SuperEnduroGP
As runner-up at the opening round of the series in Poland last December, defending world champion Cody Webb was determined to turn the tables on his KTM teammate Blazusiak in Riesa. A venue he has made his own in recent years, Webb immediately got to grips with the fast and flowing track, setting the second fastest time in SuperPole.
Despite a mid-pack start in race one, KTM 350 EXC-F mounted Webb was quick to carve his way through the field and work his way up to the wheel tracks of leader Blazusiak. Making a break for the lead, he put his KTM out front and claimed a well-deserved win. Making the best of the reversed start order in race two, Webb wasted no time in reaching the front. Building a comfortable advantage he claimed a commanding 19-second victory. Aiming for a hat trick of race wins, the American’s hopes of a clean sweep unfortunately didn’t materialise in race three.
A couple of early mistakes left Webb playing catch up, finishing an eventual third. But with enough in hand thanks to his two earlier race wins, Webb topped the overall podium and with it becomes the new leader of the 2019 SuperEnduro series.
Cody Webb
“It feels awesome to come away with the victory here in Germany, as well as the points lead in the championship. I think this is my third win here in Riesa, so I seem to have a good feeling with this place. Overall, it’s been a good night. I got off to a good start with a win in the first race. My start wasn’t the best but I had some good lines and was able to close the gap to Taddy and then take the win. Race two is always a little tricky with the reversed start order but I managed to find a bit of space and find a way through. I had a few mistakes in the final race and just lost my momentum a little. But third was enough to take the top step of the overall podium. With round three in Madrid just a couple of weeks away it feels good to have the series lead.”
Following his winning performance at the opening round of the championship in Poland, Taddy Blazusiak entered Riesa aiming to keep that momentum rolling. Feeling confident in practice, he lined up for the opening race eager to put his KTM out front. However, following a crash from Alfredo Gomez, which resulted in a restart, he became unnerved by the incident and lost his rhythm and feeling with the track.
Nevertheless a 2-3 scorecard in the first two races kept him in the hunt for the overall podium entering race three. Feeling more settled, Blazusiak regrouped in style to secure an almost start-to-finish win, ultimately ending his night as runner-up to Webb.
Taddy Blazusiak
“It was a bit of tough night for me but we managed to turn things around for second overall. I felt great in practice and gelled very quickly with the track. However, when Alfredo Gomez crashed during the start of race one it unnerved me a little, I didn’t feel how I felt in practice. I was making mistakes in the restart and couldn’t shake them off. Race two was a similar story, too. I felt more myself in the final race and rode like I should have done all night there to win the moto. Unfortunately, we lost the series lead tonight but only by a few points. We’ve got round three in just a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to making amends there. Finally, I’d just like to wish Alfredo a speedy recovery.”
Colton Haaker maintained his top three position following his third-place overall result in Germany. Despite an eventful night of racing, Haaker managed to finish top three in each of the night’s three races, while also setting the fastest time in the SuperPole hot lap.
Earning a third-place overall result at the championship opener in Poland last December, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider was eager to improve in Germany. Quickly figuring out the fast and technical course, the AMA EnduroCross Champion fired a warning shot to his rivals early in the night by recording the fastest time in the SuperPole Hot Lap qualifying.
However, becoming involved in a start crash in race one, which included teammate Alfredo Gomez, the incident played on Haaker’s mind and resulted in some uncharacteristic mistakes from the two-time world champion. Numerous errors during each of the three motos saw him forced to play catch up. Third in race one, he then improved to secure a pair of second place finishes, but ultimately missed the overall runner-up result by just one point.
Colton Haaker
“It’s been a strange night for me in Riesa and one where I felt things just didn’t go my way. It wasn’t that I was riding bad, it just wasn’t coming together for me throughout the night. There were a couple of sections on the track that I wasn’t strong enough in and no matter how I changed things up, it didn’t click. I had position in race three but didn’t manage to push for the race win. Overall, despite feeling things could have been better, a 3-2-2 scorecard, plus the SuperPole, is still a good night. We’ve Madrid in two weeks and it’s a venue where I won my first world title so I’m looking forward to returning there and improving on where I’m at. Finally, I want to pass on my best wishes to Alfredo Gomez following his crash tonight. It’s tough to see anyone go down but when it’s your teammate, it makes it that bit worse. I hope to see him back on track as soon as possible.”
Alfredo Gomez’ night had come to an unfortunate end in race one. Involved in a freak start straight incident, the Husqvarna rider suffered an injury to his left elbow and took no further part in the proceedings.
2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship
Round 2 Results
Prestige Class — Overall
- Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 57 points
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 53 pts
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 52 pts
- Cristobal Guerrero (ESP), Yamaha, 35 pts
- Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 33 pts
Prestige Race 1
- Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:46.552
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:50.994 +4.442
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 7:23.168 +36.616
- Kevin Gallas (GER), Husqvarna, 7:05.780 +1 lap
- Cristobal Guerrero (ESP), Yamaha, 7:10.590 +1 lap
Prestige Race 2
- Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:50.910
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 7:10.051 +19.141
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 7:13.609 +22.699
- Cristobal Guerrero (ESP), Yamaha, 6:51.752 +1 lap
- Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:13.480 +1 lap
Prestige Race 3
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 7:35.335
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 7:58.051 +22.716
- Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 8:04.231 +28.896
- Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 8:22.017 +1 lap
- Cristobal Guerrero (ESP), Yamaha, 7:39.342 +2 laps
Championship Standings
(After round 2)
- Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 109 points
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 107 pts
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 101 pts
- Kevin Gallas (GER), Husqvarna, 58 pts
- Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 56 pts
The 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round three in Madrid, Spain on January 26.
