The opening rounds of the FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship took place inside the Fiera di Genoa stadium in Italy last weekend, where a claimed 7000 spectators flocked to see what proved to be a thrilling night of racing.
Finland’s Mika Ahola opened the series by taking a surprise lead in the Indoor Enduro World Championship standings following an action- and incident-packed night in Genoa. Using the event simply to try out the oversized Honda 450 he’ll race in the Enduro 3 class in next year’s Enduro World Championship, Mika ended the night as the overall winner having claimed one of the three final wins.Joakim Llunggren, Mika Ahola and Taddy Blazusiak celebrate on the Genova podium.
With expected front-runners Ivan Cervantes and Antoine Meo both failing to make it through into the finals, it was Joakim Ljunggren who struck first, as he took a start-to-finish win aboard his Husaberg. Fending off early pressure from AMA Endurocross Champion Taddy Blazusiak, and Ahola, Joakim remained calm and opened up a commanding lead. Behind him Taddy crashed heavily over a triple jump, almost putting himself out of the event.
Dropping back to just inside the top 10, it seemed as if Blazusiak had ended any hopes of a potential end-of-night podium result. With a badly bent bike, he battled his way through the final two laps of the race to salvage ninth. At the head of the field, Ljunggren claimed a deserved win and was followed home by Ahola, Thomas Oldrati, Matti Seistola and Graham Jarvis.
The second final saw Ahola shine, as he managed to keep himself out of trouble. Once again, it was Blazusiak who made a mess of things, as a fall ended his hopes of challenging for the win.
With Mika steadily working his way towards the checkered flag, Taddy managed to get himself back into the runner-up position, while Ljunggren placed third and Thomas Oldrati fourth.
With everything to play for between Ahola and Ljunggren in the third and last final, both riders knew they stood a chance of claiming the overall event win. But neither rider managed to claim a second win, as Blazusiak finally put everything together to claim a race win, leading from the first corner until the last.
Behind Blazusiak, home favorite Oldrati had his best ride of the night to claim the runner-up spot, while it was Ahola, who placed third, doing enough to claim the overall win. Just one spot ahead of Ljunggren, Ahola’s result ensured he delivered a result that surprised even the likeable Finn.
Husaberg’s All Two-Stroke AssaultJoakim Llunggren led an all two-stroke Husaberg assault.
With no fewer than half a dozen riders trying to qualify for the finals Husaberg was well represented in Genoa. But instead of its riders being mounted on 390cc four-stroke machines as they have been in the past, all were competing on two-strokes.
With no Husaberg four -strokes competing in the event, it was Swede Joakim Ljunggren who delivered the best results for the Swedish/Austrian brand.
“My bike was great,” enthused the EWC regular. “I’ve only spent about 20 hours on the bike after nine years of racing four-strokes and I’m really enjoying it. The 300 is closer to four-stroke power because it has a strong bottom-end, so the biggest difference for me is the weight. It’s just so easy to ride.”
Brit Graham Jarvis used the Genoa event to make his indoor debut on a ‘Berg and was equally as pleased with being on a two-stroke.
“It’s definitely easier than being on a four-stroke,” explained Graham. “Not everywhere but in most places. I’m still getting used to the two-stroke, but it’s definitely easy to ride. With a little more time on the bike I think I can be faster at the next round of the championship.”
Pain In The Back
One rider hoping to put on a good show in Genoa was Spaniard Ivan Cervantes. Making his debut ride for Gas Gas after many, many years with KTM, all eyes were on the former Enduro World Champion, as he took to the track on his 250cc two-stroke for the first practice session.
But after just two laps, Ivan’s event was over, as crippling back pain resulted in him being taken straight to hospital. Ivan did not crash but somehow managed to aggravate his lower back when he jumped into the water section a little too quickly and slammed his front wheel into a log.
Initially managing to continue, Ivan stopped a short while later, laid on the ground for a while before realizing that his injury was serious, and walked off the track. Cervantes returned to the arena shortly before the third and last enduro final after having spent several hours in the hospital. Clearly disappointed and in pain, Cervantes said simply, “Nothing is broken, which is good, but I won’t know more until I return to Spain. Something in my lower back is giving me a lot of pain and I can’t really move too much.”
Mika’s Surprise WinMika Ahola
Mika Ahola is without question one of the most experienced indoor enduro racers, but also a rider that blows a little hot and cold when it comes to delivering noteworthy results. But this year in Genoa, Mika got everything right and delivered both the speed and consistency to claim an early lead in the IEWC series.
Competing on the oversized 480cc Honda that he will race in the Enduro 3 class in the Enduro World Championship in ’11, Mika was under no illusions that his choice of machinery was less than ideal for indoor enduro racing, yet he still managed to win one of the three finals and take the overall win.
“Riding a 450cc motocross bike with a little extra power isn’t really perfect for indoor racing, but I think it actually helped me tonight,” explained the Finn. “Taddy was fit and really ready for the racing and on a bike that he could ride hard, but he rode too hard. I had no choice but to stay smooth and be as gentle as possible. There’s no way I could have pushed hard, so I didn’t. I took my time, tried not to make any mistakes, and it worked out perfectly. But I’m not planning on racing the full series, the only other event I’ll do will be Barcelona.”
Rough Start For TaddyTaddy Blazusiak came away with one win.
Securing the US AMA Endurocross title the week before the opening round of the Indoor Enduro World Championship, and as the defending IEWC Champion, Taddy Blazusiak was the rider most were expecting to claim the win. And during the two practice sessions it was clear that he was certainly among the fastest riders on track.
One of only two riders to attempt a triple jump during practice – the other being Antoine Meo who came up short and then decided better of it – Taddy was the only rider to do the jump during the races. But while he probably saved around one-second each lap doing the jump during the opening final he came up short and hit the ground – hard.
Already some way down the order following an initial crash, Taddy’s get-off over the triple resulted in the Pole re-injuring his shoulder and badly bending his handlebars. He managed to continue and finish ninth, but he severely detuned himself for the rest of the night.
“I lost a little traction on the take off and didn’t get the drive I needed,” explained Blazusiak. “I thought I’d be okay, but I got slammed into the ground and onto my bad shoulder. The worst thing was that I could hardly ride my bike because it was so twisted. But during the second and last finals I struggled with my shoulder.”
Results
Final 1
1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 8.02:783; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 8.06:450; 3. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 8.24:694; 4. Matti Seistola (Husqvarna) 8.28:852; 5. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 8.29:584; 6. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 8.33:813; 7. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 8.37:672; 8. Jeremy Joly (Honda) 8.38:881; 9. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 8.43:001; 10. Dani Gibert (Sherco) 8.44:812; 11. Fabrizio Dini (Beta) 8.47:063; 12. Cody Webb (Beta) 8.57:705; 13. Xavi Galindo (Husaberg) 9.05:600; 14. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 9.15:195
Final 2
1. Mika Ahola (Honda) 8.10:974; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 8.18:836; 3. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 8.22:263; 4. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 8.22:786; 5. Jeremy Joly (Honda) 8.25:082; 6. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 8.25:865; 7. Dani Gibert (Sherco) 8.29:543; 8. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 8.33:371; 9. Cody Webb (Beta) 8.52:715; 10. Fabrizio Dini (Beta) 8.55:874; 11. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 9.07:325; 12. Matti Seistola (Husqvarna) 9.08:968; 13. Xavi Galindo (Husaberg) 8.14:532; 14. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 8.30:620
Final 3
1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 8.06:527; 2. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 8.11:316; 3. Mika Ahola (Honda) 8.17:486; 4. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 8.20:406; 5. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 8.22:009; 6. Aldredo Gomez (Husaberg) 8.27:872; 7. Cody Webb (Beta) 8.35:107; 8. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 8.35:433; 9. Dani Gibert (Sherco) 8.44:359; 10. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 8.51:016; 11. Xavi Galindo (Husaberg) 8.08:262; 12. Matti Seistola (Husqvarna) 8.56:745; 13. Fabrizio Dini (Beta) 8.29:294
Championship standings – 2011 Indoor Enduro World Championship, standings after one round:
1. Mika Ahola (Honda) 51 points; 2. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 45; 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 43; 4. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 42; 5. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 29; 6. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 25; 7. Dani Gibert (Sherco) 19; 8. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 19; 9. Jeremy Joly (Honda) 18; 10. Matti Seistola (Husqvarna) 17; 11. Cody Webb (Beta) 17; 12. Fabrizio Dini (Beta) 11; 13. Xavi Galindo (Husaberg) 8; 14. Fabien Planet (Sherco)
