2006 FIM World Enduro Championship Rnd 2
By TMX Archives on 7th May 06
Grand Prix of Portugal - day 2
KTM Enduro Factory Team Farioli riders perform well on day two of the second round of the '06 World Enduro Championship held in Guimaraes, Portugal with David Knight and Ivan Cervantes winning the Enduro 3 and Enduro 1 classes respectively. In doing so the KTM mounted duo extended their respective E3 and E1 world championship advantages.
After a punishing opening day at the second round of the '06 WEC series day two of the GP of Portugal proved to be every bit as difficult as Saturday's competition despite cooler temperatures and a modified extreme test. With the three laps and eight demanding special tests deciding the class winners, come the end of the event KTM riders Ivan Cervantes, Samuli Aro and David Knight continue to lead the world and remain at the top of the Enduro 1, Enduro2 and Enduro world championships.
Making up for his disappointments on day one when he failed to clinch victory in the E1 class by the narrowest of margins, Spaniard Ivan Cervantes returned to the top step of the podium on day two finishing comfortably ahead of day one winner Simone Albergoni. Winning six of the second day's eight special tests to win by 30 seconds Cervantes now sits 11 points clear at the head of the E1 world championship. With day one winner Albergoni finding the conditions in Portugal tiring the Italian placed as runner-up. Making it two third place finishes at the GP of Portugal KTM Factory Enduro Team Farioli rider Alessandro Belometti performed consistently to lift himself into fourth in the E1 WEC standings.
In the Enduro 2 class French rider Johnny Aubert claimed his first ever world championship victory to finish ahead of Finn Mika Ahola and day one winner Stefan Merriman. With Aubert 20 seconds clear of his nearest rival come the end of the day, Merriman then placed 30 seconds adrift of Ahola in second with Finn Samuli Aro close behind in fourth. Having placed in third position on day one Aro again found himself unable to mount a challenge for the class win and knowing that he was unable to match the pace of Aubert, Ahola and Merriman, despite trying his hardest, wisely decided not to push beyond his comfort zone and as a result placed fourth. Aro still continues to lead the Enduro 2 world championship.
Just as on day one David Knight dominated the Enduro 3 class claiming a massive one minute and 17 second advantage despite several mistakes early in the day. Crashing on the enduro test, again on the motocross test, and then stalling his bike on the first timed extreme test David then settled into his rhythm and won seven of the day's eight special tests in the E3 class. As on day one Marko Tarkkala placed as the class runner-up, with Swede Bjorne Carlsson finishing third. At the top of the E3 world championship Knight has a 12 point advantage over Tarkkala.
David Knight: "I had another great day but things didn't start too well for me. I crashed on the first enduro test and then on the motocross test. It was only a small crash on the enduro test, which didn't cost me much time, but my crash on the motocross test was pretty big. I was a bit eager at the end of the motocross test and crashed hard. I banged my head when I crashed so I was feeling a bit groggy for a while. I then stalled it in the next extreme test, so I wasn't leading by much after the first couple of hours. I got myself sorted out after that and started to open up a good lead. I just tried to go too quick too soon and when I slowed down a bit on the second lap I was riding faster. I ended up winning, which is what I came to do, so I'm really happy with the way the whole weekend has gone.”
Samuli Aro: "I had a pretty average day with some small mistakes but thankfully no big mistakes. I guess it just wasn't my weekend. I made a mess of my motocross test on the second lap, which cost me some time, and then I crashed in the last corner of the same test, which cost me even more time. I hurt my ankle last Thursday and injured it again on day one. I hurt it again today, which made it difficult for me. I was trying to ride as fast as I could but Johnny Aubert and Mika Ahola were just a little too fast. If I had tried to stay with them I would have crashed. I'm a little disappointed but I still took some good championship points.”
Ivan Cervantes: "I am really happy to have won today. I started day two wanting to win after finishing second on day one and from the first test I felt really good. I knew after the first test that it would be close between myself and Simone Albergoni but I also knew that it would be possible for me to win, which I did. I was quite fast in the extreme test and didn't make any big mistakes, and this is why I was able to win today. Another 25 points towards my world championship is great. I am really happy with my result.”
2006 World Enduro Championship Rnd 2
Grand Prix of Portugal (day two)
Enduro 1 class
1. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 37:38.21; 2. Simone Albergoni (Honda) 38:08.64; 3. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 38:29.65; 4. Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) 39:00.61; 5. Petri Pohjamo (TM) 39:03.15; 6. Freddy Blanc (KTM) 39:28.41; 7. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) 39:35.80; 8. Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) 39:48.21; 9. Mike Hartman (KTM) 40:08. 10; Nicolas Deparrois (Husqvarna) 40:35.30; 11. Andre Raphael (Kawasaki) 40:35.93; 12. Julien Gauthier (Honda) 40:38.55; 13. Joan Jou (Yamaha) 41:20.35; 14. Mario Patrao (Suzuki) 41:3850; 15. Alexandre Mendes (Yamaha) 42:46.41; 16. Fernando Ferreira (Yamaha) 42:51.88; 17. Ralph Hubers (Yamaha) 43:39.26; 18. Andre Fernandes (Yamaha) 59:27.90; 19.
Enduro 2 class
1. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 36:37.55; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 37:00.79; 3. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 37:31.98; 4. Samuli Aro (KTM) 37:48.92; 5. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 38:37.72; 6. Fabien Planet (KTM) 38:40.32; 7. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 38:56.14; 8. Andrea Beconi (Beta) 39:02.52; 9. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 39:04.90; 10. Euan McConnell (TM) 39:07.43; 11. Andrea Belotti (KTM) 39:08.62; 12. Emmanuel Albepart (Honda) 39:47.06; 13. Alessandro Botturi (Aprilia) 39:54.45; 14. Nicolas Paganon (Husqvarna) 39:55.11; 15. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 40:01.39; 16. Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas) 40:22.91; 17. Jean Etienne Memmi (Sherco) 41:10.88; 18. Juan Pedero (Sherco) 41:26.73; 19. Federico Mancinelli (Beta) 41:38.64; 20. Giuseppe Canova (Husqvarna) 41:47.76
Enduro 3 class
1. David Knight (KTM) 37:06.68; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 38:24.38; 3. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 38:40.43; 4. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 38:53.12; 5. Markus Kehr (KTM) 39:19.60; 6. Alessio Paoli (TM) 39:56.47; 7. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 40:13.05; 8. Alessandro Zanni (Aprilia) 40:48.80; 9. Daniel Persson (Husaberg) 41:12.00; 10. Michal Vukcevic (Sherco) 41:14.20; 11. Paolo Bernardi (Honda) 41:37.50; 12. Jean Baptiste Nicon (KTM) 42:35.09; 13. Rudy Cotton (Beta) 42:56.39; 14. Laurent Bouffioux (Aprilia) 43:21.03
Enduro Junior class
1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 39:17.18; 2. Jake Stapleton (TM) 39:37.65; 3. Oriol Mena (Gas Gas) 39:43.09; 4. Michal Szuster (Yamaha) 39:47.94; 5. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 40:21.44; 6. Si Wakely (Honda) 40:52.88; 7. Lucas Puerto (KTM) 40:56.76; 8. Jeremy Joly (Sherco) 41:05.57; 9. Yannick Bossi (Husqvarna) 41:20.19; 10. Jean Charles Gilbert (Kawasaki) 41:22.42; 11. Robert Kapajcik (Yamaha) 41:27.94; 12. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 41:36.31; 13. Armande Monleon (KTM) 42:33.41; 14. Benoit Fortunato (Honda) 42:35.83; 15. Ricard Wressel (Husaberg) 42:50.43; 16. Jakub Horak (KTM) 43:00.85; 17. Benoit Thibal (Gas Gas) 43:00.92; 18. Oscar Balletti (Honda) 43:13.41; 19. Gustavo Gaudencio (Husqvarna) 43:15.69; 20. Sylvain Lebrun (Husqvarna) 43:38.30