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Juha Salminen continued to show the quality of the KTM Enduro Factory Team and his own superb supremacy when he topped the E1 podium on day 1 of the GG Leovince of Italy to preserve his perfect score for the season in seven rounds. The Finnish rider is seemingly invincible since returning from the USA to compete in the World Enduro Championships and has a perfect core card of seven victories in seven races so far held this season, a result guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of team boss Fabio Farioli. Salminen completed the test in 51:54,15 some 5.59 minutes ahead of his nearest rival on the day, France's Marc Germain. Salminen' teammate KTM Alessandro Belometti came in at seventh in what was a tough day of racing, much of it over stones and rocks, in the picturesque Lombardy landscape. Salminen retains his perfect score card in Italy Eight rounds into the 16-round Enduro 1 world championship John Salminen of the KTM Factor Team has a perfect score card – 200 points from eight consecutive victories. It doesn't get any better than that. The Finnish supremo's two clear victories this weekend in the GP Leovince of Italy give him a stranglehold on the championship standings as he continues to underline his total dominance in the E1 class. Half way through the season its difficult to imagine that another rider can close the gap on the outstanding Finnish rider who returned this season from the USA to compete again in the world championship circuit. Salminen in fact lost about 20 seconds at the start of Sunday's race but he was able to make it up and eventually won by around 40 seconds, team boss Fabio Farioli reported. Salminen's Italian teammate in the class, Alessandro Belometti also fulfilled the wishes of team boss Fabio Farioli by taking third place, thus securing the factory team five of six podiums in all three classes on Sunday. Crowds came out in large numbers to watch the riders compete over tough mountainous terrain but rain that fell in the morning cleared by the afternoon. Aro Samuli brings taste of orange to E2 podium Aro Samuli scored a valuable second place in the seventh round of the World Enduro Championships on Saturday in the mountain landscape of Italy's assuring he stays up with the leaders in the E2 class, also in the standings. Samuli had to concede victory to arch rival and Finnish countryman Mika Ahola but his result was a confidence booster for Sunday's race. The second E2 factory ride in the KTM Enduro Team, young Frenchman Fabien Planet was a creditable fourth. Aro's 25 points for Saturday's race nudge him past Frenchman Jonny Aubert in the standings into place two behind Ahola, a position that he will be hoping to uphold on Sunday. Aro Samuli second again in Italy in E2 Aro Samuli would up a good weekend in the Italian province of Lombardy when on Sunday he succeeded in repeating his second place finish from day one of the GP Leovince of Italy. Aro of Finland, a key rider in the KTM Enduro Factory Team, may have again had to concede victory to his rival countryman Mika Ahola but his consistency this weekend vaults him into second place on the championship standings and narrows the gap between him and the leader. Samuli put in a solid day's racing scoring very well in the last tests of the day and putting in some excellent speeds over the rocky terrain of the area. "The riders did a great job today, "team boss Fabian Farioli said at the close of the race. Farioli had expressed a wish that ll of his riders would be on the podium this weekend and on Sunday five of the six KTM Enduro Team in the three classes e1, E2 and E3 made his wish come true. The second E2 factory ride in the KTM Enduro Team, young Frenchman Fabien Planet again performed consistently following his fourth palce from Saturday with a fifth on Sunday. Marko Tarkkala Triumphant in Italy in E3 KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Marko Tarkkala fulfilled his wish on Saturday by winning the first of two Enduro World championship races in Lombardy Italy. The result also vaults him past teammate Ivan Cervantes to lead the class standings by just a single point ensuring that the two KTM teammates will leave no stone unturned in the competitive chase for points - and the honour of topping the standings after the second race on Sunday here in Italy. Tarkkala had expressed the wish to narrow the gap between himself and his Spanish teammate and succeeded in doing just that over the challenging rocks and stones of the Lombardy circuit. Cervantes, coming off a brilliantly dominant performance in the four races held in Spain and Portugal, finished third and will no doubt be out for revenge in race two. Cervantes exacts E3 revenge on Sunday in Italy The battle of attrition between KTM Enduro Factory Team riders Marko Tarkkala and Ivan Cervantes ended in a draw on Sunday when Cervantes of Spain snatched victory from his Finnish teammate rival to exact revenge for the result the previous day. The two KTM factory riders are locked in battle for dominance in the big bike class and both showed their style in the two days just completed at the GP of Leovince in Italy. Cervantes adds Sunday's victory to his brilliantly dominant performance on the Iberian peninsular where he won all four races in Spain and Portugal. Tarkkala got the edge on Cervantes on Saturday but Sunday's result only indicates there is the narrowest of margins between the two riders and guarantees that the remainder of the rounds in the championship will be a succession of nail biters. The race was a test of endurance for the riders, with challenging terrain in the Italian countryside, but the weather stayed clear in the afternoon and they were well supported by an enthusiastic and large crowd of Italian fans. Double podium finish for Seb Guillaume at GP of Italy CH Racing Husqvarna team rider Seb Guillaume claimed two well deserved podium finishes in the Enduro 3 class at the fourth round of the '07 World Enduro Championship, staged in Borno, Italy, where the Frenchman finished second on day one and third on day two. Continuing his good form Seb uncharacteristically struggled to get to grips with the demanding Italian special tests as well as he hoped he would on day one, despite managing to claim an impressive runner-up result. On day two things started well for Seb as he was in contention for the E3 class win. Disappointingly, Seb was to join the long list of riders who ran into troubles on the event's extreme test, which stopped him finishing higher than third. Joining Seb in producing strong results at the GP of Italy were CH Racing Husqvarna team riders Bartosz Oblucki, Anders Eriksson and Marc Bourgeois, who all placed fourth in their respective classes on day one. Ending the event with his highest WEC result of the season so far Bourgeois went on to finish as runner-up in the Enduro Junior class on day two. With by far the most challenging enduro and extreme tests used in the WEC this season the GP of Italy proved to be a demanding event for all competitors. With both days starting off wet and finishing dry the rock littered enduro test and the slow and technically challenging extreme tests got harder as the event wore on. With few riders getting to the end of the fourth round of the WEC series without crashes on at least on of the events special tests a high number of riders failed to finish the event. In the Enduro 1 class there was little to separate the top five riders on day one with Bartosz Oblucki claiming fourth aboard his pre-production TE250. In contention for a podium result from the beginning of the day the Polish rider started in the best possible way by winning the opening test before settling into his rhythm and battling with eventual second and third place finishers Marc Germain and Simone Albergoni. With the difficult conditions catching out many riders Bartosz made mistakes in two tests, which ultimately dropped him off the podium and into fourth, less than 10 seconds behind third. Hoping to improve his result and claim a podium position on day two Oblucki pushed a little too hard and crashed heavily on the event's fourth timed test. Crashing again on the next test before regaining his speed Bart' then crashed again as the day neared it's close this time coming close to putting himself out of the event. Managing to limp through the final test of the event Oblucki placed 18th and headed straight for hospital with suspected broken ribs. With the CH racing Husqvarna team's US rider Nate Kanney not competing in the GP of Italy due to being back home in New York preparing for upcoming US GNCC races Frenchman Nicolas Deparrois was the lone entrant in the Enduro 2 class and produced his best results of the season so far. Not starting in the best way by placing 16th in class on the first test on day one Nicolas then performed consistently throughout the day to finish a strong sixth in class. Having surprised himself by performing extremely well on the event's rocky enduro test Nico' finished in eight position in class on day two. Hoping to claim his first Enduro 3 class victory of the season Seb Guillaume fell just short of his goal yet still claimed a well deserved runner-up result behind Finn Marko Tarkkala on day one. Performing well throughout the day despite not feeling that he had properly got to grips with the conditions Seb finished 15 seconds adrift of the Finn. Second in class on the majority of the opening day's tests Seb was slightly off the pace on two tests, which stopped him challenging for the win. On day two Seb performed well on all but one of the event's special tests where he lost around one minute following a mistake on the extreme test. Although unable to fight for the class win he finished third to claim his fourth consecutive podium finish this year. Competing alongside Seb in the Enduro 3 class former seven-time enduro world champion Anders Eriksson claimed his best result of the season finishing fourth on day one. Second on the opening special test Anders put in a solid opening lap and performed consistently throughout the day despite the challenging conditions. Feeling completely settled in his riding for the first time since his return to full-time competition at the start of the season Anders' hopes of a good second day result ended when his bike suffered an ignition failure on the opening special test, forcing him to retire. In the Enduro Junior class Frenchman Marc Bourgeois joined the long list of riders that saw their opening day result affected by numerous crashes as the youngster placed in an eventual fourth in class having performed extremely well on each of the first three special tests. Continuing to ride well Marc then made mistakes on back-to-back tests as the day neared its close, which resulted in his fourth place finish. Less than six seconds behind third, and only a further eight seconds behind the runner-up finisher, Marc had the speed to finish as runner-up, were it not for his mistakes. On day two, with conditions even more challenging than on day one, Marc claimed the runner-up spot - his highest finish of the season so far. Winning the day's opening test Marc went on to top two further tests to place behind defending class champion Joakim Ljunggren and ahead of Italian Oscar Balletti. Seb Guillaume: "The first day wasn't good for me. For some reason I wasn't able to find my rhythm. I finished second, which was good, but I wasn't able to fight with the other riders on the podium, not like I wanted to. I just didn't feel 100 per cent. "The beginning of the second day was really good for me but during the middle of the day I crashed in the extreme test and lost about one minute. After that my fight with Cervantes and Tarkkala was over. I'm not happy with my result on day two but I'm happy with the way I rode and they way my bike performed." Bartosz Oblucki: "Day one was a little bit disappointing because I should have finished on the podium. Instead I ended up fourth, which isn't too bad, but I had the speed to finish at least third. It was again very close between several riders and I had one bad test, which lost me the podium position. "The second day started pretty well but then I started to make some mistakes, which dropped me down the results. I started to improve my results again but then on the second to last special tests I crashed heavily and injured my ribs. It was all I could do to get to the end of the day." Anders Eriksson: "The first day went extremely well for me - I finished fourth and not too far away from the podium, I was pleased with the new engine and my riding was good. I was riding really well in the motocross test but I was losing some time in the enduro test due to not having enough feeling in the front tyre. All in all it was a good step forward after the Spanish and Portuguese races. I really enjoyed the race as well. It was tough and really challenging - a true enduro. "Day two was a disaster. I had to pull out of the first special test because of a problem with my bike's ignition. It seems that bad luck continues to follow me this season, which I could do without. It's a shame because I felt good this race. Not just with my bike but also in my body, I was really looking forward to trying to get on the podium on day two." Marc Bourgeois: "It's been a mixed weekend for me. I crashed in the extreme test on day one, which cost me a lot of time. I was not so far behind the third and second place riders at the end of the day, and won some of the tests, but I finished in fourth so I was a little disappointed. The second day was much better than the first but I still made some mistakes. The enduro test was very difficult, and the motocross was very slippery in the morning on both days, but apart from my crashes I'm pleased with the way I rode." MERRIMAN ATOP THE PODIUM OF THE ITALIAN ENDURO GRAND PRIX The Australian conquered the 3rd place in the E2 atop the Aprilia RXV 4.5 in the final day of the Italian Enduro Grand Prix. It was his revenge for Saturday's fate, that excluded him from the top positions after contact with a piece of loose rock on the path that broke his anterior braking support and caused him to lose over 12 minutes (including the delay and penalty). Noale, May 27, 2007 Yet another international podium for Stefan Merriman and the Aprilia RXV 4.5 thanks to his 3rd place finish in the E2 class on the final day of the Italian Enduro Grand Prix in Borno (Brescia). It was an important finish that made Saturday's result even more difficult to swallow. The day before, he took off well with the best overall time in the first special trial, before his race was compromised by an unexpected incident that was both absurd and unlucky. During the race, he bumped his anterior wheel against a piece of rock that had accidentally come loose as a previous rider passed by and rolled onto the path. Stefan wasn't able to avoid contact and broke the anterior brake support. The inconvenience cost him more than 12 minutes (including the delay and penalty) and forced him back to 20th place in the class. On Sunday, he took off cautiously before forcing his rhythm. His progression was marked by the best overall time in the two extreme heats and his brief battle for second place in the class. In any case, the Merriman/Aprilia team is even more unified. Bad luck aside, they have showed continual improvements in their performances and enjoyed results that cast hope upon upcoming races. The Italian Grand Prix also marked the reentry of Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia RXV 4.5) after his ankle injury. The Frenchman, still not in top form, finished 13th on Saturday and 14th on Sunday. We are still waiting on Luigi Seguy's reentry as he was forced to sit out yet another international trial. The Frenchman, racing in the E3 class with the Aprilia RXV 5.5, is finding increased strength in his injured arm but is still not physically ready for racing. Simone Albergoni claims double podium result UFO Corse Yamaha rider Simone Albergoni moved into second position in the Enduro 1 world championship standings following the fourth round of the '07 World Enduro Championship series held in Borno, Italy having claimed podium finishes on both days aboard his UFO Corse Yamaha WR250. Placing third on day one of his and the UFO Corse Yamaha team's home GP Simone then stepped one place higher on the rostrum with a second place finish on day two. In claiming a double podium result Simone moved into the runner-up spot in the E1 championship standings, one point ahead of his team-mate Cristobal Guerrero. With the GP of Italy proving to be anything but easy due to mixed weather, a demanding stone littered enduro test and a difficult extreme test Simone, like many riders, made several small mistakes and fell on more than one occasion on day one, which prevented him from finishing higher than third. Simone hoped not to make the same mistakes on day two as he had on day one and started the day well, despite heavy overnight rain making the opening lap extremely slippery. Disappointingly, Simone's promising start to the day was followed by two costly crashes in the extreme test, which cost him close to 40 seconds. Despite his mistakes Simone claimed a well deserved runner-up finish, equalling his highest result of the season. Finishing ahead of Albergoni on day one and less than six seconds behind E1 class winner Juha Salminen was Yamaha France rider Marc Germain. A specialist in wet and slippery conditions Marc came close to claiming his first win of the '07 season but fell just short of beating his Finnish rival. With Poland's Bartosz Oblucki claiming fourth on the opening day UFO Corse Yamaha rider Cristobal Guerrero placed fifth continuing his excellent debut season in the E1 class. Ensuring Yamaha claimed four of the top six positions in the E1 class on day one the UFO Corse Yamaha team's third rider Maurizio Micheluz placed sixth. With Albergoni finishing second on day two Sunday again proved to be another good day for Yamaha. With Finn Salminen topping the class results as he did on day one Maurizio Micheluz came frustratingly close to finishing third, he was denied his first podium result of the season by a slower rider blocking his way on one of the extreme tests. Placing fourth and just ten seconds behind eventual third place finisher Alessandro Belometti, Maurizio saw his result affected when a slower rider blocked a difficult climb on the extreme test leaving him no other option other than to stop and wait while the track was cleared. Dropping from the podium to fifth, due in part to a disappointing final extreme test, Marc Germain started the second day in the best possible way by winning the opening special test while Spanish UFO Corse Yamaha rider Cristobal Guerrero claimed sixth after being disadvantaged by being the first rider in the E1 class onto the day's extremely wet opening special test. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 Third, Day 2 Second: "It's been a very good weekend for me, although I'm not so happy with third on day one. I made some small mistakes, which cost me time, so on day two I really pushed hard to make sure I got a better result. I really hoped that I could battle against Juha Salminen but he was so strong again. I was pleased with my performance though. I did make two crashes in the extreme test, where I lost 40 seconds, but I'm pleased with second." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 Sixth, Day 2 Fourth: "I finished sixth on day one, which isn't so good, but I was not too far behind the riders that finished on the podium so I was quite happy. On day two I was fourth, which I am pleased with but it could have been better because I lost some time on the extreme test on the last lap because I had to wait for a slower rider who was stuck on one of the hills. I finished the day 10 seconds behind the third place rider and I know I lost much more time than that. I'm a little disappointed but my results and riding have been much better than in Spain and Portugal." Bolter narrowly misses WEC podium in Italy MPS Racing Husqvarna rider Daryl Bolter recorded his best result of the season so far by finishing the fourth round of the '07 World Enduro Championship, the GP of Italy staged in Borno, in sixth and fourth places in the competitive Enduro Junior class. Competing aboard his WR125 former European Enduro Champion Bolter narrowly missed out on a podium result on day two but showed that after mixed results at both the GP of Spain and the GP of Portugal he is quickly regaining his form after his injury affected '06 season. Competing alongside Bolter in the MPS Racing Husqvarna team Si Wakely placed 10th in the EJ class on day one before withdrawing from the event mid-way through day two following several big crashes. Determined to improve on his results from the second and third rounds of this season's WEC series Bolter made a cautious start to the opening day's competition in Italy before raising his game and placing second on the first timed enduro test. With conditions extremely slippery mistakes were common place and Bolter himself made more than his fair share as he pushed hard while focusing on a top three result. But as conditions dried towards the end of the day Bolter was unable to match the speeds of his class mates competing on larger capacity bikes and claimed an eventual sixth position. Confident that a podium finish was within his grasp Bolter went all out on day two to try and claim his best result of the championship so far. Runner-up in class on the opening test Bolter maintained the pressure on his class rivals and battled with Italian Oscar Balletti. With little to separate the two riders Bolter again found it hard to be competitive on the power sapping motocross test and ended the day in a slightly disappointed but well earned fourth, just 10 seconds adrift of the podium. For Wakely the opening day of the GP of Italy was a good one as he placed his WR250 in 10th position in the Enduro Junior class. Performing well on the enduro test Si held seventh for much of the day before several small mistakes dropped him down the leader board to his eventual finishing position of 10th. Scoring world championship points for the fourth time this season Wakely's luck took a turn for the worse on day two as two big crashes - one on the enduro test and one on the extreme tests, resulted in him withdrawing from the event. Daryl Bolter: "I feel like I'm getting back to my old self again finally. I wasn't really happy with the way I rode in Spain and Portugal but I felt like I've ridden well in Italy. It was difficult not to make any mistakes on day one because the conditions were really slippery, especially on the first motocross test and on the enduro test. But I pushed hard and finished sixth, which I'm pleased with. I was mixing it with the riders ahead of me so I really felt like I was racing. I should have been fifth but like I said it was hard not to make any mistakes. "I walked the tests at the end of the first day and really attacked all of the tests on day two. I had a good day but the motocross test was so fast that I just didn't have enough power to beat the riders on bigger bikes. I couldn't ride any harder so I'm happy with the result. I really have to thank Mick Seward from MPS Racing and everyone that came and supported me this weekend." Si Wakely: "The first day was hard, but I enjoyed it. I made lots of mistakes, like most riders, but I got on well with the enduro test and was in seventh for much of the day. I wasn't quite on the pace on the motocross test for some reason but my last enduro test let me down a bit and I dropped to 10th. I was fairly happy with my result really because the conditions were pretty difficult. "On day two I just made lots of mistakes. I had a big crash on the enduro test and then another on the extreme test and lost loads of time, so there was no real point in continuing. I was constantly making mistakes so rather than risk another big crash I decided to call it a day." McConnell sixth in E3 class at GP of Italy Electraction TM UK rider Euan McConnell claimed two hard fought top 10 results in the Enduro 3 class at round four of the ’07 World Enduro Championship held in Borno, Italy where the Scott finished in eight on day one and a highly impressive sixth on day two. Disappointingly, Electraction TM’s Enduro Junior class rider Jake Stapleton failed to finish the opening day due to suffering with concussion following a big crash on the event’s difficult enduro test. Jake then opted not to start day two due to still feeling the affects of his crash. In what was an extremely challenging event due to ever changing weather conditions, a rock covered enduro test and a technically demanding extreme test McConnell’s eighth place finish on day was the result of a ‘steady’ ride from the Scott. Not perform quite as well as he’d have liked on the grassy motocross test or the one-lined extreme test Euan rode well on the forest based enduro test to end the first day two minutes behind class winner Marko Tarkkala. On day two Euan started well by finishing fourth on the opening test before continuing to perform strongly throughout the day. Placing as high as fourth in class aboard his 300cc TM he found himself in fourth position going into the day’s final test, with just one second separating him from the fifth, sixth and seventh placed riders. With the extreme test having become very much a lottery as to which riders performed well and which riders either got stuck or crashed, Euan struggled to perform as well as he had earlier in the day and ended up placing seventh in class, which resulted in him finishing sixth at the end of the day. Although disappointed not to have finished higher Euan was nevertheless pleased with his highest result of the WEC season so far and placed less than nine seconds behind fourth placed rider Alessandro Botturi. Looking to secure his first podium finish of the ’07 WEC season in the Enduro Junior class a promising start by Jake Stapleton ended when he crashed heavily on the enduro test and was withdrawn from the event due to concussion. Still feeling far from 100 per cent Jake didn’t start day two. Euan McConnell: “I rode pretty steady on day one although I was having poor motocross tests and good enduro tests. I found the extreme test a bit of a lottery, which wasn’t good. It wasn’t the most enjoyable of events because the course seemed to be never ending. It just wore you down. “The second day went really well, although I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t finish higher. I was fourth going into the last test and there was one second covering four riders, so it was really close. I just couldn’t get around the final extreme test. My rear tyre was completely destroyed because I was struggling to get up the rocky hills in the time checks for some reason. Because the tyre was so worn I struggled for grip on the tests, which meant I wasn’t able to be a fast as I could have been. But I’m well chuffed with sixth, it’s just frustrating knowing that I could have been fourth.” Jake Stapleton: “I’m not really sure what happened, all I know is that I crashed a couple of times fairly early on day one and then crashed for a third time, on the enduro test, and banged my head pretty hard. Things started well with third on the first test but after I banged my head I didn’t really know what was going on so it wasn’t safe to continue.” Eighth place finish for Smets at WEC GP of Italy Competing aboard BMW’s new 450cc sports enduro bike BMW Motorrad Motorsport development rider Joel Smets claimed a well deserved eighth place finish in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class at the fourth round of the ’07 World Enduro Championship staged in Borno, Italy. With the two-day event proving to be the toughest race of the eight round championship held so far this year a demanding mountainous course, ever changing weather conditions and spectacular and challenging special stages ensured that all competitors, and their machines, were made to work extremely hard. Continuing the development of the 450cc sports enduro bike by returning to the competitive environment of the World Enduro Championship for the second time this year the team’s second rider Sascha Eckert also scored world championship points by placing in 18th, despite suffering with the flu. Despite their encouraging results on day one both riders disappointingly failed to finish day two. Bad luck stuck Joel when his chain derailed shortly before the mid-way point of the day while Sascha was forced to withdraw due to a problem with his bike’s fuel pump. With the entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport team encouraged with the way the new 450cc sorts enduro bike performed during its first official outing at the second round of the World Enduro Championship series in Spain, in Italy the continued development of the bike was again the team’s priority. With numerous developmental changes having been made to both Joel’s and Sascha’s bikes in the weeks leading up to the Italian race both riders were extremely pleased with the way their machines performed during the opening day. With Joel not sure how he would perform on the rock littered enduro test and technically demanding extreme test the former five-time world champion quickly adapted to the challenges of only his second ever WEC event and settled into a top 10 position in the E2 class. Performing consistently throughout the day, and placing as high as fifth on one of the special tests, Joel performed better than even he imagined he would and thoroughly enjoyed himself, despite the tough conditions. Importantly he also helped the team gather further important data and information relevant to the bike’s development. Frustratingly for Sascha Eckert suffering with the flu ensured that the event was always going to be difficult for him but despite feeling far from 100 per cent he still managed to fi- nish in 18th position and score world championship points as he did in Spain. Disappointingly for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team day two saw both riders fail to finish. Both looking forward to the challenge of competing following extensive heavy overnight rain Sascha was the first two withdraw following a problem with his bike’s fuel pump. For Joel the second day came to a close four special tests into the event when his chain derailed, forcing him to retire. Having now participated in both the Spanish and Italian rounds of the ’07 World Enduro Championship the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team will make their third and final outing in the series at the eight and last race of the year in France in mid September. Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager: “Joel’s result on Saturday was really impressive, it really showed that the potential of the new concept is very good. During the first day Joel put in some great special test times, despite worrying a little about how he would perform on the rocky enduro test. Although it was disappointing not to see both bikes finish day two I am extremely pleased with the way both riders dealt with the challenging conditions and how the team as a whole has performed. With each race we learn more and more and we’re already looking forward to competing in Italy in September.” Joel Smets: “Day one went really well, I honestly surprised myself by fi- nishing eight because there were so many stones and rocks in the enduro test. When I walked the test I thought that I would have a hard time surviving let alone racing. But I adapted quickly to it and had so much fun all day. I know I’m not fighting with the top guys but I was pleased with my speed and, more importantly, the bike was working well and the changes that we implemented after Spain were also working well. I was really pleased with the bike, my riding and the day in general. The second day was hard - I think all riders will agree with that. It’s disappointing not to have finished the second day because of something as simple as a derailed chain but I enjoyed the event and the team learned a lot, which is important. What we have seen and learned in the two world championship races we’ve entered proves that competing in selected high level events to develop the bike is absolutely the right thing to do.” Sascha Eckert: “I wasn’t happy with my result on day one but I had been ill the week before the race and I didn’t feel well all weekend. That made a difficult race even harder. But I tried to ride as hard as I could. I guess you could say I had a consistent day but I wasn’t able to push anywhere near as hard as I wanted to. The second day started ok for me. The first test was incredibly slippery after the overnight rain but I made no mistakes. After that I had a problem with my bike. About five kilometres before the paddock the bike stopped and I couldn’t start it. I tried to work out what the problem was but it was only when I had returned to the paddock that we found out that there was a problem with the fuel pump. By the time it was fixed I was more than 15 minutes late, which meant I couldn’t continue.”
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