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enduro
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FIM World Enduro Championship |
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Salminen supreme in E1 Class in Spain The Spanish Grand Prix in the E1 class was fruitful ground for KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Juha Salminen who won Sunday’s race to complete the double at Puerto Lumbreras. The Finn now has a perfect score in 2007 standings, 100 points from four races, an excellent start to his bid for the title in the World Enduro Championship. Teammate Alessandro Belometti, who was second on Saturday, finished in fourth place in the second race day on Spanish soil. Salminen’s 100% success rate since rejoining the European competition after two years of racing in the GNCC Series in the USA underlines that he is absolute favorite for the championship title. His two victories in Sweden in March and now the two this weekend in Puerto Lumbreras indicates he is a maestro on all terrain. “It is good to be back in Europe and this weekend was very good for me,” Salminen said. “I made a small mistake on Saturday but today everything went very well. I am very satisfied with the bike and I’m looking forward to the next race.” There was no sign of the muddy conditions left after rain on Friday and the sandy circuit had dried out so much it was even dusty, Salminen said. Team boss Fabio Farioli also expressed satisfaction with Belometti, who had been up with the front runners until the final stages of the race. The team has little time to relax with the next race scheduled next weekend in Portugal. The KTM factory riders will be at the venue in plenty of time to walk the course to plan their tactics for the next round. Second place for KTM’s Aro’s in E2 Spain Samuli Aro put misfortune behind him on Sunday and rode a skillful race to secure second place in the E2 class at the Spanish Grand Prix, Day 2. On Saturday a mud hole spoilt the Finnish KTM Enduro Factory Team rider’s podium aspirations in the final stages of the grueling all day event, knocking him down to fifth place. Team Boss Fabio Farioli said the second race in Puerto Lumbreras had been “a terrific fight” between Aro and his rival, the Frenchman Aubert in the hard fought E2 category. Aro’s teammate, Fabien Planet of France came in fifth on Sunday in the typical Spanish countryside around Puerto Lumbraras after his fourth place on Saturday to add some useful championship points to his total. The course, which was muddy in parts on Saturday after heavy rain on Friday night had dried out and was even dusty. KTM D3-Racing The 2nd round of the championship in the south east of Spain was a complete contrast to everything else Tom has ridden so far this season; it was hot, dusty and stony, conditions which are not familiar to him. Our plan was for Tom to arrive one week before with his practice bike and train for the race, but due to reasons beyond his control this was not possible. This was the 1st time Tom has raced in Spain and he quickly adapted to the circuit, heavy overnight rain on Friday spoilt the motocross and enduro tests leaving many water holes and mud sections. On Day 1 Tom mastered the extreme test which in reality was not extreme and pure flat out MX and he regularly ran close or in the top ten overall but it was not so on the other two tests. The MX and cross-country stages had him a little confused and the more experienced guys in these conditions had the better of him. Day one and he finished seventh in the junior class and moved forward to 4th position in the championship. Day 2 and things started much more positive, Tom had studied overnight the tests and we had discussed how to ride them, a few small adjustments to the bikes suspension and he was competitive. The first lap he held 2nd in class and was now enjoying the MX tests, one small problem on lap 2 when he got stuck in a rut on the extreme loosing around 10 seconds, but apart from this he rode very well. At the days end there was a big fight of 4 riders separated by only a couple of seconds for 4th position, Tom had a small crash but still showed a good time to take 5th class. Everything looks very positive now for Portugal next week and hopefully Tom can get much closer to the podium, he has the speed and determination, the results will improve with more races and experience. He now holds 4th position in the junior championship. Next Event: May 5/6th WEC Rd3 Portugal D3-Racing Team Sponsors: Van Bodies Lancaster Ltd, Insight Consultants, KTM UK , Triple-D Motopsport, Metzeler, Motorex, Acerbis, Scott, Sidi, Airoh, KTM Powerwear, Renthal, Regina Chains, WP Suspension, PG Graphics.
Difficult weekend for Electraction TM team at GP of Spain Electraction TM UK rider Jake Stapleton’s hopes of an Enduro Junior class podium finish at the second round of the ’07 WEC series failed to materialise as the Australian hoped they would as the number three ranked EJ class rider placed in fifth on day one and in sixth on day two. Hoping that the race staged in Puerto Lumbreras, Spain would suit him heavy rain before the event left the enduro and extreme tests muddy on day one, which resulted in Jake failing to perform at his best. Unable to put his finger on exactly why he didn’t feel 100 per cent settled Jake nevertheless rode consistently to secure valuable world championship points. In the Enduro 3 class Euan McConnell competed in his first WEC event of the year and claimed a top 10 finish on day one before running into problems on day two. Despite making few mistakes during the opening day of the event, as well as winning one of the 11 timed special tests, Jake failed to get to grips with the slippery conditions and as a result could only manage a fifth place result. Confident that the drier conditions on day two would see an improvement in his results Jake again failed to perform at his best and dropped one position to finish sixth.
Competing alongside Jake and Euan in Spain was Cornishman Tim Lewis, who was making his return to the WEC after several years away from the sport. Competing aboard a 125cc TM in the Enduro 1 class Tim finished in a points scoring position on day one in 18th but disappointingly just missed out on a top 20 result on day two where he placed 21st. The Electraction TM team now head to Portugal for round three of the series. Jake Stapleton: “I just didn’t feel confident this weekend. Every time I pushed hard on day one I felt out of control. I had to really hang things out to get a half way decent test time. It didn’t seem to matter if I rode smooth or aggressively I still felt out of control. “Day two was pretty much the same. I tried some different settings but I just couldn’t get really comfortable on the bike, I don’t know why. I had one small crash on the second day but that didn’t really affect my result. Hopefully things will be better in Portugal.” Euan McConnell: “I took it steady on day one because I knew that it was my first WEC event in a while so there was no point in pushing too hard too soon. I made sure that I didn’t make any silly mistakes and had a steady day and finished 10th. “I pushed a little bit harder on day two and had some pretty good test times. I was really unlucky on the extreme test as my bike got knocked into neutral when I rode through a really deep rut and I couldn’t get to it to put the bike back into gear. Then, on the next lap, the bike got sand in the chain and the bike stopped and then on the last lap I ran out of fuel on one of the tests.”
Top 10 finishes for Bolter and Wakely at WEC GP of Spain Following on from their successes at the opening round of the ’07 European Enduro Championship MPS Racing Husqvarna riders Daryl Bolter (left) and Si Wakely both claimed top 10 finishes in the Enduro Junior class at the second round of the ’07 World Enduro Championship held in Puerto Lumbreras, Spain. WR250 mounted Wakely placed in eight on day one with Bolter bringing his WR125 home in eight on day two. With heavy rain falling during Friday evening prior to the event day one proved to be a difficult one. With numerous sections of the enduro and extreme tests flooded avoiding the many mud holes that developed during the day was impossible. Forced to compete at the tail end of the EJ class as a result of opting not to compete at the series’ opening round in Sweden it was Si Wakely that performed best of the MPS Husqvarna team riders on day one as Daryl’s hopes of a good result were spoiled by a costly mistake on the extreme test. With Si performing consistently and improving as the day went on he claimed a solid top 10 finish to finish eighth and claim his first world championship points of the season. On the steepest climb of the event’s opening extreme test Bolter made a small mistake, which cost him close to two minutes, and ended his hopes of a good result. On day two Daryl and Si’s fortunes were reversed with Bolter getting the better result while Wakely ran into troubles. Determined to make up for his day one disappointments Daryl rode well to claim eighth, finishing as high as fifth on one test and performing consistently throughout the day. Starting steadily before upping his pace during the second and third laps Wakely pushed hard during the final test of the event in the hope of securing a second top 10 result but disappointingly made a mistake, which dropped him to 16th in the in the EJ results. Despite the mixed fortunes of the two riders both Daryl and Si enjoyed their return to world championship competition and now head to Portugal for the third round of the series this coming weekend. Daryl Bolter: “I made a mistake on the extreme test on day one, which cost me about two minutes. There’s no way you can pull that much time back so I just used the day as training to get used to the terrain.
Si Wakely:(left) “Day one went all right really although I don’t feel like I rode my best. The result was ok but the Enduro Junior class is really competitive now so to get inside the top 10 was good. It was almost impossible to avoid the deep water holes on the enduro test and my bike took some water into the carb', which meant it didn’t run properly on those tests. I didn’t make any mistakes and felt better as the day went on and was really looking forward to day two. “I just wasn’t riding like I know I can on day two. I really wanted to put in a good time on the final motocross test to end the event on a high note but I fell off in one of the gullies and couldn’t see then because of the dust from some of the riders ahead of me. It wasn’t a good day but hopefully things will be better in Portugal.” Albergoni scores first podium in Spain UFO Corse Yamaha rider Simone Albergoni put his disappointing result at the opening round of the '07 World Enduro Championship series behind him at round two of the series staged in Puerta Lumbreras, Spain, where the Italian placed in third and second position in the Enduro 1 class. Feeling completely at home on his WR250, and having recorded some strong results in the opening rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship ahead of the Spanish event, Simone showed that despite his frustrating start to the WEC series he now has the speed to battle for E1 class victory. With conditions much different to those found at the series' opening winter enduro in Sweden, day one proved to be extremely difficult in places as a result of heavy rain on Friday evening. Leaving each of the events three special tests extremely slippery it was Finn Juha Salminen who managed to deal with conditions the best and claimed victory ahead of Italian Alessandro Belometti with Albergoni 10 seconds behind in third. Winning the third timed test of the day had it not been for a costly mistake in the day's eighth timed tests Simone would have placed as runner-up. Following Albergoni home on day one, and finishing less than half a second behind his more experienced team-mate, was Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero. Encouraged by his home crowd Guerrero, like Albergoni, topped one special test to claim his best result since winning the Enduro Junior world championship in '05. On day two it was again Finn Salminen that set the pace winning all but four of the day's special tests in the E1 class. But behind the six-time enduro world champion both Simone Albergoni and Cristobal Guerrero managed to get ahead of Alessandro Belometti to claim the runner-up and third place positions respectively. With Albergoni winning two special tests to place 28 seconds behind Salminen. Guerrero again placed less than one second behind his team-mate in third. In finishing third Cristobal claimed his first ever podium finish in senior WEC competition. Disappointingly for the UFO Corse Yamaha team's third E1 class rider Maurizio Micheluz the second round of the '07 WEC series didn't go as well as the Italian had hoped. Having shown good speed in the Italian championship Maurizio struggled to get to grips with the conditions and as a result placed in seventh on both days. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 third, Day 2 second: "I am really pleased with the way the GP of Spain has gone because the first round of the championship in Sweden was terrible. I am really happy because I now have a good feeling with the bike and am able to push hard. Finishing third on day one was really good. The start of the season was difficult for me because I struggled to adjust to my Yamaha as quickly as I hoped I would, but now I am really pleased with the performance of the bike. "The second day was tough - there were several riders that we really fast so to finish second is great. I had a really good fight with my team-mate Cristobal Guerrero, which was good. I am much happier with my result and the way I am riding." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 Fourth, Day 2 Third: "It's been a great weekend for me and my first podium finish in the WEC since I won the Enduro Junior championship in '05. On day one I missed the podium by one second, which was disappointing but at the same time it was good to know that my speed was good enough to fight with the riders at the top of the class. I only made one crash so it was a good day. "Day two was really tough. The tests were much rougher than on day one and it was really close between myself, Simone Albergoni, Bartosz Oblucki and Alessandro Albergoni. I could have finished second but Simone finished less than one second ahead of me. I am really pleased with the way the weekend has gone. I'm looking forward to Portugal now." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 Seventh, Day 2 Seventh: "It's been a bad weekend for me. I didn't feel good on the bike and just didn't have a good feeling with the special tests. I finished seventh on both days, which isn't good. I crashed many times on day one and things weren't much better on day two. I hope things will be better in Portugal." CH Racing Husqvarna Mixed weekend for CH Racing Husqvarna team at second round of the '07 World Enduro Championship The CH Racing Husqvarna team came away from the second round of the '07 World Enduro Championship staged in Puerto Lumbreras, Spain having recorded mixed results as several of the team's riders saw their performances affected by plane bad luck. With the event the series' first to take place in southern Europe following the championship's opening 'winter enduro' in Sweden, torrential rain the evening before the opening day resulted in an extremely wet and slippery beginning to the first day of competition. The two riders that produced the best results for Husqvara were Enduro 1 class rider Bartosz Oblucki, who placed his prototype 250cc four-stroke in sixth and fifth positions, and Enduro 3 class competitor Seb Guillaume who claimed fifth and fourth place results. Were it not for the fact that Seb rolled into one of the event's time checks a few secods too early and received a one minute penalty on day one, and then received another one-minute penalty on day two after the CH Racing Husqvarna team were forced to fit a new swingarm to his bike after he hit a rock at speed and damaged the rear chain guard, Seb would have likely finished on the podium on both days. Following his E1 podium visit first time out on Husqvrana's new 250cc four-stroke in Sweden Bartosz Oblucki was confident of another good result in Spain. But on day one he struggled slighty to perform at his best, due partly to having spent little time on the new bike in muddy conditions. Although never too far off the pace of the riders that eventually finished ahead of him Bartosz could only manage sixth position. Making changes to the set-up of his bike at the end of day one, and helped by the drying conditions during day two, Bart' performed much better, winning the day's fifth test. Collecting a 10 second penalty due to being unable to start his bike wasn't the best of way's to start day two but Bartosz nevertheless managed to improve his day one result by one position. In the Enduro 2 class 250cc two-stroke mounted Husqvarna riders Nicolas Deparrois and Nate Kanney placed in ninth and 12th respectively on day one and in eighth and 15th on day two. With Nate switching to a 250 having ridden a 450cc four-stroke in Sweden he failed to perform at his best in Spain while Nicolas produced two strong top 10 results in the extremely competitive E2 class and placed as the second best two-stroke rider behind countryman Fabien Planet. It was in the Enduro 3 class where the CH Racing Husqvarna team suffered most in Puerto Lumbreras. With Seb Guilaume claiming a one-minute penalty, which dropped him to fifth position on day one the French rider looked a sure bet to finish second having topped two tests and performed well on all but the day's first special stage. Again riding well on day two Seb, if it weren't for the fact that he needed a new swingarm fitted to his bike in order to finish the day, would have likely claimed third after again performing well and winning the final test of the day. Frustratingly for seven-time enduro world champion Anders Eriksson day one ended prematurely as the Swede drowned his E3 class four-stroke in one of the numerous mud holes on the enduro test on lap three. Having placed third on the day's opening test Anders was forced to retire and ready his machine for day two. Not realising exactly how how much water his bike had taken in on day one, shortly after the start of day two it became clear that all was not well with his bike's motor. Thankfully Anders was able to reach the end of the second day's competition and in finishing in eight managed to at least collect some world championship points. In the Enduro Junior class French rider Marc Bouregois had a steady event placing in sixth on day one before placing fourth behind reigning Enduro Junior world champion Joakim Ljunggren on day two. The CH Racing Husqvarna team now travels to Portugal for round three of the '07 World Enduro Championship on May 5-6. Bartosz Oblucki: "Day one was a bit of a disaster. In the morning I couldn't feel what the bike was doing in slippery conditions and really struggled. I haven't ridden the bike much in muddy, rutted special tests before and we have some work to do to make it perform a little better. I wasn't able to push. I did some good special test times but generally I was a long way behind the riders I know I can beat. "I made a few changes to the bike for day two, which added to the drier terrain made the bike a lot better. I took a 10 second penalty in the morning when my bike didn't start and then crashed in the extreme test. I won one special test, I was competitive in some others, but still I finished fifth. It was really close between about four riders, I just needed to be a little bit quicker." Nate Kanney: "Day one started out good then things didn't go so well during the middle of the day, which meant I had to work hard during the second half of the day to try and get a decent result. I ended up 12th, which I wasn't really happy with. I had a few small problems with my bike and suffered with that. "Day two wasn't so good either. I struggled early on and had to really push on the lat lap to try and get a good result. I stalled my bike in one tests, crashed in another and then failed to get up one what was the hardest climb on the extreme test. I needed a good final lap and it turned out to be my worst lap of the race. The event basically had three motocross tests, which didn't really suit me." Anders Eriksson: "It's been a horrible weekend for me. I certainly didn't work so hard after my injury to come back and have a weekend like this. But it happens and hopefully I won't have any more bad luck this season. My bike got full of water on the enduro test on day one, which ended my day. The frustrating thing about it is that on the next lap they took the mud hole out. Anyway, the water did more damage to the engine than we thought and from the start of day two the engine didn't sound so good. I'm lucky to have finished. I managed to take some points on day two but it's certainly not the result I was hoping." Seb Guillaume: "Day one was a bit of a disaster. I went into one time control a couple of seconds too early and received a one-minute penalty. I couldn't believe it, I was only a couple of seconds early. The second day was going really well and I was in second but then I hit my chain guard on a rock and broke it. I had to change the complete swing-arm. I took another one-minute penalty because we only had a couple of minutes to change it. It's not such a good result but my speed was ok. With some better luck I know I can finish on the podium."
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Electraction TM UK
Competing in his first international enduro event since the close of
the ’06 season Scott Euan McConnell rode consistently on day one to
secure 10th position in the E3 class aboard his 300cc TM. Happy with the
way he rode on day one Euan upped his pace on day two but frustratingly
saw a string of mishaps spoils his result and he dropped one position to
11th.
MPS
Racing Husqvarna - Husky Sport
“I
had a good go on day two and things generally went well. I had a few small
crashes but things went well apart from that. I’m surprised just how
much more competitive the Enduro Junior class is now compared to what it
was like in ’05, there’s a lot of really fast riders now and getting a
top 10 finish is good. Finishing eight doesn’t sound great but I’m
happy with the way the second day went and looking forward to Portugal
now.”