Ahead of COTA, the stats said Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP40) could be facing an uphill struggle and that’s exactly how it played out on race day: the number 07 crashed out and key rival Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) emerged victorious. Since then, Baldassarri has returned to the top step in Jerez with another dominant showing and extended his lead, but he’d reigned in Spain last year and the back-to-back wins came as no surprise despite a tough start to the weekend. Now, as we head into the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France, the form book says it could be another uphill for the Italian and a big chance for the Swiss rider to fight back, for Le Mans is more than a track where the Italian has struggled; it’s also a track where Lüthi has shone.
Antonelli will likely be one of the riders hoping so, despite just winning at a track where he’d not always had the most success. Le Mans sees the Italian boast one of the best records, with three top five finishes including last year, and that bodes well as he aims to outgun Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team). Canet, whom he trails by a single point, has a podium, a fourth place and a top ten to his name in France for his part though, so there’s not much in it – like in the standings.
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You really had to be in Santiago de Compostela to witness the incredible turn around in the weather, as EndurGP battled it out, as after torrential rains and strong winds at the start of the week in the ‘holy city’, the first day of competition at the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship played out under pristine blue skies.
EnduroGP of Spain 2019
The tests were filled with a Spanish fans ready to enjoy watching the best riders in the world. Despite the sunshine, conditions on the track remained tricky – water sections and mud were both on the menu for Day 1. EnduroGP riders a fantastic battle throughout all four laps, with Brad Freeman taking his second victory in a row after his success last Sunday in Portugal. The Beta Boano rider controlled his race very well, Steve Holcombe was left in the wake of his young compatriot. Freeman took the lead of the race on the second Enduro Test of the day, and never looked back. The Brit fully confirms his status as the most serious rival of Holcombe.
EnduroGP of Spain 2019
Second today, Steve Holcombe should still be satisfied with this result, the Beta Factory rider took another podium in EnduroGP and a fresh victory in E3.
For the third time this season Britain reigns, locking out the podium. Danny McCanney completed a full English EnduroGP podium, the TM rider working hard to grab this result. He first had to see off Alex Salvini and then control Loic Larrieu, by the end of the race, McCanney even managed to get within five seconds of Holcombe.
The fight between Salvini and Larrieu for fourth and 5th place was absolutely breathtaking until the last test of the day. The Frenchman was anxious to erase his double DNF from Portugal. When he started the last test, the TM rider had just under two-seconds ahead Salvini and his Honda. After a big push in the final test, he crossed the line with a six-second advantage on his rival.
Brad Freeman – EnduroGP of Spain 2019
In the E1 category, Brad Freeman pocketed his fifth victory in as many races. Winning ahead of Thomas Oldrati and another Italian, Matteo Cavallo.
In E2, at the end of the suspense, Loic Larrieu took the win over Alex Salvini. Giacomo Redondi completed the podium.
In E3, despite not feeling his best, Holcombe took his fifth win of the season ahead of McCanney and an impressive David Abgrall third.
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
For the first time this season, Andrea Verona led the whole day in the Junior category, the TM rider topping seven tests, leaving only a few crumbs for his opponents. Verona remains focused on his main objective – the Overall Junior World Title.
On great form since the beginning of the season, Enric Francisco has not managed to overhaul the leader of the Junior rankings. But the Spanish rider had the better of most of his other competitors to take a very nice second place at home. Jack Edmondson was third overall on the day. The Sherco rider managed to get the better of his team-mate, Theo Espinasse and Wil Ruprecht who both tried to threatened the Brit for the last podium spot.
Wil Ruprecht – Image by Caroline Joelsson
In J1, Verona topped the podium ahead of Espinasse and Ruprecht. In J2 it was Francisco in front of Edmondson and Till De Clercq.
It was difficult to choose which news was the most important of the day in Youth 125cc. We will start with the injury of the leader of the category, Hamish MacDonald who fractured his collarbone on the third Enduro test of the day. The Sherco rider was evacuated and taken care of at the local hospital. Before his accident, the New Zealander was running in an unusual second place, having previously won 4 out of 4. We hope to see him again soon and wish him a speedy recovery.
Nathan Bererd today became the first Frenchman to win a Youth 125 round since Léo Le Quere in 2017. Leading all day, the Frenchman did not suffer from any incident to disrupt his dominance today. He took more than a minute on Claudio Spanu, while Sergio Navarro, took his first ever podium at his home race.
In the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup Champion, the same riders were once again filling the podiums. David Knight won the Senior class for the fifth time this season, ahead of Fernando Ferreira and Enrique Vega Gonzales.
In Open 2-Stroke, there was another win for Portugal’s Goncalo Reis, he won against Benet Gomez and Jorge Paradelo Rodriguez.
In Open 4-Stroke, Tom Ellwood is the reference to watch this season, with a 100 per cent success rate for the Kawasaki rider. Jilani Cambre and Fraser Flockhart completed the podium of the day.
Day Two
The second day of the Spanish Grand Prix, the third round of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship, saw another beautiful summer day greet all the competitors and even more spectators flooded the specials. The main difficulty for riders was to adapt to the terrain which had suffered from the passage of so many motorcycles the previous day.
Brad Freeman – EnduroGP of Spain 2019
Brad Freeman gave a double blow to his competitors, the British rider won for the second time on Iberian soil. The Beta Boano rider this time had to scrap with Danny McCanney to win, with Freeman very disciplined all day, keeping out of trouble. He won five tests and finished second on the tests four times. This more than satisfactory result propels him to the head of the EnduroGP standings. He pulls five-points out on former leader Steve Holcombe.
Brad Freeman
“Being the leader of my class was already a dream for me. So leading the EnduroGP class too is a crazy feeling for me. I am delighted with how the day went for me. And I’m so happy to have been able to fight all day with Danny McCanney. I am sad for what’s happening to Steve, we are all here to fight at the forefront within tenths of a second, I hope he gets back in shape as soon as possible.”
Brad Freeman
Second place on the day went to Danny McCanney, he had to settle for this position despite a world-class performance. Undisputed leader during the first lap, the Manxman was then caught and outgunned by Freeman. The objective of the TM rider was to keep lead of E3 ahead of Holcombe. What we take from this Portuguese GP – Danny McCanney may be close to winning his first victory in EnduroGP.
Sunday also saw a debut victory for Italy’s Giacomo Redondi, “Red” was very strong this weekend and was satisfied to have won all the Maxxis Cross Tests on this second day. The JET Racing rider just keeps getting stronger. Could the 2016 Junior World Champion be the surprise of the season?
Giacomo Redondi
“What a joy to win my first victory at the highest level in E2. This podium in EnduroGP also means a lot to me. Team Zanardo and I have been progressing constantly since the beginning of the season. I cannot wait to be back on track at the GP of Greece in a month’s time.”
Alex Salvini and Loïc Larrieu fought all day, but this time, it was Salvini who got the better of the Frenchman.
Loïc Larrieu
Steve Holcombe meanwhile has been suffering with since Germany. The four-time world champion has been diagnosed with a virus than can only be treated with a lot of rest, while the Beta Factory rider’s career is not necessarily very compatible with a fast recovery. Given his state of health, Holcombe was heroic. He drew on all his reserves to finish the day in sixth position. He left this Iberian tour in second position in the provisional standings, trying hard to defend his crown.
In the E1 category, Freeman won his sixth victory in six races, finishing ahead of Davide Guarneri and Matteo Cavallo.
In E2 Redondi celebrated his first victory in a Senior class. He demoted Salvini and Larrieu to second and third. However, Salvini remains leader of the E2.
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
In E3, McCanney finished ahead of Steve Holcombe for the first time this season. Steve Holcombe remains leader in E3 after the Iberian tour, and was second for the day. Meanwhile, David Abgrall took his second podium of the weekend.
Danny McCanney
“I started today really well by winning the first two tests of the day. Maybe I attacked a bit too early. But in the meantime I am quite satisfied with my tour, and I am confident for the rest of the season.”
Danny McCanney
Andrea Verona loves his TM Racing bike, but day two was nevertheless more difficult for him thanks to the pace of the Sherco riders. Theo Espinasse and Jack Edmondson were indeed very strong on this second day. They finished second and third respectively.Enric Francisco, a little tired from his efforts the day before, finished fourth on the day.
Andrea Verona
“What can I say? The 6th victory in as many races is a wonderful reward for all the work that TM and I have done. I feel very good this season, I want to continue with this pace.”
In J1, Verona was ahead of Espinasse and an impressive Roni Kytonen, while the J2 category went to Edmondson, followed by Francisco and Emanuele Facchetti.
Pavoni beat Spanu by the smallest gap in the history of the 125cc Youth Cup in the absence of Hamish MacDonald, winning the day on the very last test by an incredible 0.06 of a second! Day 1 winner Nathan Bererd finished third. Frustrated at being beaten by such a little gap, Spanu can nevertheless be satisfied to take the top of the category ranking.
Matteo Pavoni
“What a crazy weekend, yesterday I had to give up due to a mechanical problem and today I won, I am very happy for the whole Beta Boano team who work very hard for all of us since the beginning of the season.”
In the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, David Knight has a solid six out of six in the Senior class. He topped the class ahead of Fernando Ferreira and Enrique Vega Gonzalez.
In Open 2-Stroke Portugal’s Goncalo Reis took his fifth victory of the season. He won ahead of Jorge Paradelo Rodriguez and Benet Gomez.
Finally in Open 4-Stroke, Tom Ellwood got his fourth victory. He is aiming for the title in the category. Jilani Cambre and Fraser Flockhart completed the podium.
The Iberian tour ends after four days of absolutely fantastic racing. The exhausted riders and teams will have a little over a month to recover from their efforts. The next round – the Greek Grand Prix will already mark the mid-season point of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship.
Hook satisfied to overcome brake issue with Slovakia EWC podium
F.C.C. TSR Honda France completes the rostrum in eight-hour event.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Josh Hook has expressed a sense of satisfaction to overcome an early braking issue in the 8 Hours of Slovakia, ultimately finishing on the podium with F.C.C. TSR Honda France for round three of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship.
The reigning world champion suffered an admittedly ’embarrassing’ moment while returning to pit lane when the brake malfunction caused him to lose the front end just metres from his garage, however the squad was able to rectify the issue and rebound for a valuable podium result
“I had a problem with brakes at the very beginning of my stint, it was complicated to manage it and pit-in especially when I fell in the pit-lane – [an] embarrassing situation but it is what it is,” Hook explained.
“Anyway, the technical staff did a good job, we got back on track and I believe we achieved good progression. We had good pace and good pace since the beginning of the tests, and all the conditions were here to mark some good points. I’m very happy of the final result.”
Compatriot Broc Parkes joined Hook on the podium, taking out victory with the Yamaha Austria Racing Team.
Team Honda 114 Motorsports pilot finishes fourth overall in Italy.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Mitch Evans finished just shy of the overall podium at Mantova’s fifth round of the 2019 MX2 World Championship in Lombardia, Italy, over the weekend.
In rain-soaked conditions, the Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider put on a strong display of riding as he pieced together an 8-6 scorecard for fourth overall.
It’s the Queenslander’s best overall placing since the season opener at Argentina in March, which saw him emerge with a stunning podium while making his debut in the world championship.
The number 43 has since recorded a string of steady results inside the top 10 during his rookie season, positioning him eighth in the championship rankings as the series resumes this weekend at Agueda in Portugal.
Compatriot Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) also put in a glowing performance at Mantova, however his overall result was hindered by a heavy fall in race two. He salvaged 17th in the encounter, and paired with an exceptional third in the opening race, he was credited seventh overall.
Bautista in support of Imola race two cancellation
Points leader records first losses of the season in Italy.
Image: Supplied.
Labelling track conditions as dangerous, points leader Alvaro Bautista has placed his support behind Race Direction’s decision to cancel race two at Imola’s fifth round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
Following the morning’s Superpole race, rain continued to fall on the Italian venue, prompting officials to declare the day’s racing as track conditions reached a hazardous level.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rookie, who was undefeated up until the weekend, accepted his first losses of the season, scoring 2-3 finishes in race one and the Superpole outing.
“Unfortunately the bad weather affected the second race, and it was raining really hard,” Bautista explained. “The track conditions were dangerous, with a lot of water in some parts and streams crossing the track. It was too risky for the riders and it was the right decision to cancel the race.
“We feel really bad about that because we know that there are a lot of Superbike fans here, but rider safety is the most important aspect. Having the support of all the Ducatisti is incredible and even though I didn’t win a race, it was one of the best weekends in my entire career because I really felt their support. For this reason, I feel a bit sorry for them, but I think they will understand the situation.”
Bautista leads four-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) by 43 points in the championship rankings.
Spain’s Mario Roman has taken an early lead in the battle to become this year’s ultimate enduro champion, claiming the overall victory at round one in Portugal. Putting in a determined display of riding, the Sherco Factory Racing star produced a terrific late race charge to top the podium ahead of teammate Wade Young, with early race leader Manuel Lettenbichler third.
Mario Roman claims the WESS 2019 Round 1 win at the Extreme XL Lagares
Friday Qualification & Semi-Finals
Back with a vengeance, Jonny Walker took the win on the opening day of competition at round one of the World Enduro Super Series at the Extreme XL Lagares.
Round one of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series got off to a spectacular start with a night of tightly-fought Endurocross racing in Lagares, Portugal, and among the entry of almost 300 competitors, over 50 Pro riders went head-to-head during a series of qualification heats and semi-finals to reach the final race.
Extreme XL Lagares – Josep Garcia
Showing their best during the evening, Jonny Walker, Taddy Blazusiak, Manuel Lettenbichler, Graham Jarvis, Josep Garcia, Alfredo Gomez, Wade Young, plus home favourite Diogo Vieira took to the start line of the six-minute plus two lap race as favourites.
Lettenbichler was fastest out of the starting gate, but with Garcia, Blazusiak and Walker in hot pursuit the pressure was on. Blazusiak made a dive for the lead at the end of lap one and took over proceedings. However, a mistake in the slippery rock garden on lap two allowed Walker to jump past both Blazusiak and Lettenbichler and into the lead.
Extreme XL Lagares – Friday
Comfortable out front, Walker commanded the rest of the race, resisting to any late attacks Blazusiak could offer to claim victory on day one in Portugal. The win also marked Walker’s first major win since crashing out of the World Enduro Super Series in Poland in September of last year. Behind Walker, Blazusiak chased his teammate across the line for second, while Lettenbichler took third. Gomez pushed hard to place fourth, while Garcia impressed with a strong fifth.
Spain’s Alfredo Gomez showed himself to be the rider to beat on day two of the World Enduro Super Series opener. Proving to be the Urban Enduro master, the rider claimed victory in the spectacular Porto Prologue, in the all-out battle for supremacy on the cobbled streets of Porto.
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro
Gomez led home a stacked field of over 50 Pro riders, with Taddy Blazusiak and Billy Bolt joining him on the podium in second and third respectively.
In the heart of the world heritage city’s bustling tourist district, the world’s best Enduro riders were treated to a tough and technical Endurocross arena that was linked to the city’s narrow cobbled streets. Thousands of spectators lined the sides of the race course adding to the incredible atmosphere in Porto.
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro
With the Hobby, Veteran and Expert riders first to tackle a shortened version of the track, it was the Pro class riders who turned up the heat around the narrow, cobbled streets. Already a multi-time winner of the prologue, Gomez once again showed his rivals who’s the boss by topping the qualification.
With pole position secured for the final, Gomez didn’t disappoint and immediately put his Husqvarna out front. Commanding the cobbled climbs, he eased away from the chasing pack to take the win. Behind him the battle for the remainder of the podium was played out between Blazusiak, Bolt, Walker and Manuel Lettenbichler. Holding firm despite a few mistakes, Blazusiak grabbed second.
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro
In a showdown for third, Bolt held off a late attack from Walker to complete the top three. In his bid for the podium, Walker misjudged the floating bridge and ended up in the river. With Walker taking an unplanned bath, Lettenbichler capitalised to take fourth, with Wade Young fifth.
Alfredo Gomez
“The start was key to winning the prologue final. I managed to get into the lead and was able to control the pace. I’m not sure why but I always enjoy riding it – I think it’s because you are so close to the spectators on the track. Tomorrow will be the real test. I’d really like to come away with the win – I feel like I can do it, we’ll just see how things go.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro – Alfredo Gomez topped the podium from Taddy Blazusiak and Billy Bolt
Pro Class Qualification
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 4:38.75
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 4:49.88
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 4:50.99
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 4:52.24
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 4:53.52
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 4:54.58
Diogo Vieira (Yamaha – PRT) 4:57.00
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 5:00.51
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 5:03.71
Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 5:04.71
Pro Class Final
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP)
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL)
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB)
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER)
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA)
Sunday Extreme XL Lagares
Following two days of action-packed Endurocross and City Prologue racing, the stage was set for Sunday’s Hard Enduro feature race. Among the 300 competitors entered, over 50 Pro riders took to the start line of the demanding two-hour long course, which was to be completed twice. Notoriously difficult, the addition of blisteringly hot sunshine ensured a punishing start to the 2019 WESS championship.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Fastest seeded Alfredo Gomez led the field away, with Taddy Blazusiak following suit 15 seconds later. At the first major riverbed rock step, Blazusiak had reeled Gomez in and led from the front, with Lettenbichler hot on his heels having also caught and overtaken the Spaniard.
Midway through lap one the running order changed. Setting an insanely fast pace, Lettenbichler moved into the lead and opened up a five-minute advantage over Young with Billy Bolt, Jonny Walker and Graham Jarvis all in tow. Just behind them sat Roman.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Heading out for lap two, Lettenbichler was now six minutes clear and looking strong. But Roman and Young had other ideas and impressively upped their pace in the deteriorating conditions. The duo reeled in the young German, who appeared to have run out of steam at the crucial moment.
Breaking both Young and Lettenbichler, Roman put his Sherco in front and, in charging all the way to the finish, claimed a memorable victory and the opening win of the WESS season. Young finished four minutes behind as runner-up.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Jarvis initially looked to have snatched third from Lettenbichler on corrected time, but the German was awarded time he lost on lap one due to a track marking error and finished on the podium. With Jarvis content in fourth, Bolt completed the top five, while Walker rounded out the top six.
In the one-lap Expert class race, Carlos Ordoa secured a commanding victory beating nearest rival Nuno Pereira by 31 minutes. Alberto Aramburu completed the top three.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Jose Ferreira was the winner of the Hobby class. Finishing 17 minutes behind, Ricardo Cerqueira was second with Tiago Oliveira third.
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round two, the Trèfle Lozérien AMV in France, next weekend, May 17-19.
Mario Roman – P1
“I feel amazing, it’s so good to get the win. In 2016 I finished about a minute behind Alfredo and then two years in a row I had mechanical issues with my bike, but I always believed in myself and knew I could do it this year. On the first lap I was lying fifth or sixth and I couldn’t see the top two guys, but as the race went on, I started to feel stronger and was able to push 100% and pass the others one-by-one. The track was so much more difficult on the second lap and I knew I would be able to make up time on those tricky sections.”
Mario Roman claims the WESS 2019 Round 1 win at the Extreme XL Lagares
Wade Young – P2
“It feels great to get second today. At one point I was down in sixth and I was lacking some confidence after struggling in one of the rivers – that spent a lot of my energy. I came back strong though and towards the end people were starting to get tired and I was able to dig a little deeper and keep going.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Wade Young
Manuel Lettenbichler – P3
“I am so happy with my result and overall I had a really good race. I didn’t realise at first the gap to the others was so big. I tried to stick to the same pace on the second lap, but Mario and Wade must have been flying. I think they probably pushed each other on the difficult stuff and were able to maintain a good speed when it got really tough. Graham also caught me at a few places, but I was able to stay ahead. I had to stop to move a bridge on the first lap so that cost me some time, but thankfully they have awarded that back to me and I have come away with third. It would have been nice to get the win, especially after leading for over half of the race. But whatever the result, I am happy with my riding and it’s been a good start to this year’s WESS championship.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Manuel Lettenbichler
Graham Jarvis – P4
“I’m really happy with how things went today, especially as I haven’t really been on the bike for the past two weeks due to some niggling little injuries. I was feeling a bit tense on the first lap but loosened up on the second and was able to up my pace a little. The bike felt great today and I was really able to attack the gnarly stuff – some of it I was able to get up in one go. The course was as challenging as ever – there was even a new gully for this year that was about half a mile long. I had fun though and it feels good to get a top result, even if I did just miss out on the podium. I’m looking forward to my next race now and hopefully I can get a similar result, or better.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Graham Jarvis
Billy Bolt – P5
“I’m so happy with my result, it’s been a long three days, but I got to the finish. I didn’t really have a plan coming into today’s race, I just wanted to try and stick with the other guys for as long as I could. My pace on the first lap was good, I just didn’t quite have the energy to keep up when we got back into the technical stuff on the second lap. I gritted my teeth and kept going, but it was quite a lonely second lap to be honest. I’m over the moon with the result – it feels like a win. Six weeks ago, it didn’t look like I would be ready to ride here after my injury, so to be able to finish with such a strong result feels amazing.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Billy Bolt
Jonny Walker – P6
“That was seriously tough out there. I had a crash really early on and that didn’t help. I’m still struggling with my grip strength and even though my speed is there, I’m not able to push quite as hard as I would like. I was able to stay with the front runners on the first lap but then coming around on the second lap I got stuck in one of the rivers and lost some time. I had some good battles out there and I have to be happy with sixth, but I know I still have some work to do before I’m back at 100%. Next week we’ve got the classic enduro in France, I had a good ride there last year so I’m hoping for the same again.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Jonny Walker
Alfredo Gomez – P7
“It was very tricky out there, one of the toughest day’s riding I have had for a long time. It was so slippery, and I had quite a few crashes. I set off first and unfortunately lost sometime early on when I made a mistake. I think three riders passed me and then we got into the first river and I struggled to stay with them. It’s a shame because yesterday my pace was so good and to come away with the Prologue win felt great. Today I just couldn’t get comfortable with things. We have a week until the next race so I will try to recover as best as I can and get prepared for France.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Alfredo Gomez
Taddy Blazusiak – P8
“Overall, I’m happy with my ride today, it was really tough and very long. I got a rock in my eye when trying to pass a lapper and that put me off for a bit. It was just one of those tough days, but this is WESS and it’s all about collecting points when things don’t quite go your way. I led the race a little early on, which was fine, but I struggled a little when we got to the rivers. It was so slippery and the second time through was even more tricky. I got to the finish in one piece, which is the main thing. Soon we’ll be straight into classic enduro at Le Trefle. It means I’ll be back on the 350, which should suit me as it’s what I have been riding all SuperEnduro season.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Taddy Blazusiak
Josep Garcia – P13
“The event started off really well on Friday with the Superenduro. I felt really good and was able to battle with the top guys. I finished fifth, which I was really happy with. On Saturday I had a couple of crashes in the streets of Porto, so I didn’t post such a great time but managed to qualify 12th for the main race. My first lap today didn’t go so well, the track was a lot more slippery than last year and there were a lot of tricky climbs we had to make. On the second lap I started to feel more comfortable and was able to keep a good speed. I am really happy to make it to the finish because here that is a big achievement after over four hours. I have earned some good points and that’s really important for the championship.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Josep Garcia
Results – Round 1: Extreme XL Lagares
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 4:01:43.21
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 4:05:59.04 +4:15.83
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 4:07:09.68 +5:26.47
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 4:07:16.12 +5:32.91
Roman opens WESS with Porto Extreme XL Lagares victory
Section: Competition
Young and Lettenbichler complete the podium at Portugal’s season-opener.
Image: Supplied.
Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman has taken an early lead in the battle to become this year’s ultimate enduro champion, claiming victory at the Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares in Portugal for round one of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series (WESS).
Following two days of action-packed Endurocross and City Prologue racing, the stage was set for Sunday’s Hard Enduro feature race.
Among the 300 competitors entered, over 50 pro riders took to the start line of the demanding two-hour long course, which was to be completed twice. Notoriously difficult, the addition of blisteringly hot sunshine ensured a punishing start to the 2019 WESS championship.
Putting in a determined display of riding, Roman produced a terrific late race charge to top the podium ahead of teammate Wade Young (Sherco Factory Racing) with early race leader Manuel Lettenbichler (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in third.
Graham Jarvis (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) initially looked to have snatched third from Lettenbichler on corrected time, but the German was awarded time he lost on lap one due to a track marking error and finished on the podium. With Jarvis in fourth, reigning champion Billy Bolt (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) completed the top five.
The World Enduro Super Series now heads to France for the Trefle Refle Lozerien on 17 May, marking round two of the series.
YART emerges with EWC victory at 8 Hours of Slovakia
Australians Parkes and Hook on the podium at round three.
Image: Supplied.
After an epic eight-hour battle filled with drama, Yamaha Austria Racing Team emerged the winners at the Slovakia Ring for round three of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), finishing ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and F.C.C. TSR Honda France.
The Austrian Yamaha squad has won the 8 Hours of Slovakia for the second year in a row, with Australian Broc Parkes and teammates Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa failing to lose the lead in the encounter.
After battling Honda Endurance Racing and F.C.C. TSR Honda France from the start of the race, they ended up sole leader, a lap ahead of points leader Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. In the saddle of the Suzuki number two, Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black offered their team manager Dominique Meliand another podium after a perfectly executed race.
On the F.C.C. TSR Honda France bike, Australian Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio climbed back up at lightning speed to take the third step of the podium. The Japanese Honda squad – the reigning champions – had slid to the bottom of the rankings, three laps behind the leader, after a brake problem in the early part of the race.
Di Meglio’s determination saw them leaping up the timesheets, and after posting the fastest lap early on, he broke the track record with a 2m3.938s lap.
Wepol Racing pipped VRD Igol Pierret Experiences at the post for fourth and fifth respectively. The EWC now heads to Germany for the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, scheduled on 9 June.
