Sunday
Under scorching sunshine and clear blue sky the final round of the Enduro World Championship came to pass at the GP of France in the cathedral town of Mende in central France. In weather conditions resembling a Spanish summer, the October heatwave resulted in blazing dust clouds that left riders battling both the elements and fatigue in a difficult end to a wonderful championship. With three timed special tests per lap and four laps to complete it would be a long and competitive day for most in the saddle.
Rodrig Thain has finally won one... Today he wins Enduro 1
E1
On Saturday we saw the second of our World Champions crowned when the legend that is Juha Salminen returned to the top step of the podium. With a comfortable 24-point advantage leading into this weekend’s GP, Salminen didn’t need to win but unfortunately for all his rivals winning is all the Finish rider knows. Taking defeat to his closest rival Eero Remes on the opening test, Salminen bounced back with a 14-second advantage in the following Cross Test and from there controlled the race to capture his eight individual enduro world title; easily cementing himself in history as the greatest enduro rider of all time. Eero Remes would fight with all his might but never made enough inroads into the Flying Finn and settled for second. Third on the day would go to a rejuvenated French man as he steered his Sherco to an incredible podium position. One maybe forgiven for thinking that Salminen may trail ride Sunday once his title was sealed but that’s not how he works. For the final race of the season he faced a new challenge. HM Honda’s Rodrig Thain had the bit between his teeth. Stretching out a lengthy lead by mid day Thain was on a roll and his first career win looked imminent. A crash would cost him 15-seconds on the Cross Test but he had enough in the bag to hold on and grab a triumphant win in front of his home fans. Juha almost came close enough to steal advantage but ended the day 16-seconds short. Eero Remes could only watch the front duo battle it out and finish the race third to ensure his second place in the overall E1 standings.
Juha Salminen kicks up the roost on his way to title number eight
KTM's Cristobal Guerrero flies high
E2
The E2 class should probably have only been about one man, and that man being the freshly crowned World Enduro 2 Champion Antoine Meo. The flamboyant Frechman may have won his title at the previous GP in Andorra but he really wanted nothing better than to end the final race of the year with a win in front on all his adoring fans. Yes, a victory on home turf for the final race of the year with Husqvarna would have been a perfect ending. But there is more than one Frenchman in the paddock and Husaberg’s Pierre Renet had his eyes set on victory too. With little to separate either party, both Renet and Meo swapped continuously positions throughout the day, with the day’s win only decided in the Extreme Test that ironically was built be Meo. After starting fast, KTM’s Cristobal Guerrero mid-day mistakes set him back to third.
Renet prevented the new champ Meo from grabbing a double win
Out to make amends Meo came out on Sunday firing on all cylinders. Today no one was going to beat him, no one was going to stop him from winning the final race of the year in front of his home fans. Six wins in 12 special tests and never falling lower than third fastest at any time throughout the day ensured the win and a perfect end to his season. Guerrero tried to match the Frenchman but was never quite close enough and settled for second and also runner up in the championship. Renet started fast but it ended early when he crashed out in the dusty Enduro Test. Ivan Cervantes capped off a fantastic end to the year with third overall.
2011 E3 Champion Mika Ahola
E3
It seems nobody has the measure of Mika Ahola. He’s turned into a winning machine and the combination of himself and Honda are practically unbeatable. On Saturday he settled the E3 championship to wrap up his fifth consecutive title campaign on the trot. With his nearest championship challenger Christophe Nambotin injured it seemed Mika had an easy ride to the title. With one eye on the title and the other on the win, Mika finished over 19-seconds ahead of Husqvarna’s Alex Salvini. Alex found some season ending pace to claim three test victories on his way to second, with Husaberg’s Marko Tarkkala third. Sunday would prove to be a carbon copy repeat of Saturday’s results with the same trio greeting each other for the second time on the evening’s podium. The only difference that came this today was Mika’s winning margin; 53-seconds.
Irishman Jordan Scott gave us something to cheer for with two visits to the podium
In the Junior class French man Jeremy Joly rode a nail biting finish to finally win his first world championship. The Manx duo of Alex Rockwell and Danny McCanney would finish 10th and 11th respectively on Day one while McCanney effectively double his pace on Sunday to claim fifth. Rockwell dropped one spot to 11th. Electraction TM’s Jordan Scott gave Ireland another reason to celebrate this weekend when he lifted his TM 125cc to third spot on the podium on Day One and then upped his game again to go one step higher on Sunday with second. Ludivine Puy gave Gas Gas another reason to celebrate when she claimed her second women’s world enduro championship.
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E1 Standings after Round 16
1, Juha Salminen, Finland, Husqvarna, 358 (champion) 2, Eero Remes, Finland, KTM, 329 3, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna, 308 4, Rodrig Thain, France, Honda, 288
5, Lorenzo Santolino, Spain, 237
Saturday
Many had written Juha Salminen off. They said his time had come and gone, that his record tally wouldn’t increase. Many felt that his E2 title loss with KTM in 2008 was as close to gold as the legend would get. Many more laughed when he moved to the ill-fated BMW project; but Juha said nothing instead he quietly went about his business doing his best with the tools he’d got, never losing fate in himself; always seeing the bigger picture. Today he’s proved that age is just a number, both talent and speed never fades. When armed with pedigree machinery he’s one of the fastest guys in the paddock. Today Juha silenced those that once laughed, today he is world champion.
With a 24-point advantage over his closest rival Eero Remes, Juha didn’t need to win, two solid results over the course of the weekend would lock down the title. Instead he wanted to win it in the way any champion would, locking it down with a win. Being bested by Remes on the opening test, Salminen posted a time 14-seconds faster than him in the following Cross Test and from there was never headed.
Juha Salminen is champion again
Five years, five years titles for Mika 'the Wolf" Ahola
There is a Finish feeling in the air. First Juha brings home the gold in E1 and now HM Honda’s Mika Ahola quickly follows. Mika is the power horse of the Enduro World Championship at the moment. The combination of himself and Honda are a deadly weapon. With four championships on the trot in both E1 and E2, Ahola has been a force to be reckoned with. Only one title had eluded him and it came for a class Honda didn’t have a bike to suit. Entering unknown territory, HM Honda built a big-bore bike to suit the E3 class rules and Mika’s needs. Eight rounds later they finish as champions and the streak continues. Mika may now have title number five but it brings with it the one he always wanted.
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Enduro World Championship France – Mende Day 1 E1 Results 1, Juha Salminen, Finland, Husqvarna 2, Eero Remes, Finland, KTM 3, Fabien Planet, France, Sherco 4, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna 5, Rodrig Thain, France, HM-HondaE2 Results 1, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, France, Husaberg
2, Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna 3, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, KTM 4, Ivan Cervantes, Spain, Gas-Gas 5, Antoine Basset, France, Yamaha E3 Results
1, Mika Ahola, Finland, HM-Honda 2, Alex Salvini, Italy, Husqvarna 3, Marko Tarkkala, Finland, Husaberg 4, Joakim Ljunggren, Sweden, Husaberg 5, Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas EJ Results
1, Romain Dumontier, France, Yamaha 2, Jeremy Joly, France, HM-Honda 3, Mathias Bellino, France, Husaberg 4, Mario Roman, Spain, KTM 5, Benoit Fortunato, France, Yamaha EW Results
1, Ludivine Puy, France, Gas-Gas 2, Laia Sanz, Spain, Honda 3, Jessica Jonsson, Sweden, Gas-Gas 4. Juliette Berrez, France, TM Youth Cup
1. Jonathan Manzi, Italy, KTM 2. Luis Oliveira, Portugal, Yamaha 3, Jordan Scott, Ireland, TM
Friday:
The Enduro World Championship has arrived in Mende, central France for the final stop of the series. Although it maybe be the beginning of October, you could have easily mistaken it for the height of summer as temperatures hit 30 degrees. The final round of the championship can mean only one thing; in 48 hours time we’ll know who our world champions will be. Of course we already know one king that’s been crowned as Husqvarna’s Antoine Meo wrapped up the E2 class last time out in Andorra. With the title now his, the French man can now relax and enjoy the ride but we’re sure Meo will still be out to impress his legion of adoring fans. Make no mistake, Meo is here to win.
Antonine Meo: “This will be a fun weekend for me. Although I have already won the championship, I’m still here to race for my fans and those who support me. I want to win for them and put on a show.”
Mika Ahola stands the best chance of taking over Knight's E3 crown
David Knight is back in the paddock. After a lengthy lay off to recover from his nasty and also complicated hip surgery, the reigning E3 World Champion is keen to ride with his number one plate for the final time of 2011. Unfortunately the chance to defend the title he earned in 2010 never materialised and he was forced to call time on his year. But now recovered and on the road to recovery, Knight has hit his target he set of returning to the final round of the championship here in France.
David Knight: “It feels good to be back in the paddock, I’ve missed being here! Once I decided to get the surgery done, my aim was to come back and race this round of the championship. I’m still a little sore and can feel it after walking the tests but I know from doing the British rounds my speed is still OK. It’d be nice to put it up on the podium for one day at least but mainly I’m here for bike time, to enjoy the race and give myself an indication of the preparation that I need to do for the winter months ahead”
It’s quite possible we will see our next champion crowned on Saturday. Juha Salminen stands on the verge of picking up twelfth world championship title (combining class and overall). An astonishing feat that may never possibly be beaten. Capturing the E1 title will surely be a momentous victory for the quiet reserved Finish man. Having spent the last couple of years in development with the now defunct BMW squad many had written off Juha. Tomorrow will be his chance to let them know that they spoke too soon!
With a 24-point advantage Juha may pick up the E1 title with a day to spare
Juha Salminen: “I don’t really have a game plan for tomorrow, I will try to ride at my best and see what happens. I have a strong 24-points advantage over second place so yes it is possible to win the title tomorrow but it’s also not necessary. If everything feels right I’ll push to win but if I feel it’s too risky then I don’t have to. It’s a good situtation to be in be for sure to win will be nice!”
Gordon Clarke will be spinning it up in E1
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Live Results: http://www.enduro-live.info/