2006 FIM WORLD ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP
18 July 2006 - KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG

Rnd 5 Grand Prix of Canada (Parry Sound) – day 2 (17.07.2006)

KTM Enduro Factory Team Farioli riders backed up their impressive day one results at the GP of Canada with more strong performances on day two. Having dominated the event on day one topping the E1, E2 and E3 classes on day two team riders Samuli Aro and David Knight again claimed class victory with E1 championship leader Ivan Cervantes placing second. All three riders continue to lead their respective world championship classes.

With Ivan Cervantes having had to work hard to top the Enduro 1 class on the opening day of the event, on day two he found himself placing second after struggling to master the demanding enduro test. Making just a handful of mistakes during the second day’s competition Cervantes was unable to claim the win as he had on day one as Italian Simone Albergoni upped his pace and finished ahead of the Spaniard. Cervantes’ team-mate Alessandro Belometti narrowly missed out on finishing on the podium as he had on day one losing time following a big crash on one of the event’s motocross tests. Following the fifth round of the ’06 WEC series Cervantes holds a 29 point lead in the E1 championship with Belometti currently third.

Just as he did on day one Finn Samuli Aro placed his KTM on the top step of the Enduro 2 class podium finishing 52 seconds ahead of countryman Mika Ahola on day two. Again proving too fast for his E2 class rivals Samuli overcame stomach problems early on day two to claim his sixth day win of ’06. Claiming his best result of the season so far Fabien Planet finished just off the podium in fourth, just three seconds behind Johnny Aubert in third. Having been improving his results during the last few WEC event’s Planet showed that it won’t be long until he joins team-mate Aro on the podium. Day two proved to be a frustrating one for US racer Kurt Caselli who finished in 10th. Unable to master the challenging enduro test, like many riders, Caselli performed best on the motocross test but praised the organising club for putting on a first class event. Aro is now 23 points clear at the top of the Enduro 2 world championship standings.

After topping the Enduro 3 class by a massive three and a half minutes on day one David Knight extended his winning advantage on day two to close to five minutes. Comfortably topping all nine of the second day’s special tests Knight also finished as the unofficial overall fastest rider in the event. Claiming yet another KTM one-two in the E3 class Finn Marko Tarkkala claimed the runner-up spot to Knight despite suffering with pain from the wrist he injured at the fourth round of the WEC in Italy.

Ivan Cervantes: “Day one was really good for me. I had to ride really fast to stay ahead of Albergoni, but I enjoyed the race. I made two small mistakes but apart from that things went well. I made a lot of mistakes on the enduro test on day two and struggled to find a good rhythm. Even on the tests were I didn’t make any mistakes my times weren’t good. Albergoni was really fast on the enduro tests but I just couldn’t go any faster. Finishing second on day two is ok for me though as it is still good for my championship.”

Alessandro Belometti: “I crashed in the water on the extreme test on day one, which lost me 40 seconds and meant that I wasn’t able to finish on the podium. Apart from that my day went quite well. Day two went well but I struggled on the enduro test – I wasn’t able to be as fast as Cervantes or Albergoni on that test. I made a big mistake on the final motocross test, which meant that it was really close between myself and Oblucki for the final podium position. He was really fast then on the last extreme test so I finished fourth, like I did on day one. I guess it just wasn’t my weekend.”

Samuli Aro: ''Day one went really well for me. On the first motocross test I didn’t feel so good but I soon started to feel better. I started feeling really good on the second lap and was able to push pretty hard without any mistakes. I think the conditions suited me because they were a lot like in Finland.
“I had some problems with my stomach at the start of day two and felt really weak during the first lap. I started to feel stronger then on the second and third laps. I crashed once on the enduro test and broke my clutch lever so I lost some time there. I was really nervous before the last extreme test but it went well. It was pretty much a perfect weekend for me.
“It has been a great weekend, the organisers did a really good job for their first ever WEC event. The special tests were difficult but the course was really enjoyable, which is the way I think it should be. It was fun because there were lots of spectators all around the course.”

Fabien Planet: “I crashed on one of the motocross test on day one and lost 20 seconds, which affected my result. Apart from that I really enjoyed the day. I felt good on day two and only made one small crash. I was really pleased with my result because it is the best I have scored this season.”

Kurt Caselli: “Like a lot of riders I struggled on the enduro test and I got caught up behind some riders on the extreme test as well, which cost me some time. I learned a lot, and have to thank Samuli Aro for helping me out with my lines and stuff, but I just struggled on the conditions that I’m not used to riding on. It was a good weekend though, and I have to remember that it is still only my third race since my knee operation. I enjoyed it though and the organisers did a great job, there were people out in the woods cheering all the riders on all weekend. Hopefully I will be able to do better next weekend at the race in the States.”

David Knight: “I hadn’t been on a bike since the last world championship race in Italy so I felt a little rusty early on day one. I started off steadily and just built up my speed. The enduro test was really difficult because there were so many tight corners, rocks, tree roots and ruts. I also felt a little groggy during the first half of day one, which I think was because of the heat. I still managed to win all of the tests in the E3 class, which was good. I started to feel a lot better from mid-day onwards and only made a few small mistakes.
“I felt good right from the start of day two. The bike was new for day one and it felt a little better on day two. I managed to get all the lines I wanted on the tests and each of my three cross-country test times were within two seconds of each other. I also put in three good times on the extreme test. I knew that I had a good lead in the E3 class but things were pretty close between myself and Aro for the overall.
“I think the event was great – one of the best races we’ve had this year. It was a lot more enjoyable that the event in Italy. Three laps each day was plenty and the mix of challenging special tests with a not so difficult course was great.”

Marko Tarkkala: “I crashed twice on day one but they weren’t really big crashes. David was really fast so I knew that it would be really difficult to beat him. The wrist that I injured in Italy was giving me problems, especially on day two. It made it difficult for me as the tests got rougher, especially on the enduro test. I wasn’t able to push as hard as I wanted to, I just wanted to finish. I liked the race but the enduro test was difficult.”

2006 World Enduro Championship Rnd 5
Grand Prix of Canada, Parry Sound – Day 2

Enduro 1
1. Simone Albergoni (Honda) 59:14.26; 2. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 59:53.33; 3. Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) 1.00:37.08; 4. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 1.00:37.08; 5. Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) 1.04:09.74; 6. Anthony Roberts (Yamaha) 1.05:14.40; 7. Shane Cuthbertson (KTM) 1.08:54.40; 8. James Skinner (KTM) 1.11:19.82

Enduro 2
1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 58:27.68; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 59:20.33; 3. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 1.00:23.90; 4. Fabien Planet (KTM) 1.00:27.00; 5. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 1.01:05.39; 6. Nicolas Paganon (Husqvarna) 1.01:33.68; 7. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 1.01:50.34; 8. Alessandro Botturi (Aprilia) 1.02:22.86; 9. Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas) 1.02:25.69; 10. Kurt Caselli (KTM) 1.02:53.13; 11. Nate Kanney (Yamaha) 1.02:58.44; 12. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 1.03:21.35; 13. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 1.05:00.33; 14. Klade Glasgow (KTM) 1.05:19.25; 15. Euan MCConnell (TM) 1.06:09.77; 16. Guy Girroux (Suzuki) 1.08:55.71; 17. Dan Watt (Husaberg) 1.11:33.44; 18. Ian McKill (KTM) 1.11:46.88; 19. Tobias Burman (Husaberg) 1.12:18.37; 20. Kelly Graffunder (KTM) 1.12:34.68

Enduro 3
1. David Knight (KTM) 56:42.97; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 1.01:41.66; 3. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 1.02:40.18; 4. Paul Whibley (Honda) 1.02:55.48; 5. Markus Kehr (KTM) 1.03:57.44; 6. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 1.04:06.46; 7. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 1.04:24.82; 8. Paolo Bernardi (Honda) 1.04:29.83; 9. Daniel Persson (Husaberg) 1.05:02.65; 10. Alessandro Zanni (Aprilia) 1.05:29.38; 11. Michal Rudolf (KTM) 1.08:59.61; 12. Dylan Debel (Husaberg) 1.15:00.09; 13. Michel Metcalfe (KTM) 1.15:16.63; 14. Dave Neumeister (KTM) 1.17:16.94; 15. Clint Riviere (KTM) 1.24:42.37

Enduro Junior
1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 1.01:54.10; 2. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 1.02:31.05; 3. Jake Stapleton (TM) 1.03:35.62; 4. Ricard Wressel (Husaberg) 1.08:01.82; 5. Cory Graffunder (KTM) 1.09:05.55; 6. Sylvain Lebrun (Husqvarna) 1.09:44.87; 7. Geoff Nelson (KTM) 1.10:15.82; 8. Wallace Palmer (Suzuki) 1.10:19.44; 9. Jakub Horak (KTM) 1.11:44.70; 10. Lucas Sedlacek (Beta) 1.12:39.46; 11. Patrick Wikman (KTM) 1.12:59.87; 12. David Kamo (KTM) 1.15:35.56; 13. Scott Bowes (KTM) 1.16:10.48

Photo courtesy of KTM

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