 KTM
Racing news talks to KTM Enduro Factory rider Thomas Oldrati
Just a few days before the first two rounds of the 2011 WEC Enduro
World Championship in Ponts Spain, KTM Racing News took time out to talk
to Thomas Oldrati, one of the KTM Factory Team's most promising young
talents.
Born in Italy's Enduro heartland of Bergamo in 1989, Thomas
successfully absolved his rookie year as a full factory rider with the KTM
Enduro Factory Team in 2010. He talks about his hopes and aspirations for
the coming year.
The WEC World Championship starts in a few days. Can you share some
of your thoughts and expectations for the 2011 season?
"My goal for this season is to improve on my third overall place in
E2 last year. This was a very positive result when we consider that I was
racing against two of the best riders in the world - Ivan Cervantes and
Mika Ahola. It was great to be on the podium at the end of the season.
This year I asked for a 250 4-stroke bike to race in the E1 class and KTM
gave me the OK, so I start the season with the intention of playing all my
cards and going for the title. I know it won't be easy because this is a
tough class and there are four or five riders who can easily win races.
These include my teammate Eero Remes but also very good riders like Juha
Salminen and Rodrig Thain. I'll be on the start with the intention of
winning, so let's see what will happen."
 Is
there one rider that you think might be a favorite in this class?
"For sure my teammate Eero Remes has to be a favorite. I think He's
really fast, maybe even the fastest. He's very impressive, especially on
the cross test. But sometimes he makes mistakes; maybe I am not as fast as
Eero, so I will try to be as consistent as possible this season. I want to
win as many points as possible."
Last weekend you raced in the Spanish National Championship and the
result was pretty good. What are your thoughts on that?
It was very positive for me but we did make one silly mistake when we lost
the time check card and had to take a 10 second penalty. We didn't realize
that the rules for the Spanish Championship are different to the WEC or
the Italian Championship in this regard. Having said that I did generally
have a good race. My physical condition is pretty good and I also felt
very good for the two days we spent racing in Sardinia in the Italian
championship, even though I came second on the second day after I made a
mistake in the Enduro test. I have to improve a little more in the mud
sections with my new bike, I spent the winter training mostly on hard pack
surfaces but t's all under control and the feeling is getting better and
better.
 What
do you expect from the first two GP's in Spain and Portugal?
"As far as I know both of these rounds will be very tough, especially
in Spain. Also the first race of the season is always different. You are
still not at the top of your form because the season is long and you need
to manage your physical condition over a long period because you need to
be fit right up until the final races. You also don't know how good your
main competitors are at the beginning of the season. Everybody wants to
win so it's important to get off on the right foot and push hard right
from the beginning."
Introducing Thomas Oldrati
Born in Bergamo, Italy in 1989
Rides for KTM Enduro Factory Team
Racing in E1 in 2011
Bike KTM 250 EXC 4-stroke
Finished last season: third overall in E2
What KTM Enduro Factory Team boss Fabio Farioli says about Thomas
Oldrati
"Thomas Oldrati comes from Bergamo in Italy so he was born into the
world of KTM Enduro. He's really strong on the extreme and difficult
Enduro tests because he's used to working hard when he rides at home in
Italy. That's where Enduro is really at home!"
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