VERY HARD ITALIAN GP
22 June 2006 - Aprilia

Trustworthiness and performance

This is the inseparable combination at the base of every project. A delicate balance that makes the difference. Well ten, the 40th edition of the Valli Bergamasche, a race that makes up the fourth leg of the Enduro World Championship, was certainly the most difficult trial for both men and their bike.

An explosive mix of trustworthiness and performance was what put every mechanical component to use and at the same time brought out the ability and physical preparation of the riders. It’s enough to notice that Saturday, the first day of the race only 83 out of 120 riders took their motorcycles to the track while, Sunday, there were even fewer: 78. Among them there were the two official riders of Team Aprilia Enduro: Alessandro Botturi and Alex Zanni.

Two for two: two Aprilia RXVs at the start, two at the finish. A finish, for many it remained a dream, that instead for Team Aprilia Enduro it was not seen as a midway point, but as a starting point in a race in stages that never has an end. To the trustworthiness demonstrated by both the RXV 4.5 and the RXV 5.5, we can add also the confirmation of the performances with the excellent finishes of Botturi (5th and 6th in E2) and Zanni (6th and 7th in E3).

Results which, above all, could have been even better, given that Zanni entered the race in a lessened condition, with a painful knee due to an injury during training. For Botturi, it was a surprise that conditioned his finish on the second day. “Bottu” was involved in a spectacular hit to the head in the fourth round: an unexpected “crash test” with the rocks he hit, both the rider and his Rxv 4.5 emerged with some bumps and bruises.

Balancing out a race just as terrible as it was positive for Team Aprilia Enduro, it should be said that Botturi and Zanni both entered into the top ten of the rainbow ranks with Botturi at 10th in E2 and Zanni who earned 9th place in E3.

WORLD ENDURO RANKINGS AFTER THE 4TH LEG
E2 Class: 1. Samuli Aro (Ktm) 178 points; 2. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 167; 3. Mika Ahola (Honda) 160; 10. Alex Botturi (Aprilia RXV 4.5) 72.
E3 Class: 1. David Knight (Ktm) 200 points; 2. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 152; 3. Sebastien Guillaume (Gas Gas) 149; 9. Alex Zanni (Aprilia RXV 5.5) 88.

www.aprilia.com

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