DAY 2 - THE LONGEST DAY!

For the second day of the GRAND PRIX POLISPORT OF PORTUGAL, most of the stars of the WEC spent the longest day of their career. From the difficulty of the terrain to the torrential rain and hailstones which spiced up the event even more.
This second event of 2008 MAXXIS FIM WEC will stay in the memory as one of the hardest of recent years. It probably explains why today 4 new winners emerged. Ivan Cervantes and Juha Salminen awoke, Christophe Nambotin surprised and Thomas Oldrati took revenge.

ENDURO 1
the more the ground was dug up by the bikes the more Ivan CERVANTES (ESP-KTM) made a difference. Behind Albergoni on the first lap, the Spaniard moved further and further ahead of his rivals to eventually claim his first success of the season with a 5.51 seconds advantage over Simone ALBERGONI (ITA-YAM). He was also the fastest man of the day in the unofficial overall classification.

Ivan CERVANTES: "Today I thought that it would be difficult, because mud is not my favourite terrain. But I was surprised, I was just behind Simone after the first special tests. I took the lead in the Cross test, while Ahola made a mistake. I understood that the race would be played between Albergoni and me. He rode well on the last tests, but I managed to win. That is very good.”

Suffering no less than three crashes, and then making a good recovery towards the end of the day, Mika AHOLA (FIN-HON) stole third place from his compatriot Eero REMES (FIN-KTM).
With pain in his shoulder, Cristobal GUERRERO (ESP-YAM) salvaged sixth place behind Tom SAGAR (GB-KTM). Victim of an engine failure, Marc GERMAIN (FRA-YAM) had to retire, as did Maurizio MICHELUZ (ITA-YAM) whose bike suffered ignition problems.

ENDURO 2
In the 450 cc 4T and 250 cc 2T category, Juha SALMINEN (FIN-KTM) and Johnny AUBERT (FRA-YAM) once again outclassed their adversaries. On this second day they relegate them to more than 1 minute 25 seconds adrift. In spite of Aubert’s very good times in the morning, the duel turned in favour of the Finn in the second of the three laps. To impose himself, Salminen built up a comfortable 30 seconds advantage.

Victim of electrical problems, Joakim LJUNGGREN (SWE-HSB) was forced to stop at the exit of the Cross Test. the same thing happened to Antoine MEO (FRA-HVA), who suffered problems with his clutch. For Alex ZANNI (ITA-HON), pain in his hand, due to an injury in the Italian championship, prematurely put an end to his challenge.

An intense competition embroiled three riders the third place, in the shade of Salminen and Aubert. It turned out to be the most combative as Valterri SALONEN (FIN-HSB) eventually finished ahead of Alessandro BELOMETTI (ITA-KTM) and Nicolas PAGANON (FRA-APR).

ENDURO 3
Christophe NAMBOTIN (FRA-GAS) created the great sensation of the weekend by winning this second day of competition in the big class.
Favoured by the lightness of his 2-stroke machine, the Frenchman beat Samuli ARO (FIN-KTM). The junior vice-champion won with a 22 seconds advantage over the Finn and signed his first victory in the seniors.

Christophe NAMBOTIN: "It is really a beautiful thing to win for the first time in the seniors. I will enjoy this victory today, and tomorrow I will be already turned on next weekend. The race was exhausting, and this evening it will be necessary to think of recovery. This victory is a gratification for me, and all the people who took part in it."

Like yesterday, Marcus KEHR (GER-KTM) was the other surprise of the weekend by finishing on the third step of the podium. This result has not been achieved by a German rider since the podium of Dirk Thiele in 1998.

After having a lively beginning to the day, Stefan MERRIMAN (AUS-APR) knew the second part of day would be more difficult, when he broke his radiator. He finnaly claimed fourth place.

JUNIOR
Penalised on the trail yesterday, Thomas OLDRATI (ITA-KTM) took revenge today. At the end of the first lap, he had positioned himself in front of his rival, Marc BOURGEOIS (FRA-HVA). This hierarchy would not change until the end of the race. If the first day often turns to the advantage of Bourgeois, the second is systematically going to Oldrati. That promises a thrilling remainder of the championship.



Yamaha Racing

E1 - Double podium and first 2008 win for Albergoni
UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Simone Albergoni continued his impressive form in the 2008 World Enduro Championship claiming two podium finishes at the second round of the series, the Grand Prix of Portugal staged in Vale de Cambra. Earning a well-deserved victory on Day1 Simone battled hard on Day 2 to place 2nd and finished less than six seconds behind winner Ivan Cervantes despite a costly mistake on the extreme test. Having recorded his best ever start to a world championship season at the recent GP of Sweden, Simone showed in Portugal that no matter how challenging the conditions he is certainly ready to take the E1 title fight to his class rivals.

Winning 6 of the opening day's 9 special tests, Simone took control of the Enduro 1 class early on with a winning performance on the opening enduro foray. With world champions Mika Ahola and Ivan Cervantes applying considerable pressure to the Italian throughout the opening day the Yamaha rider remained error- free and managed to maintain his lead. Knowing that just one mistake on the challenging Portuguese terrain would easily end his hopes of victory, Simone topped two of the third and final lap's three special tests to claim a well-deserved victory. Albergoni placed ahead of round one winner Mika Ahola with former E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes third.

Proceedings took a turn for the worse on Day2 as heavy rain ensured the three Portuguese special tests became heavily rutted and even harder to ride than on Day1. Despite the atrocious conditions Simone again performed extremely well aboard his WR250F. Winning the first special test as he had on day one, Simone wasn't quite able to match Cervantes for pace during the opening lap. On lap two a mistake in the extreme test saw him lose six seconds to the Spaniard and despite his best efforts he wasn't quite able to repeat his Day1 achievement. Finishing the second day less than six seconds away from the top step of the podium Simone importantly again placed ahead of round one winner Mika Ahola.

Albergoni is currently second in the standings, just three points behind Ahola.

For Albergoni's UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Maurizio Micheluz and Cristobal Guerrero the GP of Portugal was one of mixed fortunes. Not pleased with his performances at the opening round of the series in Sweden, Micheluz claimed a solid 5th place finish on Day1 but then disappointingly failed to finish Day2 with an ignition problem. For Guerrero, who following his early season shoulder injury is still not 100 per cent bike fit, the Portuguese event was extremely hard. The Spaniard was 7th on Day1 and managed to improve his result by one position on Day2 but was far from happy with his results.

The next stop of the 2008 WEC series is Cristobal's home race - the GP of Spain at Sitges, just south of Barcelona.

Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 1st, Day 2 2nd:
"It's been another good race for me. My speed is good but importantly my confidence also now. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season because I know I can compete against the two world champions that are in the Enduro 1 class - Cervantes and Ahola. I had two small crashes on day one but I was still able to win by one second so I am really pleased with that. After a small mistake in the extreme test I pushed as hard as I could but Ivan Cervantes was really fast. I finished five seconds behind, which is good but a little bit disappointing as I could have won again without that mistake."

Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 7th, Day 2 5th:
"It's been a really tough race for me because I haven't been able to do as much training ahead of the world championship races as I needed to do because of my shoulder injury. I took as many points as possible here in Portugal but I still don't feel completely comfortable in all of the special tests. The next race is my home race in Spain, so I hope that there I can get the kind of results I know I'm capable of."

Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 5th, Day 2 DNF:
"The first day was tough but I am pleased with my fifth place result. After the first race of the world championship in the snow I was looking forward to competing in more normal conditions. I was close behind fourth position so I was very happy. Day two was very difficult and disappointingly I had a problem with my bike on the first lap. The problem was the ignition and I wasn't able to finish the day."

E2 - Albert seizes first win in double podium outing
Johnny Aubert knew before the 2008 E2 World Enduro Championship started that to beat seven-time world champion Juha Salminen he would have to perform at his very best and on day one of the GP of Portugal that's exactly what the UFO Corse Yamaha rider produced. Following decent outings at the first round of the championship in Sweden the former motocross racer claimed his first Enduro 2 class victory of the year following a solid opening day performance in Portugal.

Locked in an intense battle with his Finnish E2 class rival, the Frenchman emerged from the opening day less than one second ahead having topped 5 of the day's 9 special tests. On Day2 Aubert started well by winning 2 of the opening lap's 3 special tests, but despite his hardest efforts a double class win eluded him as he placed as runner-up to Salminen at the end of a demanding competition.

Showing that the Enduro 2 title fight is likely be a two-rider tussle, Aubert, with Salminen right behind him, placed more than two minutes ahead of third placed competitor Joakim Ljunggren. Aubert was runner-up to Salminen at the end of the first special test with no other rider posing any real threat to the duo. He then managed to top test two to claim a small but decisive advantage. With little to separate the rivals throughout the day, Aubert arrived at the ninth and final special test trailing Salminen. Aubert recorded a time just under two seconds faster, which was enough for him to take the lead and the day win.

A wet and technical Day 2 started with Aubert looking as if he was headed towards another E2 class victory as he headed the first two special tests from Salminen. However the Finn claimed the following four tests by the mid-way point of the day. Aubert was in second, but comfortably ahead of third place rider Valtteri Salonen. Despite taking the event's penultimate test, Johnny was unable to repeat his success of the previous 24 hours, but nevertheless claimed a solid runner-up result to continue his good start to the '08 WEC series. He is lies second in the standings, three points behind Salminen.

Aubert's Italian UFO Corse Yamaha team-mate, Fabrizio Dini, performed well at the GP of Portugal with 7th and 6th place results in the Enduro 2 class. Starting Day1 badly, Dini had to battle his way back from 15th position on lap one to an eventual 7th - a result that would have been better if it wasn't for a mistake on the final extreme test. Despite the worsening conditions on day two Dini improved his result and placed a deserved 6th.

Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 1st, Day 2 2nd:
"Winning the first day was really good. It was really close between me and Juha. Before the last special test of the event there was only one and a half seconds between us, but I was behind Juha. I pushed as hard as I could and managed to win the day. I didn't have any real problems on day two, only that Juha Salminen was really fast. It's been a hard race. I didn't have any problems, apart from a small mistake in the first extreme test, but it was very wet. You had to keep pushing hard all day; there was no time to rest. For my championship it has been another good weekend."

Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - day 1 7th, Day 2 6th:
"It's been a nice race but very hard. The time controls were tight and it meant that there wasn't much time to relax during the day. Both days were extremely difficult. It was a strange race for me. I started day one very badly, in 15th position. By the end I was in sixth, but then I fell on the last extreme test and dropped to seventh. Considering the way my day started it wasn't such a bad result. The second day wasn't so bad. It was really difficult because of the weather but it was the same for all riders. I didn't have too many problems although I didn't like the mud on the motocross test so much. I hope that in Spain we have better conditions."



KTM Racing - Day 2
Cervantes wins Round Four of E1 World Championship
KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Ivan Cervantes put in a great performance in Round Four of the E1 World Championship in Vale de Cambra, Portugal for his first victory of the season.

Cervantes who won the E3 title in 2007 was third in Saturday's race, fought on and off torrential rain and mud to triumph in the second race at the venue on Sunday. "I really had to push hard but I managed to do that, and it worked for me," Ivan said. "The weather was changing all the time and in the morning the rain was incredible. It was very hard and muddy in the special tests and there was often only one line."
 
Tom Sagar, the young Briton who came up from the junior ranks last season to join the KTM Factory Team was a very creditable fifth in what was a tough weekend's racing where the riders covered a complex 60 km circuit three times.
 
With his victory on Sunday, Cervantes fulfilled the wishes of team boss Fabio Farioli who said after Saturday that he expected the Spanish rider to "push hard" on Sunday.  Riders now go to Spain for the two rounds in what will be familiar territory for Cervantes. "It's a good atmosphere and there will be a lot of fans at the races," he said.

Salminen tops podium in Round Four of Enduro E2 World Championships
In a tough day of racing, KTM Enduro factory rider Juha Salminen improved on Saturday's second place when he topped the podium in Vale de Cambra in Portugal on Sunday in Round Four of the E2 World Championships.

Salminen, the runaway winner in the E1 class last season has been on the E2 podium in all four events so far this season. He scored a first and a third in Sweden in the snow in February and his good results in Portugal lay the foundation for his second successful season after returning from USA at the end of 2006.

"Today was hard racing and very tricky especially for the first guys out on the course. It was wet and there was a lot of mud." Salminen said he is looking forward to the next two rounds in Spain, territory that is very familiar to him because he trains a lot there in the winter months.

Salminen's factory rider team-mate Alessandro Belometti of Italy finished fourth, a repeat of his finish on Saturday. He adds this new 36 world championship points to the 28 he already has collected to stay well up with the elite group in the class going into the Spain races.
 
Aro second in Round Four of E3 World Championships
Samuli Aro continued his run of success in the E3 big bike category in the Enduro World Championship series on Sunday with a second place to follow on from his victory in Portugal the previous day.

Aro and KTM Enduro Factory Team team-mate Marko Tarkkala, both from Finland, have had a stranglehold on the four races so far held this season in what is a hotly contested racing category. Although all was not pain sailing for Tarkkala in the second race in Vale de Cambra, Portugal, south of the city of Porto, he still managed to finish fifth for valuable world championship points. KTM supported rider Marcus Kehr of Germany had a good day on his KTM and finished third on the podium.
 
Riders had a very tough day in the mud and what was often torrential rain but team boss Fabio Farioli still drew a positive line under the factory team's results for the weekend. The 60 km course, which riders had to circle three times, offered very big challenges and levels of difficulty even for these extreme and highly skilled professionals. The Enduro competition now departs for the second two races on the Iberian Peninsular in Spain. The area is familiar to the KTM riders, many of whom train there during the off-season.

DAY ONE OF THE GRAND PRIX POLISPORT OF PORTUGAL:
A HARD ENDURO FOR STRONG RIDERS

Two weeks after a cold Swedish opening, the spring temperatures welcomed the first day of the GRAND PRIX POLISPORT OF PORTUGAL, the second round of the 2008 MAXXIS FIM WEC. Despite these enjoyable climatic conditions, the enduro stars had to face a slippery track, after significant rain had fallen during the days preceding the event. Run in a hilly and rocky area, this round particularly tired the WEC competitors. The most hardy and fastest contenders of the day were Simone Albergoni, Johnny Aubert, Samuli Aro and Marc Bourgeois.

ENDURO 1
Until the last special test of the day, the “small engine category” was undecided between Simone ALBERGONI (ITA-YAM) and Mika AHOLA (FIN-HM). Finally, the Italian imposed himself with a one second advantage over the Finn who was the victim of a fall in the first lap.

Simone ALBERGONI: "It is really an incredible beginning of season for me. In Sweden, I ensured second and third places. Today I win. I fell twice but I managed to fill my delay. I hope that the championship will continue like this. I simply tried to find the good rhythm in the first tests, and it worked. It is the second season with this bike, I am now accustomed. My team is doing fantastic work, and I hope I will win the championship.”

Ivan CERVANTES (ESP-KTM) finished in third position of E1, in front of the Finnish revelation Eero REMES (FIN-KTM). Injured in Sweden, Bartosz OBLUCKI (POL-HVA) tried to take the start of the race, but pain and repetitive falls forced him to give up. The Husqvarna factory rider should take a one month rest to come back for his homeland Grand Prix of Poland.

ENDURO 2
This first round of the Grand Prix Polisport of Portugal will remain as a hard day for the Husqvarna factory team. After Oblucki, Antoine MEO (FRA-HVA) and Aaron BERNARDEZ (ESP-HVA) had to stop with mechanical problems. At the head of the race, the duel awaited between Juha SALMINEN (FIN-KTM) and Johnny AUBERT (FRA-YAM) which today wrote one of the most glorious pages of the history of enduro. Rewarded for his pugnacity, Johnny Aubert managed to steal the victory from the Finnish ogre in the last test by less than one second.

Johnny AUBERT: "I am very happy. To take one day from Salminen does not happen often. I really fought to try to put the pressure on him. He had problems with his front suspension, and I could look for this victory in the last Extreme Test. This is really fabulous. Considering all the others riders were taken down, at more than one minute thirty, I did not take too much risk. I pushed a lot, with the encouragement of my team. Salminen is beatable, even if it is not easy."

Fighting with combative Alessandro BELOMETTI (ITA-KTM), Joakim LJUNGGREN (SWE-HSB) managed to take third place in E2.

ENDURO 3
Two falls on the first lap were not enough to damage the will of Samuli ARO (FIN-KTM). Despite a time handicap, the Finn made up his delay to take a Portuguese victory. The opposite could be said of Christophe NAMBOTIN (FRA-GAS) who was leading until the middle-race. The Frenchman then lost 40 seconds after falling in the Cross Test.

Behind Marko TARKKALA (FIN-KTM) in a solid second place, the battle was fierce for the third step on the podium. It finally went to the amazing Marcus KEHR (GER-KTM), third in front of Sebastien GUILLAUME (FRA-HVA).

JUNIOR
Victims of problems with his ignition, Mirko GRITTI (ITA-BETA) was not able to take part in the excellent fights in the Junior category. The race was played out as much on the going as in the special tests. Thomas OLDRATI (ITA-KTM) incurred penalties on the trail. The victory went to his rival Marc BOURGEOIS (FRA-HVA). Spaniard Orio MENA signed his return to the business of the WEC by gathering the second place in the category.



KTM Racing - Day 1
Two way KTM battle continues in round three of E3 World Championships

Samuli Aro and Marko Tarkkala, KTMs two Finnish factory riders in the E3 big bike category continued their occupancy of the top two podiums places in Round Three of the World Championship on Saturday.

Aro came home over the three times 60km loop of the course at Vale de Cambra just south of the city of Porto in Portugal ahead of team-mate Tarkkala to repeat the result they registered in the first two rounds. But unlike the snow and ice they tackled in Oestersund, Sweden in the first two rounds, Portugal offered the riders a fast, hard and stony surface that they both agreed was difficult.
 
Hard surface and tough ride
"It was difficult for me in the morning and I had a crash in the second test," Samuli said after the race. "If it rains tomorrow it will be even more difficult for us." Weather forecasts indicate a low pressure area heading towards northern Portugal with a 60% chance of rain for the fourth round on Sunday. Team-mate Marko Tarkkala agreed. "It was quite good for me today," he said. "But Samuli was very fast. The course was also very difficult and if it rains tomorrow there will be even more mud holes."
 
Perfect score for Aro
Aro has a perfect scorecard of 75 points from the three races and Tarkkala is hot on his heels with 66 points for his three second places. KTM supported rider Markus Kehr of Germany was third on Saturday making a clean sweep of the podium for the Austrian manufactured Enduro bikes.

Salminen second in Portuguese E2 Grand Prix
KTM factory rider Juha Salminen narrowly missed taking victory in round three of the E2 World Championships in Vale de Cambra Portugal on Saturday but managed to secure second place on the podium.

The Finnish rider's solid result adds valuable points to those he collected for his first and third places in the first two rounds.
 
Tough fight
"Everything went pretty well today and the bike was very good. It was a tough fight for the victory and in the end I had to concede by just 0.6 of a second," Salminen said after the race. After dominating the E1 class last season when he returned to ride in Europe after competing in the USA, he is taking on new challenges. Salminen's factory rider team-mate Alessandro Belometti of Italy finished fourth after a tough battle in the final stages with Joakim Ljunggren of Sweden
 
Rain could make Sunday hard going
With a 60% chance of rain forecast for Sunday, Salminen said the hard, stony, 60 km circuit, which the riders must travel over three times would be even more difficult for round four. He nevertheless is optimistic about another good performance on Sunday at the location a little south east of Porto.

Cervantes takes third in Round Three of E1 World Championship
Ivan Cervantes performed well over a fast and difficult track in Vale de Cambra near Porto in Portugal on Saturday to come home in third place in the third round of the E1 World Championship.

With the result, the KTM factor rider from Spain confirmed he is in promising form as the season gets underway. Cervantes also took the minor podium place in round two held in winter conditions including snow at Östersund, Sweden.
 
Cervantes to push on Sunday
"I want Ivan to do even better tomorrow," said team boss Fabio Farioli. "I want him to push even more." Cervantes is back on a KTM 250 4-stroke machine this season after winning the E3 title in 2007. He is racing in the class with Briton Tom Sager, who has advanced from the junior division. Sager came in in eighth place in the third round after crashing in round one in Sweden and having to miss round two.
 
Rain may add another dimension
Riders completed three laps of the 60 km track in what was a fast and gruelling day over hard stony surfaces. Rain is forecast for Sunday's round four and this will add another difficult dimension to the event, Farioli said. The Portuguese are enthusiastic supporters of motor sports so a large crowd of spectators came out to cheer on the competitors.



OPTOMA MORTGAGES D3-RACING KTM
The Portuguese World Round proved very tough for all competitors, a very difficult and Rocky course combined with very mixed weather, one minute warm and sunny and then strong showers and even hailstones, leading up to the race it had rained every day in the week and some changes would be made to the Extreme and MX tests to make them a little easier due to the wet conditions. Tom Sagar could not find a comfortable rhythm on the bike, he had tested the bike on a wet and cold day and for Saturday morning the weather was warm and dry, the bike’s carburation was too rich causing Tom to be distracted. The course only had one service point per lap so he had to ride 3 or 4 tests before we could fine tune the carburation to his liking. By the end of the day he managed to move up to 8th position in E1.

Greg Evans was having a better day in the Juniors, this was his debut at World Championships and he was showing good form despite a crash and injured wrist, going into the last extreme test he held 4th position, but cruel luck came when he got stuck on one of the many car tyres in this stage and dropped to 6th. He was awarded a prize for the best newcomer to the class.

Day 2 and it would rain most of the day, most riders had crashes and experienced problems, there would be many retirements this day. Tom started to get closer to the front-runners, posting improved test times as he begins to get familiar with racing in the very competitive E1 class. He eventually ends the day in 5th position. Greg was not so lucky, he started the day with a 4th position on the first test, but the rocky course was punishing his injury from the first day, he was suffering from too much pain in his wrist and could not use the clutch and had to retire.

Now we prepare for next weekends race in Spain and Round 3 of the World Championship series.



CH Racing Husqvarna Factory Enduro Team
Marc Bourgeois leads Enduro Junior World Championship

CH Racing Husqvarna rider Marc Bourgeois has moved to the top of the Enduro Junior World Enduro Championship standings following two podium results at the second round of the ’08 series - the GP of Portugal staged in Vale de Cambra. Showing that he is more than capable of claiming the EJ title this season having now finished on the podium at both of the opening two rounds of the series, Marc’s encouraging performances were disappointingly the only positive results to come from the GP of Portugal for the CH Racing Husqvarna team. With the event one of the hardest WEC races for some time due to a challenging course and special tests and heavy rain on day two, injury and mechanical problems blighted the team’s performances.

After badly injuring his thumb on day two of the GP of Sweden Bartosz Oblucki spent the two weeks that lead up to the GP of Portugal in Spain receiving various specialist treatments in the hope that he would be able to compete. Taking to the start of day two optimistic that his thumb would hold up Oblucki was forced to call it a day after just two special tests with his participation in next week’s GP of Spain now looking doubtful.

Frustratingly things didn’t go much better for the CH Racing Husqvarna team in the Enduro 2 class. With Frenchman Antoine Meo having come close to claiming victory on day one at the GP of Sweden his hopes of another strong performance in Portugal were ended at the end of the first lap when he was forced to retire. Re-starting day two Antoine was again forced out, having suffered a clutch problem. Aaron Bernandez faired a little better finishing the extremely difficult second day in 11th after having to retire from day one.

In the Enduro 3 class Frenchman Seb Guillaume finished both days without problems but failed to perform to his normally high standards in wet conditions. With two strokes dominating the top of the E3 class results in Portugal, Seb placed a solid sixth in class on day one but then dropped two positions to eighth on day two.

The CH racing Husqvarna team now prepare themselves for the third round of the ’08 WEC series – the GP of Spain, which takes place in Sitges, close to Barcelona, on April 5/6.

Marc Bourgeois: “I was really tired on day one but I was still able to put in some good special test times. It was a long, hard day but to win was really great. Day two was really hard. Normally I enjoy the muddy conditions but I made many crashes. I felt strong all day but I fell many, many times. I still managed to finish second so despite all my crashes it finished as a good second day.”



Electraction TM UK
Tough weekend for TM UK at WEC Round 2

Electraction TM UK rider Euan McConnell and his Enduro 3 class mate Gordon Clarke were among the WEC regulars competing in the second round of the ’08 series – the GP of Portugal staged in Vale de Cambra, where a long and challenging course, three demanding special tests and heavy rain on day two made for an extremely difficult event.

With the snow covered season opener having ended with McConnell claiming a top 10 Enduro 3 class result, the GP of Portugal didn’t go quite as well for the Scotsman as he placed a disappointing 17th in class on day one before vastly improving his result on day two with 12th. For Clarke an 18th place finish on day one was followed by a DNF on day two as the Irishman was forced to retire from the event after three special tests due to feeling decidedly under the weather.

Competing just five days after the second round of the British Enduro Championship Euan was unable to adapt to the Portuguese terrain as well as he’d hoped he would on day one and was unable to make any real impression on the E3 class results. On day two though Euan made a determined start to the day and with two strokes dominating the top of the results placed his four-stroke TM in an eventual 12th position having placed 10th in class on each of the final lap’s three special tests.

After two rounds of the ’08 WEC series McConnell sits in 13th position in the Enduro 3 world championship standings, level on points with Frenchman Fabien Planet and just six points off the top 10.

Euan McConnell: “It’s certainly been an eventful race for me. I got stuck, crashed and stalled my bike more times than I care to remember, but it’s been a real enduro and I’ve really enjoyed it. I really struggled on day one. Having raced in the sand at the second round of the BEC the weekend before coming to Portugal it just took me a while to get my head around things. I made a few adjustments to the suspension during the day, which made things easier, but I didn’t really get going until the end of the day.

“Day two was really hard. It’s been a while since there’s been a tight time control in a world championship event and it was great. The course got really difficult in paces, but the motocross test was the worst. There were several places where you could get stuck, which I did on a few occasions. I buried my bike once, which cost me a load of time, but I enjoyed the event.”



MPS Racing Husqvarna
Mixed fortunes for MPS racing Husqvarna duo Bolter & Wakely at WEC GP of Portugal

Husky Sport backed MPS Racing Husqvarna team riders Daryl Bolter and Si Wakely got their ’08 World Enduro Championship campaigns started this past weekend at the GP of Portugal, staged in Vale de Cambra close to Porto, with Bolter claiming a top 10 Enduro 1 class result on day one before crashing heavily and retiring on day two while Wakely claimed strong fifth and sixth place results in the Enduro Junior class.

Opting not to compete in the opening round of the WEC series in Sweden due to the event taking place just one week before the second round of the BEC series, the first southern European world championship event proved to be an extremely difficult one not only for the MPS team riders but for all competitors as demanding Portuguese terrain mixed with heavy rain on day two resulted in an extremely tough event.

Following strong results in the opening two rounds of the British Enduro Championship Si Wakely was confident of getting his ’08 WEC season off to a good start and did just that with a well deserved fifth place finish on day one. With the Portuguese terrain favouring two-stroke machinery, Wakely muscled his 450cc Husqvarna around each of the event’s special tests in style to end the day just 14 seconds adrift of the fourth placed EJ finisher.

With day two proving even harder for four-stroke riders than day one as the already rough and rutted special tests became increasingly muddy following heavy rain, Si placed in an impressive sixth position, just two seconds behind the fifth place rider, and as one of just 12 EJ class finishers. Performing well on each of the day’s special tests Si rode well in conditions that weren’t really to his liking.

Competing in the competitive Enduro 1 class for the first time Daryl Bolter’s GP of Portugal started well with a solid ninth place finish on day one but then ended badly as a crash mid-way through day two resulted in his retirement. Riding well during the first day Daryl saved his best until last as he placed sixth in class on the final special test, and in doing so placed just over five seconds behind countryman Tom Sagar.

On day two Bolter looked to be heading towards an even better result as after four special tests he lay sixth in the E1 class standings. With conditions on day two extremely wet and rutted Daryl outpaced several of his more experienced class mates during the opening lap but during the event’s tight check on lap two he crashed and badly damaged his bike. Needing to ride two time controls and two special tests with severely bent handlebars, as well as having hurt his right elbow and banged his head, Daryl opted to withdraw himself from the competition.

The MPS Racing Husqvarna team now head to round three of the World Enduro Championship, which takes place in Sitges, close to Barcelona, this coming weekend.



BMW Motorrad Motorsport
The going gets tough at the GP of Portugal

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport team’s second stop on the ’08 World Enduro Championship tour saw team riders Anders Eriksson, Simo Kirssi, Jeff Goblet and Bert Meyer compete in the GP of Portugal – an event that proved to be anything but easy due to an extremely challenging course, three demanding special tests and heavy rain on day two. With Eriksson having narrowly missed a podium result at the opening round of the series in Sweden, the Portuguese event marked the first international enduro competition in which Eriksson would compete, outside of Sweden, aboard his BMW.

Hopeful of challenging for a podium finish in the Enduro 3 class things didn’t go as planned for Anders on day one as he failed to finish due to a clutch problem. Re-starting day two the experienced Swede was unable to perform at his best in the extremely wet and difficult conditions and placed ninth in the highly competitive E3 class. Despite being forced to retire on day one, Anders finished the harder second day’s competition without problems.

In the Enduro 2 class BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Simo Kirssi overcame his lack of World Enduro Championship experience to claim a solid top 10 result on day two having enjoyed the slippery and difficult conditions. Competing in only his second ever WEC event Simo was disappointingly unable to finish day one as on the penultimate special test he badly damaged his front wheel, which resulted in his retirement. On day two Kirssi finished comfortably inside the top 10 having ridden consistently all day. Finishing as high as fourth in class, and only twice placing outside the top 10 of the E2 class during the day’s nine special tests, Kirssi finished just 11 seconds behind the E2 class’s sixth placed rider.

For Kirssi’s E2 class team-mate Jeff Goblet the GP of Portugal proved to be a difficult one with the Belgian finishing in 12th on day one and 13th on day two. Performing at his best on the technical extreme test on day one, on day two Goblet suffered bad luck as his chain twice came off in the extreme test while he struggled to perform at his best in the muddy motocross test. In the Enduro Junior class Bert Meyer finished on day one as tenth but placed ninth on day two.

Simo Kirssi – Enduro 2 class: “The first day ended disappointingly for me. Things had been going ok but in the final motocross test I landed from one of the many drop-off jumps and I heard a strange metallic sound. I was able to continue but I had damaged many of the spokes in my front wheel, which meant that I had to retire from the day. Day two was much better – I really enjoyed the conditions although on the motocross test it was really, really muddy. I learned a lot from the race. It was my first world championship race in normal conditions, and it was every bit as difficult as I expected it to be.”

Jeff Goblet – Enduro 2 class: “I had some really good times in the extreme and enduro tests on day one but I really struggled in the muddy conditions on day two. With this season being my first on a four-stroke I knew it would take me some time to adjust to competing in muddy conditions. In the enduro test, which was dry, I was able to put in some good test times. But in the motocross and extreme test I struggled. Also, my chain came off twice in the extreme test. I need more time on the bike in these types of conditions, and then I am sure my results will improve.”

Anders Eriksson – Enduro 3 class: “Not being able to finish the first day was a big disappointment, but I came into this season knowing that these things can happen. We learn more and more every day we spend time on the bike. I had a problem with the clutch, which was very strange. I didn’t ride that well, but I’m happy that I was able to finish the second day. Day two was extremely tough and my bike ran perfectly all day, which was good. It was the first time that I’d ridden the bike in such muddy conditions and although I wasn’t overly happy with my riding the bike performed really well.”

Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team manager: “It was good to see all riders finish on day two, especially Simo as this was his first real world championship enduro race. Finishing seventh in the Enduro 2 class is very encouraging. Day one was a little disappointing as Anders Eriksson had a problem with his clutch. We’re not 100 per cent sure why he had the problem that he did but he finished day two without any troubles at all. The conditions were about as difficult as they get in world championship competition. It’s the first real mud race that the team has faced this year and despite the few problems on day one the fact that all riders completed the hardest day – day two, without problems was great.”