— World Enduro 2013 – Round Three – Spain
— Phillips doubles in Spain
E1 Results
1, Antoine Meo, France, KTM 
2, Eero Remes, Finland, TM
3, Juha Salminen, Finland, Husqvarna
4, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, KTM
5, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna
E1 Standings after Round 6
1, Antoine Meo, 111
2, Juha Salminen, 90
3, Matti Seistola, 89
4, Eero Remes, 79
5, Thomas Oldrati, 64
E2 Results
1, Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM
2, Alex Salvini, Italy, HM-Honda
3, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, France, Husaberg
4, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM
5, Oriol Mena, Spain, Husaberg
E2 Standings after Round 6
1, Alex Salvini, 109
2, Ivan Cervantes, 100
3, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, 93
4, Johnny Aubert, 88
5, Victor Guerrero, 58
E3 Results
1, Christophe Nambotin, France, KTM
2, Joakim Ljunggren, Sweden, Husaberg
3, Aigar Leok, Estonia, TM
4, Mathias Bellino, France, Husaberg
5, Luis Correia, Portugal, Beta
E3 Standings after Round 6
1, Christophe Nambotin, 110
2, Joakim Ljunggren, 97
3, Aigar Leok, 87
4, Luis Correia, 72
5, Manuel Monni, 71
EJ Results
1, Matthew Philips, Australia, Husqvarna
2, Giacomo Redondi, Italy, KTM
3, Mario Roman, Spain, Husaberg
4, Daniel McCanney, Great Britain, Gas-Gas
5, Robert Kvarnstrom, Sweden, Beta
EJ Standings after Round 6
1, Matthew Philips, 103
2, Giacomo Redondi, 98
3, Daniel McCanney, 86
4, Mario Roman, 65
5, Robert Kvarnstrom, 62
Youth Cup
1, Jamie McCanney, Great Britain, Husaberg
2, Albin Elowson, Sweden, Husaberg
3, Dawid Ciucci, Italy, KTM
Youth Cup Standings after Round 6
1, Jamie McCanney, 114
2, Benjamin Herrera, 95
3, Albin Elowson, 76
EW Results of Round 2
1, Laia Sanz, Spain, KTM (weekend result 1-1)
2, Jessica Gardiner, Australia, Sherco
3, Jane Daniels, Great Britain, Husaberg
4, Juliette Berrez, France, Yamaha
5, Jemma Wilson, Australia, Honda
EW Standings after Round 2
1, Laia Sanz, 40
2, Jane Daniels, 32
3, Jessica Gardiner, 30
4, Juliette Berrez, 28
5, Audrey Rossat, 21
— Double Delight For Cervantes In Spain – Phillips doubles up
Home favourite Ivan CERVANTES (KTM) brought the Maxxis Enduro World Championship GP AMV Seguros of Spain to an exciting close with the Enduro 2 class victory on day two. France’s Antoine MEO (KTM) recovered strongly from his disappointment of day one to win the Enduro 1 category while his compatriot Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) secured his second win of the weekend in the Enduro 3 class. Adding extra spice to the GP of Spain in Puerto Lumbreras, Spain’s queen of enduro Laia SANZ (KTM) claimed her second victory in the Women’s Cup category.
Continuing from where he left off on day one, NAMBOTIN was again the rider to beat in E3. Fast, smooth and mistake free throughout the majority of the day, the Frenchman secured his second win of the weekend. “I’m so happy to have won both days here in Spain,” confirmed a pleased NAMBOTIN. “It was a tough race with nowhere to rest. I pushed hard in the morning and opened up a good lead that I was able to control until the end of the day. It’s been a fantastic weekend for me.” Behind him, Sweden’s Joakim LJUNGGREN (Husaberg) improved on his fourth pace result from day one to finish as the runner-up behind his French rival. Despite riding in severe discomfort due to his crash on day one, Estonia’s Aigar LEOK (TM) gritted his teeth to secure a well-earned third position. Recording his first top five result of the season, the 2012 Enduro Junior World Champion Mathias BELLINO (Husaberg) ended his day in fourth place. Portugal’s Luis CORREIA (Beta) capped of a strong showing in Spain to take his second fifth place result of the weekend.
In the Enduro 1 class, MEO bounced back from his fifth place result on day one to win day two. Topping the opening three special tests of the morning, the KTM rider then controlled his speed to claim his fifth win of the season. “Day one was tough – I crashed too many times,” commented MEO. “I needed to win day two and regain some of the points I lost. I pushed hard in the morning and then kept an eye on my times and rode safe to win.” Proving fast and consistent in the extremely dry and powdery terrain, Finland’s Eero REMES (TM) finished just 17 seconds behind MEO to secure the runner-up result and his second podium finish of the weekend. Struggling to find his rhythm in the difficult conditions Finland’s Juha SALMINEN (Husqvarna) ended his day in third position. Spain’s Cristobal GUERRERO (KTM) placed just three seconds behind Salminen to finish fourth while day one winner Finland’s Matti SEISTOLA (Husqvarna) completed
the top five.
Delivering another perfect day of riding, CERVANTES claimed his second win of the weekend in E2. Setting the fastest time on the first
extreme test, the Spaniard pushed hard in the extremely rutted special tests to hold off Italy’s Alex SALVINI (Honda) for the victory. “This has been an incredible weekend for me,” told a delighted CERVANTES. “I am ecstatic to have won both days in Spain. Winning day one gave me the belief that I could do it again – today I was not going to let anyone beat me.” Although setting the fastest time in the final enduro test, SALVINI was unable to close the gap to his KTM rival and had to be content with second place. Making amends for his mistake on day one, France’s Pela RENET (Husaberg) ended his day just six seconds behind SALVINI to secure the third step of the podium. France’s Johnny AUBERT (KTM) placed fourth with Spain’s Oriol MENA (Husaberg) rounding out the top five.
In the Enduro Junior class Australia’s Matt PHILLIPS (Husqvarna) fended off a final lap charge from Italy’s Giacomo REDONDI (KTM) to take his second win of the weekend. With Redondi finishing as runner-up to Phillips, Spain’s Mario ROMAN (Husaberg) ended his day just three seconds behind the Italian in third. Manxman Danny MCCANNEY (Gas Gas) was fourth with Sweden’s Robert KVARNSTROM (Beta) completing the top five. In the Enduro Youth Cup Manxman Jamie MCCANNEY (Husaberg) topped seven of the day’s 12 special tests to win day two. Sweden’s Albin ELOWSON (Husaberg) finished in second position with Italy’s Dawid CIUCCI (KTM) rounding out the top three.
Taking her second win of the weekend, Laia SANZ (KTM) comfortably topped the Women’s Cup class. Australia’s Jessica GARDINER (Sherco) capitalised on a crash by Britain’s Jane DANIELS (Husaberg) on the final enduro test to finish second. With Daniels third, France’s Juliette BERREZ (Yamaha) finished fourth while Australia’s Jemma WILSON (Honda) rounded out the top five.
The Maxxis Enduro World Championship continues with the GP Cross Pro of Portugal in Torres Vedras on May 18/19.
— Cervantes Takes Home Win On Day One In Spain – Phillips wins EJ
Ivan CERVANTES (KTM) secured his first win of the 2013 Maxxis Enduro World Championship with victory in the Enduro 2 class on day one at the GP AMV Seguros of Spain in Puerto Lumbreras.
Husqvarna’s Matti SEISTOLA was the surprise winner in the Enduro 1 class while KTM’s Christophe NAMBOTIN recorded his third win of the year in the Enduro 3 category. Matt PHILLIPS (Husqvarna) claimed his second win of the season in the Enduro Junior class while Spain’s Laia SANZ (KTM) won the opening round of the Women’s Cup championship.
Hot sunny weather combined with hard, rocky and dusty terrain ensured a tough start to the third round of the Enduro World Championship in Spain. Proving the most critical special test of the day, the Extreme Test caught numerous riders off guard as the steep uphill climb stopped many riders in their tracks.
In the Enduro 3 category KTM’s Christophe NAMBOTIN enjoyed a mistake free day to claim victory on day one. Despite suffering discomfort from his recently broken finger, the Frenchman marched ahead to a 44-second margin of victory. “I really enjoyed today,” confirmed NAMBOTIN. “The climbs on the extreme test were becoming increasingly difficult so I just tried to ride within my limit and make no mistakes. It’s great to have won.” Behind the KTM rider the battle for the runner-up position was fought out between Italy’s Manuel MONNI (KTM), Estonia’s Aigar LEOK (TM) and Sweden’s Joakim LJUNGGREN (Husaberg). Gaining the upper hand on his rivals, MONNI secured the second position to claim his best ever rest in EWC competition. Although crashing midway through the event, LEOK fought his way to the finish and ended his day on the podium with third place. With LJUNGGREN forced to settle for fourth position, Portugal’s Luis CORREIA (Beta) placed just two seconds behind the Husaberg rider to complete the top five.
In the Enduro 1 class it was SEISTOLA that secured an upset win. Capitalising on early mistakes by his teammate Juha SALMINEN and France’s Antoine MEO (KTM), the Finn held off Eero REMES (TM) to secure his first race win since 2011. “I’m so happy to have won – it’s amazing,” told SEISTOLA. “When Meo and Salminen made mistakes early on I did my best to capitalise on it. I fought my way into the lead and just tried to ride as hard as I could without crashing. It’s been a brilliant day.” Although leading midway through the day, REMES was unable to hold off the attack from SEISTOLA and slipped back to second position. Placing less than two seconds behind REMES in third position, Spain’s Cristobal GUERRERO (KTM) proved that he’s fully recovered from his shoulder injury that plagued him during the opening rounds of the season in South America. Unable to recover from his mistakes on lap one, SALMINEN ended his day in fourth. Crashing heavily on the opening enduro test MEO worked hard to recover from his mistake to end his day in fifth.
In the Enduro 2 category it was the turn of Ivan CERVANTES to top the podium. Feeling confident in the terrain and with the support of his home crowd behind him, the Spaniard took a well-deserved victory.“It was a tough day,” commented CERVANTES. “Many riders made a lot of mistakes but I was lucky not to. I rode within my limits and thankfully was able to win. It’s brilliant to have won in Spain and I want to thank KTM for their faith in me this season. Hopefully there will be more to come.” Although leading early on, Italy’s Alex SALVINI (Honda) got caught out on some of the tricky climbs. Losing time to the charging CERVANTES, he placed as runner-up to the Spaniard. Struggling to find his rhythm during the opening lap, France’s Johnny AUBERT (KTM) slowly worked his way into contention. Benefitting from a serious mistake by Pela RENET (Husaberg) on the final lap, AUBERT finished in third place. For RENET, day one in Spain ended in disaster. Getting stuck on the fourth and final extreme test, the Frenchman was forced to take a second attempt at the uphill climb. Losing over 50 seconds in the process, RENET fell back to fourth position. Spain’s Oriol MENA (Husaberg) rounded out the top five.
In the Enduro Junior class, Australia’s Matt PHILLIPS (Husqvarna) secured his second victory of the season. Leading the way during the majority of the day, PHILLIPS claimed a comfortable 27-second margin of victory. Despite crashing in the final test of the day, Spain’s Mario ROMAN (Husaberg) ended his day as runner-up to PHILLIPS with Italy’s Giacomo REDONDI (KTM) placing third overall. Britain’s Danny MCCANNEY (Gas Gas) was fourth with Italy’s Nicolo MORI (Beta) completing the top five. In the Enduro Youth Cup class, Manxman Jamie MCCANNEY (Husaberg) recorded his third win of the season with victory on day one in Spain. Sweden’s Albin ELOWSON (Husaberg) was second with Italy’s Matteo BRESOLIN (KTM) rounding out the top three.
Spain’s Laia SANZ (KTM) ensured a winning start to her defence of the Women’s Cup championship with victory on day one. Behind her Britain’s Jane DANIELS (Husaberg) held off France’s Juliette BERREZ (Yamaha) to claim second position. Australia’s Jessica GARDINER (Sherco) ended her day in fourth. France’s Audrey ROSSAT (KTM) rounded out the top five.
– KTM Report
KTM Factory riders Ivan Cervantes and Christophe Nambotin both picked up double victories at Puerto Lumbreras in Spain this weekend when the 2013 Enduro World Championship resumed here in southeast Spain for rounds five and six of the GP of Spain.
Enjoying riding in front of his home fans, Cervantes celebrated his return to the KTM Factory Team with two wins in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class and Nambotin continued the form he found in 2012 to be the dominant rider in E3.
On Sunday Antoine Meo re-established his dominance in the E1 class after a crash on Saturday saw him finish fifth. Although he reported some pain in his leg after Saturday’s crash, he showed no signs of discomfort on Sunday, winning four of the 12 tests and never finishing lower than second place. It was also a good weekend for Cristobal Guerrero of Spain who started the season in the four rounds in South America still hampered by the after effects of shoulder surgery. He was fast enough on Saturday to take the third place and on Sunday finished a creditable fourth.
Johnny Aubert also had a strong 3-4 result in the E2 over the hard, rocky and dusty terrain, even though he is often more at home on the grassy slopes of France.
But Cervantes was clearly in his element riding in the hot dusty terrain and got ample encouragement from the Spanish fans. On Saturday he won four tests and six on Sunday and now trails the class leader Alex Salvini by just nine points after six rounds. The two wins were the first of the season for the KTM renaissance rider, happy to be back in the KTM kit.
After Saturday’s race Cervantes underlined that the E2 class is one of the most competitive in the current season. “After seven hours on the bike there are three or four riders within a few seconds of each other. That’s not only physically exhausting; it’s also mentally draining,” he said.
The normally omnipresent Antoine Meo was the unluckiest of the KTM factory riders on Saturday. He crashed hard in the opening Enduro test after colliding with a big stone going into a fast right hand corner. The impact winded the French rider and the crash cost him valuable time and bent his handlebars but when Meo hit the track on Sunday there were no visible signs of this setback as he went on to dominate the class.
Spain’s Laia Sanz was also in good form after making the switch this year to a KTM. She secured a 1-1 result in the two opening rounds of the Women’s 2013 Championship.
Summing up the weekend, factory team boss Fabio Farioli said he was very happy with his riders. “Cervantes had a great result this weekend, Antoine came strong on Sunday after his crash and Nambotin was very fast, especially on Sunday. It was a good result for Aubert to finish 3-4 in the competitive E2 class and it was a very strong performance from Guerrero. This was a very physical race and I didn’t expect him to be so competitive this quickly after his shoulder injury. This would have been a very tough race for him.”
The KTM Enduro Factory Team race again next weekend in Portugal for Rounds 7 & 8.
– Husky Report
Enduro 1 class rider Matti Seistola and Enduro Junior rookie Matt Phillips ensured a highly successful GP of Spain for the Husqvarna Factory Team by CH Racing as both riders enjoyed victory at the GP of Spain, 2013 Enduro World Championship. For Seistola a winning ride on day one saw the Finn return to the top step of an EWC podium for the first time since 2011. For Phillips a double class win put the young Australian into the lead of the Enduro Junior World Championship.
Marking the first of five Enduro World Championship events taking place in Europe the GP of Spain was for many one of the toughest EWC races for many years. With the extremely dry ground in and around Puerto Lumbreras quickly becoming heavily rutted, the incredibly fine, lose dust proved to be increasingly unpredictable, something that saw mistakes from riders in all classes.
For Seistola day one went extremely well. Taking advantage of early mistake by Frenchman Antoine Meo and team-mate Juha Salminen, Matti took the class lead and looked set to claim the win. But a costly mistake mid-way through the day pushed the Finn from the top spot. Through determined riding Matti re-took the lead and held on for a well-deserved win.
With things very much going Seistola’s way on day one, for Juha Salminen it was a very different story. Despite riding well, a costly mistake on the opening special test forced him to play catch up throughout the day, claiming an eventual fourth place result. Eventually only 11 seconds behind Seistola, Juha placed one position ahead of his championship rival Antoine Meo.
Day two saw a reverse of fortunes for Seistola and Salminen. Day one winner Matti made two costly errors on the second lap, which effectively eliminated him from the battle for the podium positions. Eventually placing fifth Seistola finished two places behind Salminen, who placed third. Joining Meo and Eero Remes on the podium, Juha, like many riders, was pleased to see the end of what was a demanding event.
For Matt Phillips the GP of Spain ended in the best possible way with winning rides in the Enduro Junior class on both days. Finding the event extremely difficult, and despite making some big mistakes on day one, Matt gave his all and topped day one by an eventual 27 seconds before winning day two by seven seconds.
Winning the opening four tests in the EJ class on day one set Phillips up perfectly for what would become his second ever EWC win. But despite his sizeable eventual winning margin it was anything but an ‘easy’ win for the youngster. A mistake on the final extreme test ensured everything was to play for on the day’s last enduro test. Putting in a mistake free ride Matt claimed a deserved win.
Locked in a three-way battle throughout the second day with Italian Giacomo Redondi and Spaniard Mario Roman, Phillips kept his cool and delivered solid performances on each of the day’s 12 special tests. Starting strongly and remaining largely mistake free, in winning the day Matt moved himself to the top of the EJ championship standings.
In the Enduro 2 class Lorenzo Santolino endured a tough home GP. Placing eighth on day one Santolino improved one position to seventh on day two, but like many found it hard to master the unpredictable Spanish terrain.
Juha Salminen (Enduro 1 – TE 250 R): “It’s certainly not been an easy race. The conditions made it tough on everyone, and it wasn’t one of my favourite races. The ground was so dry that the tests were really unpredictable – things just didn’t go as smoothly as they should have done for me. But I got a podium result on day two, so I’m pleased with that. I made a lot of mistakes during the first day, and that stopped me from finishing higher than fourth. I had some good tests, but I just couldn’t find the perfect rhythm in the soft, dust. I was riding well, but the few mistakes that I made cost me a lot of time. It was great that Matti was able to win on day one, so all in all it’s not been too bad for us. Considering I’m not a big fan of the conditions I’m happy.”
Matti Seistola (Enduro 1 – TE 250 R): “It was a tough, tough race but apart from some mistakes things have been good. The first day was great. To win for the first time since 2011 was amazing. The whole team has been working really hard since the races in South America, so it was great to stand on top of the podium. I made one mistake on day one but I was able to come back from it to get the win. I felt like I was riding ok on the second day but I wasn’t able to go any faster. On the second lap I crashed on the extreme and motocross tests and that was hard to recover from. The competition was really tight between myself and Eero Remes, Juha Salminen, and Cristobal Guerrero and after I made the mistakes I wasn’t able to fight with them any more. It was disappointing because without those two mistakes I could have been on the podium again.”
Matt Phillips (Enduro Junior – TE 310 R): “It feels so good to have won both days here in Spain. I spent some good timetraining with Matti Seistola before the race, and I was feeling confident. I knew what to expect from the race and the other guys in my class, but the conditions were tough. I’d say it was one of the hardest events I’ve ever raced, but to get two wins is amazing. The team did so much to help me this weekend, they really pushed me all the way to the end of the second day. I think I made as many mistakes as the other guys in my class but I just kept pushing and pushing and things worked out great.”
Lorenzo Santolino (Enduro 2 – TE 310 R): “It’s not been the best race for me. I worked hard with the team before the race and was feeling good before the start, but it was so hard for me to find my confidence with the terrain. It was so difficult, and so easy to make mistakes. I pushed as hard as I could during both days and felt better towards the end of the second day, but it was a hard race.”
