 KTM's
Taddy Blazusiak clean sweeps Indoor Enduro at Barcelona
KTM's Taddy Blazusiak may have had to settle for third in the first round of
the World Enduro Championship in Genoa in November but on Sunday night the
Polish extreme Enduro maestro won three finals in Round 2 in Barcelona to surge
ahead in the points and set himself up to defend his title
On a night of action when KTM also presented the 2011 Enduro Factory Team
and the new KTM 350 EXC-F Factory bike, it was extreme Enduro specialist
Blazusiak and KTM's E3 world champion David Knight who saw most of blue ribbon
action. Following Taddy's 3-way victory, David, riding the new 350 EXC-F
factory bike, was the fastest qualifier and scored a 2-3-2 result for his
efforts in the three finals.
Taddy in the box seat to take title
With the championship trimmed to three instead of the initial five events,
leaving only one more round, Taddy is now perfectly placed to reclaim his crown
from last season. After picking up a perfect score of 60 points on Sunday, he
surges to the front of the overall table with 103 points, 17-points ahead of
Joakim Ljunggren of Sweden.
 New
team member Guerrero up with top riders
On a night where many of the top riders were sidelined, KTM factory team boss
Fabio Farioli said he was also satisfied with the performance of his newest
recruit to the team lineup young Cristobal Guerrero who was riding in front of
his home crowd. Guerrero was also onboard the new 350 bike and finished the
night with a 5-7-6 result. Teammate Thomas Oldrati of Italy raced in the first
two finals but had to retire from the third because he had hurt his shoulder in
qualifying earlier in the day. Finland's Mika Ahola, the winner in Genoa's
first round finished back at seventh and now has 73 points.
A triumph for the new 350 EXC.F factory bike
The night was also a triumph for the new Enduro machine, which follows on
from the 2010 release of the revolutionary 350 SX-F on which Tony Cairoli won
the MX1 World Championship in its first season out. The new 350 EXC, in the
experienced hands of David Knight was one of the stars of the evening in front
of a huge crowd in Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi stadium in front of thousands
of enthusiastic fans.
 Hard
work and dedication
The new 350 EXC-F factory bike represents hard work and dedication by KTM's
R&D department with direct input from leading factory riders like Knight
and others. The project was led by KTM's Joachim Sauer, who won the Enduro
European Championship in 1987 on the first 350 Enduro LC4 prototype.
Presentation of the 2011 Enduro Factory Team; honoring KTM heroes
KTM used the occasion of the Barcelona event to present the official 2011
Enduro Factory Racing team, including team boss Fabio Farioli and KTM head of
Motorsports Pit Beirer together with the revolutionary new machine. Also
invited were 100 members of the international, KTM dealers, sponsors and
partners.
Honoring the KTM Enduro heroes
The company also took advantage of the electric atmosphere of the event to pay
tribute to KTM Enduro legends: Arnaldo Farioli, who has been with KTM since
1964 as the eternal KTM racer, businessman and dedicated Orange family member;
Anton Marsignac, in 1982 the first ever Spanish Enduro Champion on a KTM and
for more than 20 years a KTM importer who runs a successful KTM dealership;
Toni Stoecklmeier, former top Enduro champion, ISDE Six Days rider and a
long-term key player in the KTM Management and bridging the gap to the latest
generation, KTM's Joachim Sauer. Sauer won the Enduro European Championship in
1987 on the first 350 Enduro LC4 prototype and 24 years has been in charge of
the project to produce the latest revolutionary 350cc EXC-F machine.
 Results
of Round 2
1, Taddy Blazusiak, Poland, KTM, 60 Points (1-1-1)
2, David Knight, UK, KTM 350, 48 (2-3-2)
3, Joakim Lundgren, Sweden, Husaberg, 41
4, Alfredo Gomez, Spain, Husaberg 35
5, Graham Jarvis, UK, Husaberg 28
6, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, KTM 350, 26
7, Mika Ahola, Finland, 22
8, Dougie Lampkin, UK, Gas Gas, 18
11. Thomas Oldrati, Italy, KTM 13
Standings:
1, Taddy Blazusiak, Poland, KTM 103 points
2, Joakim Ljunggren, Sweden, Husaberg, 86
3, Mika Ahola, Finland Honda, 73
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