DAY 1 - SEA, ENDURO AND SUN
With a parc fermé situated on the beach, and an Extreme Test on the sea front, the GRAND PRIX AMV OF SPAIN offered a never before seen atmosphere, in the prestigious and grand seaside town of Sitges. After Portugal and its rainfall, the stars of 2008 MAXXIS FIM WEC could appreciate the warm temperatures of the Costa Dorada, in the South of Barcelona. Dusty and high-speed special tests did not allow the making of important differences in time, but it fuelled suspense until the last moments of the race. To finish first today in Sitges, the riders needed composure. Mika Ahola, Johnny Aubert, Samuli Aro and Thomas Oldrati are the winners of the day.

ENDURO 1
To beat Ivan CERVANTES (SPA-KTM) on his homeland is not an easy job. What Mika AHOLA (FIN-HON) did today can be considered as an exploit. Despite a good comeback from the Spaniard towards the end of the day, the E2 champion imposed himself with a 5.65 seconds advantage. At the same time he reassured himself on his level of competitiveness on dry ground. El Torito can console himself with a victory in the BMW MOTORRAD XTREME TEST AWARDS. By taking third place, a surprising Eero REMES (FIN-KTM) proved that his exceptional results of the beginning of season were not only done by luck. The training partner of Salminen precedes the Italian Simone ALBERGONI (ITA-YAM) by 9 seconds, who is clearly quieter on the Catalan ground.

ENDURO 2
By starting the first special tests with the same time, Johnny AUBERT (FRA-YAM) and Juha SALMINEN (FIN-KTM) announced how it would be for the rest of the race. In the links between the tests, the two men spent all the day together. Misfortune to Salminen however would put an end to this duel on the last lap. Juha Salminen had to retire with gearbox problems, handing the victory to Johnny Aubert.

Johnny Aubert: "In the last enduro test, I saw that Juha was pushing the bike on the track, but I thought he fell. I rode to my maximum to take as many seconds off him as I could. Then, my team told me he gave up. I’m glad to take some points off him. The championship is still long, and in spite of this breakage Salminen will fight until the end. To steal one day off him is not an easy thing. I will try to win cleanly tomorrow. To manage it, it’s necessary to believe it, and I believe it strongly.”

At 1 minute 21 seconds from Aubert, Antoine MEO (FRA-HVA) took the second place and for the first time signed his podium place in a WEC GP. The Frenchman snatched this result from Alessandro BELOMETTI (ITA-KTM) in the 11th and last special test.

ENDURO 3
In a very hotly contested category, Samuli ARO (FIN-KTM) clearly broke away from the very first timed sections. Full of confidence, he had a near perfect day. He won with a 31 seconds advantage over his nearest rival.

Samuli Aro: "It was a very good day for me, without any mistakes. I just had a little problem in the last enduro Test. My air filter was full of dust and my engine could not breathe. I was a little frightened because it could stop the bike, but finally nothing happened.”

In second place was the winner of last week Christophe NAMBOTIN (FRA-GAS) who led a group composed of Sebastien GUILLAUME (FRA-HVA), Marko TARKKALA (FIN-KTM) and Fabien PLANET (FRA-KTM).

JUNIOR
We knew Thomas OLDRATI (ITA-KTM) was very fast on dry ground. This first Spanish day was only a confirmation. Impressive with his little 125, the KTM rider won easily with a 38 seconds gap over Oriol MENA (ESP-KTM) and Marc BOURGEOIS (FRA-HVA).


DAY 2 - AHOLA, AUBERT AND ARO KINGS OF SPAIN
A summer wind blew over the second day of GRAND PRIX AMV OF SPAIN, the third event of the 2008 MAXXIS FIM WEC. Whatever the category, the time gaps stayed very tight until the last special test, an Extreme Test staged in the heart of Sitges, transmitted live on TV, and disputed on front of thousands of spectators. Mika Ahola deprived Ivan Cervantes of a success on his homeland. To this victory are added those of Johnny Aubert, Samuli Aro and Thomas Oldrati.

ENDURO 1
Seldom has a duel taken such intensity. Ivan CERVANTES (ESP-KTM) and Mika AHOLA (FIN-HON) rode in the same second all the day. The last special test decided it between the two men to the advantage of the Finn, faster by 62 hundredths.

Ivan CERVANTES: "It was a hard battle and I’m a disappointed to lose by such a little gap. Mika has more experience of these situations. I just think we had a real equality today, but as yesterday the victory returns to him. Nevertheless I feel happy with my two second places, I get important points for the championship.”

The other duel of the category was between Simone ALBERGONI (ITA-YAM) and Eero REMES (FIN-KTM). The Italian made the difference in the second part of day to climb the third step of the podium, without ever having been able to hang the rhythm of Cervantes and Ahola, at 24 seconds.

ENDURO 2
This Sunday, Johnny AUBERT (FRA-YAM) really wanted to prove he could beat Juha SALMINEN (FIN-KTM) fair and square. The Frenchman took the lead from the first special tests, and without making any mistake, he managed to demoralise the Finn. Aubert beat the greatest enduro rider of all time by 15.76 seconds. In Sitges, he took the first position of the category. As in Portugal, the rest of the E2 class were far from the two men, almost more than 1 minute. Third, Antoine MEO (FRA-HVA) is came out on top in the battle with Rodrig THAIN (FRA-TM) 4th, Fabrizio DINI (ITA-YAM) 5th and Alessandro BELOMETTI (ITA-KTM) 6th. The Italian would have got a better result if he hadn’t lost 30 seconds in the Extreme Test.

ENDURO 3
As yesterday, Samuli ARO (FIN-KTM) coolly dominated the second round of this Spanish Grand Prix. The only rider still unbeaten on the WEC imposed himself with a 10.17 seconds advantage over Christophe NAMBOTIN (FRA-GAS), by preserving the same gap during all the day.

This second round also marked the comeback of Marko TARKKALA (FIN-KTM). Victim of misfortune in the Cross Test, the Finn could have played for the first places in the category. Unbeatable in the Extreme Test, Stefan MERRIMAN (AUS-APR) gave a nice performance too, by taking fourth place.

Stefan MERRIMAN: "The Extreme was good for me today, I could make some pretty good times. It’s unusual for me because I didn’t have any experience with this bike in the sand. I use to be faster on second day. Let’s say that first day is for warm up, the second day I start to make some good times. It was a good day today."

JUNIOR
Before the deliberation of the jury, Thomas OLDRATI (ITA-KTM) was the winner of the Junior category. the Italian signed the first double win of his career in Spain by relegating to 13 seconds the best contenders of the Under-23 category. At home, Oriol MENA (ESP-KTM) took an encouraging second place, ahead of Mirko GRITTI (ITA-BETA). Fourth, Marc BOURGEOIS (FRA-HVA) was slightly slower on this kind of hard and slippery ground.

For Alain BLANCHARD, promoter of the MAXXIS FIM WEC, "this Grand Prix was a beautiful promotion for the enduro. Beyond off road addicts, we managed to bring the enduro into the centre of the city, in front of a public of neophytes, thanks to the efforts of the Motoclub Sitges”.

The stars of the WEC have a few weeks of rest before the fourth round of the season, the GRAND PRIX MAXXIS OF POLAND, June the 14th and 15th in Kwidzyn.



Yamaha Racing
Albergoni takes third podium in a row

As with the opening two rounds of the '08 World Enduro Championship, Simone Albergoni recorded the UFO Corse Yamaha team's best results in the Enduro 1 class at the Grand Prix of Spain in Sitges. Narrowly missing out on a podium result on day one when he finished fourth, Albergoni placed a comfortable third on day two and now holds the same position in the E1 championship standings.

Although unsatisfied with his performances on the opening day, Simone showed that he had the speed to run with his E1 class rivals and were it not for several costly mistakes he would have finished on the podium. Mixing good and average form during the special tests throughout the opening day, two crashes - one on the third motocross test and another on the final extreme test, prevented Simone challenging eventual day one winner Mika Ahola or runner-up Ivan Cervantes. Simone eventually finished fourth.

Determined to make up for his opening day disappointment Simone started day two well before again swinging between up and down results on the tests. Not a fan of the extremely high-speed enduro test the Italian managed to win one of the day's specials before going on to place third. Despite his frustration at seeing several mistakes prevent him from recording better results on each day Simone now sits just 15 points behind E1 class leader Mika Ahola


Finishing just two places behind Albergoni on Day1 and three positions behind on Day2 Cristobal Guerrero performed well at his home round of the '08 WEC series despite still not being 100 per cent fit following his early season shoulder injury. Sixth on day one, Cristobal frustratingly missed a fifth place result by less than one second. Performing consistently throughout the duration he was then slightly off the pace in the final extreme test and this prevented the former Enduro Junior world champion from placing higher than sixth. On day two Cristobal again was sixth - a result that would have been better were it not for a costly mistake in the final extreme test.

UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz was seventh on both days and was another rider who saw his results spoiled by a mistake on the extreme test. On day two he was holding fifth for most of the time before dropping to seventh following a last lap crash.

Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 4th, Day 2: 3rd
"I made a lot of mistakes this weekend. I would have one good test and then one bad test, all the way through the event. I didn't like the enduro test - I think it was too fast and not technical enough for a world championship special. On day one I crashed on the last extreme test, but also on the third motocross test. I'm not really happy with my results. I know I have good speed but it wasn't my weekend. I hope I can improve things at the next GP in Poland."

Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 6th, Day 2: 6th
"It's not been a really good race for me, but also not a really bad one. Sixth on both days is ok, but I was less than one second from fifth on day one and not so far from fifth on day two. I had some good special tests but also some that were not so good. I hope that with some more training I can be faster in Poland."

Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 7th, Day 2: 7th
"It's been an unbelievably dusty GP, but it has been quite good for me. It wasn't as hard as many riders thought it might be, but it was incredibly dusty, especially on the motocross test. I finished in seventh on both days, which isn't too bad, but I was fighting for fifth position all day on Day2. I made a big mistake on the first extreme test, which stopped me finishing higher than seventh. It is really close between a group of about four riders in the E1 class, without my mistakes I could have got a better result."

Aubert aces Spain with double victory
UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert's hopes of winning the 2008 Enduro 2 world championship title took a very sizeable step in the right direction at the Grand Prix of Spain, staged in Sitges, as the Frenchman claimed a convincing double E2 class win.

Riding almost faultlessly in the dry and dusty Spanish conditions, Aubert saw bad luck strike his closest championship rival Juha Salminen on Day1 as the multi-world champion failed to finish. Winning Day1 comfortably before going on to beat Salminen by almost 16 seconds on Day2 Aubert now sits 25 points clear at the top of the Enduro 2 championship standings.

As expected Aubert and Salminen quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the Enduro 2 class riders on Day1, with Aubert not quite able to match the pace of his Finnish rival. With little to separate the battling duo on any of the first day's special tests, Johnny took the lead as the day neared a conclusion to claim a sizeable eventual winning margin over countryman Antoine Meo and Italian Alessandro Belometti. Despite winning four of the day's special tests Aubert, by his own admission, wasn't expecting to claim the day win but following Salminen's retirement saw his hard work rewarded with a perfect result.

The Enduro 2 class was again dominated by Aubert and Salminen on Day2 as they broke free from the pack by over a minute. However unlike on Day1 where Aubert had been unable to match Salminen's blistering pace, on Day2 it was the Yamaha rider who was the man to beat as he won three of the opening four special tests to open up a lead that wouldn't be caught. Never placing lower than second in the class throughout the whole day Johnny claimed a deserved E2 class win finishing 16 seconds up on Salminen and in doing so separating himself from Salminen in the E2 championship standings by some 25 points.

The GP of Spain was also a good one for Aubert's UFO Corse Yamaha team mate Fabrizio Dini. Sixth on Day1, but only five seconds behind the fifth-placed rider, on Day2 Fabrizio moved into the fifth place position and were it not for a couple of costly crashes would have grabbed fourth. Nevertheless Dini claimed two solid results and now sits seventh in the E2 world championship standings.

Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 1st, Day 2: 1st
"It's been a great weekend for me. On day one Juha was riding really well and if he hadn't had the problem with his bike I think he would have won and I would have been second. But I had some luck and Juha didn't finish the race. It's not a nice way to win but that's the way it can go sometimes.

“I'm so happy to have won on day two - in the right way! On the first lap I rode really well on the enduro and motocross tests and was about eight or nine seconds ahead of Juha. I kept pushing and slowly managed to open up a 16 second advantage coming into the final extreme test. I knew then that it was my day. Things are good for me at the moment but I'm not thinking about the championship. I know Juha won't give up."

Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 6th, Day 2: 5th
"I crashed a lot on day one but I still finished sixth. I felt good most of the day and I'm quite happy with my result. Day two started badly for me. I crashed in the first motocross test and made a mistake on the logs on the extreme test but after that I rode well. I finished fifth but I was only a few seconds behind the fourth place rider. I'm pleased with my results."



KTM Racing
Ivan Cervantes second in Round Six of E1 World Championship

Ivan Cervantes of the KTM Enduro Factory Team continued his battle of attrition with arch rival Mika Ahola in the sixth round of the Enduro 1 World championship on Sunday coming in just 0.6 seconds behind his rival at the end of the day.

The race was held in the Spanish coastal town of Sitges, south of Barcelona and presented the riders with hard and very dusty surfaces, including some riding on the beach. "Ivan raced very well today and it was very close between him and Ahola all the way. There was only a gap of about one second between them after each test," KTM team boss Fabio Farioli said after the race.  Tom Sagar the team's second rider in the class experienced some problems and was forced to retire from the race.
 
Second in standings
Cervantes, the reigning E2 champion again had the pleasure of riding in front of his enthusiastic home crowd at a race well attended by the Spanish motorcycle aficionados. He is second in the championship standings after six rounds with 132 points, training Ahola by just 10 points.

Salminen second in Round Six in E2 in Spain
KTM Enduro Factory Team's Juha Salminen put the disappointment of a DNF on Saturday behind him on Sunday finishing in second place in the Sixth Round of the Enduro 1 World Championship for some valuable points.

It was the second of two rounds held this weekend in Spain's Costa Dorada at the seaside town of Sitges, south of Barcelona.
 
Hard and dusty
The Enduro track offered riders hard surfaces, plenty of dust and some time riding an extreme test on the beach Salminen said. "It is a very tight competition between me and Johnny Aubert at the moment," the Finnish rider and reigning E1 champion said. "I had a good start but I did have some black moments and made some small mistakes. It was extremely dusty especially in the MX test." Team-mate Alessandro Belometti finished in sixth place after securing third place on Saturday in round Five.
 
Team boss Fabio Farioli said his riders would be training hard and competing in national and other competitions between now and when the world championship resumes in June in Poland. "The results this weekend were not so bad," he said. "But I want us to do better in the next races."
 
Salminen, with 114 points from his six rounds trails the French rider Aubert by 25 points.

Double E3 victory in Spain for KTMs Samuli Aro
KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Samuli Aro of Finland made it a great day out at the beach on Sunday in the sixth round of the Enduro 3 World Championship at Sitges, south of Barcelona chalking up his second win for the weekend.

Aro has now won five from six races held so far and has a firm hold on the championship standings. "Today he went like a machine," said KTM team boss Fabio Farioli.
 
Unlucky Tarkkala
Team-mate Marko Tarkkala, like Aro also from Finland was third behind French rider Christophe Nambotin, winning enough points to retain second place on the championship table. Tarkkala was unlucky on Sunday when his wheel got snarled in a timekeeper's cable at one of the checkpoints and he had to stop and free it, losing about 10 minutes in the process. "The organisers let him repeat the text but the delay also cost concentration," Farioli said. "He was not able to make up enough time to work his way back up the order." Dust was again a major problem on the course that included some parts on the beach at this location on the Costa Dorada.
 
Competition to resume in June
After six tough rounds of the competition, four on the Iberian Peninsular and two in winter conditions in Sweden, the world championship resumes in June in Poland. Meanwhile the KTM Enduro Factory Team members will continue training while competing in national and other events to be fit and ready when the world championship resumes.
 
Commanding lead for Aro
Aro now leads the competition standings with an impressive 147 points from his five victories and one second place. Tarkkala is second with 120 points.



CH Racing Husqvarna Factory Enduro Team 2008
Double podium finish for Antoine Meo at WEC GP of Spain

CH Racing Husqvarna team rider Antoine Meo has continued his impressive form in the ’08 World Enduro Championship with a double podium finish in the Enduro 2 class at the GP of Spain. Putting his disappointing results at the recent GP of Portugal behind him Antoine finished as runner-up to Frenchman Johnny Aubert on day one and in third place on day two behind Aubert and Juha Salminen. Joining Meo in claiming podium results for Husqvarna at the third round of the ’08 WEC series were Seb Guillaume, who placed third in the Enduro 3 class on day one, and Marc Bourgeois, who placed third in the Enduro Junior class on day one. Disappointingly for the CH Racing Husqvarna team Enduro 1 class rider Bartosz Oblucki was a non-starter in Spain due to the hand injury he sustained at the opening round of the championship in Sweden.

With conditions extremely dry and dusty at the GP of Spain Meo made just two mistakes on day one – both of which on the extreme test. Not letting his lack of experience hamper his performance Antoine showed as he did in both Sweden and Portugal that no matter what the terrain or conditions he has what it takes to finish on the Enduro 2 class podium. Putting in a solid opening lap on day one before losing time to his E2 class rivals on the second and third runs through the extreme test, Antoine ended the first day by topping the last special motocross test to claim an eventual runner-up result behind E2 world championship leader Johnny Aubert.

Confident that he could again finish on the podium on day two Meo placed a lowly 12th in class on the opening extreme test before bouncing back to finish second on test two. Failing to master the extreme test on day two just like on day one Antoine’s performances on the fast forest based enduro test and rutted and dusty motocross tests more than made up for his poor start to the day as he claimed a well deserved third place result finishing over one-minute ahead of the fourth placed rider. After three rounds of the ’08 WEC series, and having scored no points at the GP of Portugal, Antoine currently sits eighth in the Enduro 2 world championship standings.

In the Enduro 3 class Seb Guillaume finished in a solid third place on day one before falling to fifth on day two. Starting in the worst possible way on day one with 14th in class on the opening extreme test Seb fought back during the remaining nine special tests and despite a second mistake in the fourth and final extreme test claimed a deserved third place finish behind Samuli Aro and Christophe Nambotin. Again seeing his worst special tests performances come on the extreme test, and his best on the motocross and enduro tests, Seb placed fifth on day two. Were it not for his two costly mistakes on the extreme test Seb would likely have claimed a podium finish on day two, as he did on day one.

Finishing in third position in the Enduro Junior class on day one Marc Bourgeois performed well at the GP of Spain, despite narrowly missing out on a podium result on day two. Fast on all of the event’s three special tests Marc saw three crashes stop him from finishing as runner-up on day one as he missed the second step of the podium by less than three seconds. On day two Marc missed the podium by just five seconds and were it not for mistakes on four of the day’s special tests would likely have finished as runner-up.

Antoine Meo: “I’m really happy with my weekend. I hoped to take some good points so to finish on the podium on both days is great for me. I still have to do some work on my bike, to make it better, but I am pleased with my two podium results. I crashed five times on day one, twice in the same place on the extreme test, and one on the motocross and one on the enduro test. But I was able to come back strong during the end of the day. Day two was better because I didn’t make so many mistakes but I dropped one position to third. But two podium results is great.”

Seb Guillaume: “Day one was good but I made too many mistakes on the extreme test. On both days I had problems there and that stopped me finishing on the podium on day two. It was tough for me because I was riding well on the enduro and motocross tests, I just made too many mistakes on the extreme test. I’m pleased with third on day one but I wanted to finish on the podium on day two.”

Marc Bourgeois: “It’s not been a great weekend for me. On day one I wasn’t fast enough on the first and second laps. I didn’t make any real mistakes but I just wasn’t able to be as fast as I needed to be. The third lap wasn’t so bad but after two not so good laps it was impossible to try and win.

“Day two started really well but then I made a lot of crashes. I went from leading to finishing fourth. It’s not been a good weekend for me really, but my speed was good so I need to make fewer mistakes and I am confident that in Poland I can get a good result.”

MPS Racing Husqvarna
Top 10 E1 class finishes for Bolter at WEC GP of Spain

Husky Sport backed MPS Racing Husqvarna rider Daryl Bolter bounced back from crashing out of the second day at the WEC GP of Portugal to record two top 10 finishes in the Enduro 1 class at round three of the ’08 World Enduro Championship – the GP of Spain held in Sitges. Getting his ’08 WEC campaign off to a promising start with a ninth place finish on day one in Portugal, Bolter went one better on the opening day on Spain and claimed a well deserved eighth place result. On day two Daryl placed 10th, narrowly missing out on repeating his day one result. In the Enduro Junior class Si Wakely, who also performed well in Portugal one week ago, finished in a strong eighth position on day one before falling just three places to 11th on day two.

In complete contrast to the mud and rain faced by all competitors in Portugal the GP of Spain turned out to be one of the driest WEC races for many years. Featuring a seaside extreme test a fast enduro test and an extremely dusty motocross test the event offered fewer challenges than the Portuguese race staged in Vale de Cambra but was nevertheless a tough event.

Showing no ill effects of the heavy fall that put him out of the GP of Portugal just six days before the start of the Spanish event, Daryl Bolter overcame a steady start to not only finish as the highest placing British rider in the E1 class on day one but in a well deserved eighth position. Riding well on the motocross and enduro tests Daryl, like many riders, saw occasional mistakes on the extreme tests effect his results on day one. On day two Bolter again rode well despite the challenging conditions. Putting in a consistent opening lap the ’07 European Enduro Champion lost a handful of precious seconds to his E1 class rivals on each of the day’s enduro tests, which prevented him from repeating his day one result of eighth as he claimed an eventual 10th place result. Daryl currently lies 12th in the Enduro 1 championship standings.

After finishing in fifth and sixth positions in the Enduro Junior class at round two of the ’08 WEC series Si Wakely knew that it would be difficult to better his impressive Portuguese result. And with numerous fast Spaniards determined to perform well at their home round of the championship simply finishing inside the top 10 of the EJ class was going to be difficult. But on the opening day of the GP of Spain that’s what Wakely did as he placed his 450cc Husqvarna in eighth position. Despite getting the opening day off to a disappointing start following a mistake on the first extreme test, Si pulled himself back up the results only to fall again on the day’s final extreme test. On day two it was the dusty and rutted motocross test that proved hardest for Wakely as no matter what he tried he wasn’t quite able to find the few extra seconds he needed each lap to repeat his day one result. With eighth and 11th pace finishes in Spain Si now sits seventh in the Enduro Junior world championship standings.

Daryl Bolter: “It’s been a good weekend. It was a tough race, I found it really hard on my wrists. Some of the drops in the motocross test were pretty big, but you had to jump them to put in good times. It’s not been the best of events, the going wasn’t that interesting, but apart from that I’m well pleased with my results. I wasn’t fast enough on the enduro test and I was loosing about five or six seconds each lap, but I finished with two top 10 results so I’m happy.”

Si Wakely: “I had a really bad first lap on day one, which spoiled my result. I’m not sure why but I was a little slow on the first three tests. I got better on lap two and had a good enduro test but I still wasn’t riding as well I did in Portugal last weekend. Day two was the same really, I was just lacking a little bit of speed. I couldn’t figure out what was best on the motocross test. It was really rutted and had big dusty berms in every corner – I tried hitting the berms and I tried squaring all the corners off, but nothing I tried seemed to help me much. It’s been a frustrating weekend.”



BMW Motorrad Team
Mixed fortunes for BMW Motorrad Motorsport team at WEC GP of Spain

With conditions drier and dustier than at any World Enduro Championship race for many years the third round of the ’08 WEC series, the GP of Spain staged in Sitges, proved to be a challenging one for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team. Coming just one week after the GP of Portugal the third round of the championship saw enduro newcomer Simo Kirssi claim the team’s best result with an eight place finish in the Enduro 2 class on day one. Continuing to adapt quickly to the competitive WEC series Kirssi spent the first half of the second day running inside the top five of the E2 class showing good speed on the event’s technical extreme test and heavily rutted and dusty motocross test. Disappointingly for the Finn a heavy crash while en route to the enduro test put an end to his event as he badly damaged his bike and was unable to continue.

Aware that the dry Spanish conditions might not be to his liking seven-time world enduro champion Anders Eriksson was unable to place higher than 11th in the Enduro 3 class on day one. Despite recording some good times on the enduro special test Anders failed to gel with the extremely dusty motocross test, and as a result was unable to finish inside the top 10 of the E3 class. On day two Anders opted to try some different settings on his bike, but with the exception of some spirited extreme test performances again failed to perform at his best and dropped to 14th in class.

With Simo Kirssi placing eight in the Enduro 1 class on day one, Jeff Goblet finished four places behind in 12th having finished without problems. Finding the dry and dusty special tests challenging, Jeff made a disappointing early exit on day two following a mechanical problem in the extreme test.

In the enduro Junior class Bert Meyer finished his first ever Spanish enduro GP inside the top 10 having ridden consistently to finish ninth on day one. Despite taking a while to find his speed on day two Bert made light work of the challenging conditions but a mistake on the final special test of the event cost him valuable time and he placed 19th in class.

Round four of the ’08 World Enduro Championship takes place in Kwidzyn, Poland on June 14/15.

Simo Kirssi – Enduro 2 class: “I found the start of day one pretty tough, but as the day progressed things got better and better. I didn’t have any problems in the special tests but I just wasn’t riding as relaxed as I needed to be. I felt better towards the end of the day but I still felt that I could have ridden a little more aggressively. It was ok, but not quite as good as I hoped.
Day two started even worse than day one. I looked at the special tests on Saturday night but the lines I had hoped to use were impossible – they just didn’t work. On the second lap I used the lines everyone else was using and things were much better. The second lap went really well, I felt really good, but then I hit a stone in the course just before the enduro test and badly damaged my bike. That was the end of my day. It’s a disappointing end to the weekend but I felt that I rode well in some tests, so I’m pleased with that.”

Jeff Goblet – Enduro 2 class: “It’s been a disappointing weekend, that’s for sure. Day one wasn’t great for me – I’m still adjusting to being on a four-stroke, but I finished without problems. I had to stop very early on day two because I had a problem with my bike. It’s always disappointing to have mechanical problems but like several riders have found in the last two races it can and does happen. Now I’m just looking forward to the next round of the championship.”

Anders Eriksson – Enduro 3 class: “It’s not been a good weekend for me. I knew that the conditions wouldn’t suit me well and they didn’t. That added to a few problems made for a tough weekend. As I’ve said before we keep learning with the bike – this weekend things didn’t go as well planned but the important thing is that we learned from it. I had some problems on day two, which we were able to fix, but I took some penalty points. My results weren’t good at all but, well, I tried my hardest and things just didn’t go well. We have a break in the calendar now so we will do more testing and training and then it’s on to Poland, which I’m looking forward to.”

Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager: “I have mixed feelings about the weekend. We had some problems that we weren’t expecting and Simo, who was riding really well on day two, had bad luck. He hit a big stone during the time check before the enduro test and that put him out of the race. That was it for him.
Anders wasn’t able to get the times he hoped to get in the special tests on day one so tried a few different things with his bike on day two. Things didn’t really get better for him so it was a disappointing weekend for him. We now have a couple of weeks break before the next GP so we need to do a little more home work.”



Electraction TM UK
Encouraging WEC performances from TM UK’s Philip McLaughlin at GP of Spain

Despite his near complete lack of international enduro experience, and competing with a hand injury he picked up at the second round of the British Enduro Championship, Electraction TM UK rider Philip McLaughlin finished the third round of the ’08 World Enduro Championship, the GP of Spain staged in Sitges just 30 km south of Barcelona, with two point scoring results having placed in 14th and 13th positions in the Enduro Junior class. Disappointingly for the Electraction TM UK team a 17th place finish on day one by Enduro 3 class rider Euan McConnell was followed by a rare DNF on day two as the Scott badly damaged his front wheel during the day’s eighth special test.

In near complete contrast to the second round of the ’08 WEC series in Portugal conditions in Spain were extremely dry and dusty, which many riders struggled with following the muddy Portuguese event. Far from 100 per cent fit McLaughlin soldiered on throughout the Spanish event showing that despite still very much finding his feet during his first full season of enduro competition with a few more events under his belt it won’t be long before the young Irishman is challenging for top 10 EJ class results. Performing best on the event’s extreme test, on day one Philip failed to gel with the fast enduro test and dusty motocross test but on day two upped his pace on all three tests to place 13th.

For enduro 3 class riders Euan McConnell and Gordon Clarke the GP of Spain was a difficult one. Making the costly mistake of clocking in one minute early at the first time control on day one Euan never really felt at home in the dry conditions and could only manage a 17th place finish. Day two started better for McConnell with the Scott running just outside the top 10 but a heavy landing from one of the big downhill jumps on the motocross test damaged his front wheel, which forced him out of the event.

Finishing both days aboard his 300cc TM Euan’s Enduro 3 class team-mate Gordon Clarke placed 20th on day one and in 18th on day two.