THE MOST DIFFICULT ENDURO RACE IN THE WORLD
02 August 2006 - Aprilia

Saturday July 29 at Lumezzane, in the province of Brescia (Italy), the 2006 edition of the Xtreme Lumezzane was held.

A trial for “true” endurists, the most difficult and laborious in the world. The race brought out the best teams and riders of the world championship. Twelve hours in the saddle of the bike for a total of about 240 kilometres in 6 laps, to which a nocturnal phase of about 30 km was also added. This race is without a doubt the most difficult trial for the motorcycles and riders of team Aprilia Enduro, which came out of the race with its head held high and a prestigious overall third place obtained by Alessandro Botturi at the end of a truly emotional race, run completely in a phase of recovery. Not only that, but Botturi’s Aprilia RXV 4.5 was also the first of the 450 at the finish line which says a lot about the competitiveness of the two cylinder from Noale.

Botturi’s heartfelt performance was also quite exciting. In the morning he was off to a great start: after the first two specials, he was fifth overall and only a ten seconds behind the leader, the Spaniard of Ktm Ivan Cervantes, last years winner. At the beginning of the second lap, in the fearful and insidious special that lasts for more than 20 minutes, there were many who hit the ground. Some gave up for good, others were able to get out of this inferno despite several falls (impossible to stay up!). Among these riders was Botturi who, after three falls, finished out the special 1’30” behind Cervantes, due to the gear lever which was bent and forced him to finish the run in second gear.

A truly “hellish day” where many abandoned the race, some of whom had to go to the hospital let alone recuperating their positions. For this reason, the organisation decided to cancel the trail run in the next laps. In the other specials, Botturi made up precious lost ground against his worthy adversaries such as Albergoni, Sala, Belotti, and Rinaldi. That evening, Botturi was in third overall before the last night special, repeated three times with a finish line on the fearful uphill called Devil’s Tooth; a very steep climb of about 100 meters capable of giving trouble to even the most noteworthy specialists. Not to “Super Botturi” who thanks to the amazing push of his Aprilia RXV 4.5 was the only rider to not have any problems, devouring the steep slope, without any help from the public, in all three trips. The race finished in the late evening with Botturi celebrating his overall third place finish (and the 2000 Euro prize) just a few seconds behind Belotti. Without the inconvenience of the gear lever, he would have been able to finish just behind the irresistible Cervantes, who obtained his second win in a row.

Overall, a great result for team Aprilia which came out of the race with its head held high, especially considering how difficult it was to get on the podium, both for the risks on the track as well as the slow and tortuous rhythm difficult for a two cylinder. But the competitive capability of the RXV 4.5 reached in the first official year of competition allowed Botturi to get on this prestigious international podium. At the Xtreme in Lumezzane, Alex Zanni, official rider for Aprilia, did not take part due to his involvement in the Enduro World Championship E3 in the saddle of the RXV 5.5. Alex stayed home also due to his matrimonial responsibilities: next Sunday, at 5 PM in the Church of Saint Dominic in Chioggia, he will get married to Tania. Best Wishes!!!

Absolute Xtreme Lumezzane 2006: 1. Ivan Cervantes (Ktm); 2. Andrea Belotti (Ktm); 3. Alessandro Botturi (Aprilia RXV 4.5).

www.aprilia.com

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