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After 4 days of heavy rain in the south of Spain, the opening round of the World Enduro Championships looked sure to be a repeat of the washout event in Portugal last year. The race was held in Valverde Del Camino, 1 hour north of Seville.
The organizers were surprised by the downpour just days before the event as they had dry conditions over the previous months. On Saturday, the rain eased which was a small consolation for the riders who had to make it through the almost impossible track. The mud was very slippery and the ground was soft, which quickly separated into deep ruts wherever the riders rode.
Despite the difficult conditions, Eriksson was able to show why he was worthy of last year’s title by winning the first day convincingly from his close rival, Mika Ahola. He lead the second day until the final special, when Ahola produced a very fast time to win the day by a fraction. Husqvarna’s fastest rider for the weekend was Samuli Aro on his WR250. Aro fought a difficult battle with Manx rider, David Knight. The two riders set the fastest times of the day and competed closely on all tests. Knight was victorious over Aro at the end of the two days, showing his preference for the wet, deep-rutted conditions.
The much-hyped challenge between Husqvarna’s Merriman and KTM’s Salminen wasn’t contested in the first round as Merriman found the wet conditions to difficult to push at his usual speed. The Nordic weather put the ball in Salminen’s court and he won both days over Merriman, who finished second in the 400cc 4 stroke class. Husqvarna’s newest addition to their enduro team is Paul Edmondson on the TE 250 4 stroke. The man they call ‘Fast Eddy’ finished second to Swedish rider, Bergvall on both days in the Spanish round, but looks sure to threaten the lead throughout the season. Edmondson has previously won 4 world titles and returns to race the World Enduro Championships after racing the prestigious GNCC series in the USA.
As a new rider to the World Enduro Championships this year, FIM rule changes meant that the Husqvarna rider was forced to start at the back of the pack. Despite this disadvantage in the quickly deteriorating conditions, his results were commendable. The TE250 made it on to the podium twice on the second day, with Polish rider, Bartoz Oblucki finishing third in the class. Husqvarna’s 125 World Champion, Petteri Silvan continued to lead his class again this year winning the first day and placing fourth on Sunday. Now we look to the next round in Olivera do Hospital, Portugal .
Stefan Merriman (Husqvarna) was second on both days in the 400 Four Stroke class
Day One:
Scratch
1. David Knight (Yamaha) 250 Two Stroke
2. Samuli Aro (Husqvarna) 250 Two Stroke
3. Juha Salminen (KTM) 400 Four Stroke
4. Anders Eriksson (Husqvarna) 500 Four Stroke
Day Two:
Scratch
1. Juha Salminen (KTM) 400 Four Stroke
2. David Knight (Yamaha) 250 Two Stroke
3. Samuli Aro (Husqvarna) 250 Two Stroke
