KTM’s Kurt Caselli traveled to Europe to compete in a few rounds of the World Enduro Championship Series and did quite well in his debut in the Czech Republic, July 2-3.
Riding in the Enduro 2 division (250cc two-stroke/450cc four-stroke) on a 250 EXC KTM, Caselli finished ninth in class, which was won by Finland’s Samuli Aro. Second place went to Australian Stefan Merriman. Caselli finished out the rainy and muddy day just over a minute behind Aro.
Day two, Caselli improved on his results significantly, finishing on the podium with a third in class behind, again, KTM’s Aro and Yamaha’s Merriman. This time, Caselli finished just 30 seconds behind Aro and just nine seconds behind Merriman. Caselli was actually leading Merriman going into the final special test of the day before, “I blew it,” he said.
“I crashed a lot and made a load of mistakes on day one,” Caselli said. “I’m not used to racing in the mud so much, so I learned a lot from it.
“I felt a lot better on day two than I did on day one. I had some good test times early on and that helped set me up for the day. I just tried to stay consistent and I didn’t crash at all, which made a big difference. They made the day longer, and the conditions dried out, so I was able to do a lot better. I struggled in the mud on day one, so I was happy that it dried out on Sunday. The organizers did a great job of the course, and the tests were pretty neat as well.”
Caselli’s impressive ride did not go by unnoticed, as he was given the Hebo Helmets Rookie Challenge Award following the event.
“The race was pretty much as I expected,” he said. “I expected to get my butt kicked and, on the first day, I did. I thought that the trail would be a little harder than it was, but I guess it was a little easier than normal for all the riders. I’ve really enjoyed myself and I’m really glad that I decided to race in Europe.”
Caselli plans on riding the Husqvarna Forest European Enduro Championship, the third round of the European Enduro Series, in Wales, July 16-17, and he will cap off his European tour at the French round of the World Enduro Championship Series, July 25-26.
