sandy conditions until he had a mechanical problem on his 3rd test. It was traced to a broke reed which Ricky repaired but he had lost a lot of time. Greg Evans had 3 crashes but his 30ft tumble at the "old monastery" was a personal best on the day. James Yearley cartwheeled on the test finished in a daze. Christophe Nambotin benefited from his training weekend in the sand bowl at the BEC Natterjack last month. He is the unofficial day one leader. David Knight finished 4th & leads E2. "Paulo" Edmondson is 41st. Euan McConnell, Tom Sagar & Greg Evans were closely matched in 68th, 69th & 70th. Rhinallt Davies flattened his exhaust but he had enough working time to replace it. Kev Murray cooked his moose unsurprisingly as it is hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement. The temperature in the sun was 47c. Ollie Moyce had plenty of time to change his tyres but the threads on the axles have spread & he had to leave them until tomorrow's working time to fit. France leads the Trophy standings from Finland. Great Britain is in 8th. Scottish Team Day 1 - Report
In the evening the riders & support crews gathered for a final briefing while across town the organisers of 2010 ISDE - in Mexico - held a glossy presentation. The preview coincided with the launch of the 2010 ISDE website was www.2010isde.com . It was an early night for everyone.
Friday 9th Sept The British teams were all up early this morning for breakfast & an 8.00am photo-shoot in the paddock. At 9.00am they were scheduled for their technical examinations. There were no real problems for the Trophy & Junior riders although Tom Sagar's Suzuki was borderline in the noise test Welsh team member - Dylan Jones - was over the border & he had to fit a quieter pipe. The weather is warm with a light covering of cloud. A perfect day for the riders to walk the tests. All the teams have settled in really well during the week. Figueira is a town consisting almost entirely of restaurants & a sardine is a completely different fish. After dark the lights a dozen boats twinkle in the bay as they haul in tomorrow night's supper.
Thursday Last day of testing before the bikes are presented for technical examination on Friday morning. Greg Evans' parents - Phil & Kay - had a 12mm spanner confiscated by the security staff at Bristol Airport & the Evans'. terror plan to dismantle an airplane in flight was foiled. Apparently the 10mm & 14mm spanners are safe but the 12mm spanner can be deadly. After the incident they had breakfast in the departure lounge where they given a knife each. The weather in Porto was warm & wet as they drove south to Figueira but the sky cleared & the sun really began to shine.
Scottish Team's journey South Details - St.Georges team have arrived - Blogspot
Photos: Martin Harding
ACU British ISDE Trophy & Junior Teams - Portugal 2009 The ACU Trials and Enduro Committee are pleased to announce the ACU British Trophy and Junior Teams for the 84th ISDE to be held in Figueira da Foz Portugal during the second week of October this year. The Trophy Team includes former World Champions, former European Champions, and current and previous British Champions. The Junior Team of under 23 year olds are all promising ISDE riders.
David Knight - former 2 time World Champion and current GNCC Champion - will contesting the E2 class, alongside former 4 time World Champion Paul Edmondson representing his country for the 19th time since his first ISDE in 1986. Paul is hoping to win his 16th Gold Medals which will be a record. Also in the E2 class will be Tom Sagar the reigning British Enduro Champion, and MPS Husqvarna rider and WEC regular, Si Wakely. Popular Welsh rider Greg Evans will be getting his first ride in the Trophy team in the E1 class. The E3 class will be contested by Scot Euan McConnell who will be hoping to add another excellent ISDE result to his previous ones.
The Junior Team remains the same as last year and made up from a group of rising enduro stars, Lee Edmondson, Ollie Moyce, Ashley Wood and Jamie Paget. Lee Edmondson is becoming an experienced ISDE rider and seems to have found some extra speed this year so should contribute well to the team. Ollie Moyce continues to perform well, and should be the junior team member to beat after finishing top junior last year. Ash Wood will be trying to improve on his excellent results from previous years. Jamie Paget performed well last year but was dogged by bad luck, hopefully this year will prove luckier for him and he will bring home a performance that he is capable of. ACU British ISDE Team Manager Andrew "Dusty" Martin said, " I am very pleased to announce the teams. I believe that I have selected strong teams from the riders that were available, I am particularly pleased that David (Knight) and Paul (Edmondson) are able to ride this year as they will bring strength and experience to the team, this added to the strong support crew team, should contribute to a result that we are capable of. The Junior team is promising as between them they have considerable ISDE experience, I am pleased by this as it is good for the future of the British ISDE effort and the future of enduro in Great Britain." "I have again been overwhelmed by the generosity of our sponsors and would like to thank them for their continued support, they currently are,Rygor Commercials , Kriega & Enduro News . Helmets will de designed and sprayed by Lee at dzign" If any other individuals or organisations would like to help the team in anyway please contact Dusty via dusty@enduronews.com Related items ISDE 2004 ISDE 2003
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GAS
GAS riders Cristophe Nambotin and Ludivine Puy were the great winners
at The International Six Days Enduro in Portugal
Meo
delivers for France at 84th ISDE
Just
two places behind Meo in the overall Enduro 3 class results was
Italian Trophy Team rider Alex Salvini. Competing in the ISDE for the
first time for Husqvarna the motocross star performed well throughout
the week, despite finding things very different to what he is
normally used to. Sixth on day one Salvini improved one position on
day two before claiming an impressive third on day three. Despite
being surrounded by experienced enduro competitors Alex placed fifth
on days four and five before saving his best until the final day.
Winning the Enduro 3 class final motocross race ahead of team-mate
Meo, Alex secured fifth in the E3 class as well as helping Italy
finish second in the Trophy Team competition.
Day 4 The sun was more intense today without
the cooling breeze of previous days. Several riders are feeling the
effects of the heat. Paul Edmondson & Steve Hunt are suffering
particularly badly. The army team has a tough time. Kev Murray blew
his plug on the way to Check 2. He had to changed his piston & he
dropped 50 minutes on the day. Darren Wilcock's knee did not improve
& he retired. Mike Turner is not changing his tyres all week.
"They've got 6 days written on them so that's what they should
do"" he says. Chrostophe Nambotin leads the E3 from Samuli
Aro. Ollie Moyce & Ashley Wood continued their o track
rivalry in 83rd & 84th. Although Ash was slightly hampered when
his bike felt on his left leg & bruised his thigh. The Wales A team
rolls on like a train. They have risen to 6th in the Club Team Trophy but
the riders have paid for their success. Andrew Edwards needed treatment
for dehydration in the Medical Centre but he was fit enough to walk
to the hotel in the evening. A British outrider Mark Scott had his bike stolen.
It was the second bike theft of the day. Another support team member
- Kalem Hicks - was bitten by a spider fish & he has a painfully swollen foot.
Behind the results their is a dedicated team of British supporters
who have all paid their own expenses to stand in the heat on checks
for 6 days & work for their teams.
Day 2 Tuesday the 13th has been an unlucky day for the
British Trophy & Junior teams. Starting in 4th place, David
Knight crashed heavily on the first test of the day. He realised that
he was hurt & he had to return to the pits where the medical crew
recommended he was stretchered to hospital. Fortunately an
examination revealed no permanent damage but his Portuguese ISDE is
over. In the Juniors, Jamie Paget lost 15 minutes when he had to
replace his piston & - on his second lap - Lee Edmondson lost his
clutch on Enduro test #1. Samuli Aro is the unofficial leader at the
end of the second day from Eero Remes. Paul Edmondson leads the
British team & he has climbed 9
places to 32nd. He is planning on fitting a new clutch on Wednesday
evening. Ollie Moyce had a Super Super test - setting the 2nd
fastest British time. Ricky Mair has his work cut out to make up time
from the back but - on the Super Special at the end of the day - the
Brits gathered to cheer him on as he cut his way through the slower
riders like a knife through butter. A big hill on the 2nd check claimed Tyson
Maytom-Jones & Wayne Player. It wasn't a difficult climb but -
with the dust hanging in the air - the riders struggled to see the
best line. Dylan Jones was about to take his turn when Tim Forman emerged from the
dust for a second run . Tyson & Wayne both lost time waiting for
a clear run. The hill was discuss at the Jury meeting but the result
will stand. 
Saturday 10th Sept This morning the sun rose into a
completely cloudless sky. The temperature rose to 25c & the
forecast is for the good weather to continue until Wednesday at least
The riders walked the tests for a couple of hours before the sun got too
high. Paul Edmondson continues to prove his ability to remain calm in
stressful conditions by traveling to all the tests in a car driven by
David Knight. The Trophy & junior riders had their official
photographs taken by the World's press at noon on the Promenade.
David Knight's race shirts have have still not arrived. Euan
McConnell was absent from the line up so Ollie Moyce took his place
& Matt Ridgway stood in for Ollie. In the afternoon the lads ate
together in the paddock before the opening ceremony. Following the
march passed of the 22 countries represented, the Purple Helmets gave
a classic display of their particular brand of mayhem. The evening
was ended with an equally spectacular firework display. 
The British teams are
housed in the Hotel Costa Prata - only 100 yards from the beach &
the start. In practice David Knight was not happy with his
engine & replacing it with a spare. The problem was traced to a
partially blocked oil filter. The heat got to John Collins
& he took to the surf but he returned to hold a meeting
for the British teams at 6.30 in the hotel. Geriant & Gareth Jones
have ridden all three course & in their opinion the Brits should
have no problems with the going. Geriant highlighted 2 hills that
would require some effort but he felt that at least one would be cut.
The Trophy Team has been named as David Knight, Paul Edmondson,
Tom Sagar, Si Wakely, Greg Evans and Euan McConnell.
