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FIM Maxxis World
Enduro Champs - Round 4
GP of Spain, Gernika, Northern Spain
Knighter
cleans up at WEC round 4
KTM Enduro Factory Team Farioli rider David Knight claimed his fourth double
Enduro 3 class win of the ’05 season at the GP of Spain in Gernika to extend
his lead at the top of the E3 championship to 39 points. Comfortably winning
the Enduro 3 class on both days, Knight also finished the event as the fastest
overall rider, irrespective of class, on both days.
Just one week after claiming victory at the grueling Erzburg Rodeo in Austria
Knighter arrived at the WEC’s second Spanish event confident of maintaining
his world championship winning streak – and he did. With the event featuring
three very different, but also much shorter, special tests than previous
rounds of the series, fine weather and four laps of an enjoyable course made
for some of the championships closest racing yet.
On day one Knighter soon found his rhythm despite thinking on occasions that
he was still racing aboard his 300cc two-stroke. Overshooting a couple of
corners during the opening two laps, David steadily opened up what would
become a 30 second winning margin. Making no major mistakes during the opening
day’s competition Knighter again proved too fast for his competitors.
On day two David again set the pace in the E3 class winning all but one of the
day’s 12 special test. Even faster than he had been on day one, David placed
his KTM just under one minute ahead of his nearest rival, Finn Marko Tarkkala.
With the ’05 WEC series all but at the half way stage David now sits
comfortably at the head of the E3 championship, some 39 points clear of his
Finnish team-mate. In winning the E3 category in Spain Knight also played an
important part in ensuring that the KTM Enduro Factory Team Farioli squad
topped the Team competition.
 David
Knight: "It’s been another great
weekend for me although I kept overshooting corners early on day one. I think
it was because I raced a 300cc two-stroke last weekend at Erzburg and didn’t
have any time to go training on my 500 before this weekend. Once I’d ridden
a few laps I was ok and didn’t have any more problems. With the special
tests being quite short I really thought that there would only be hundredths
of seconds between the top riders, so to win by just over half a minute on day
one was good.
"I found day two was a bit easier, I think
it was because I was getting used to the bike again. The only problem I had
was that I kept going for a kick starter thinking it was my 300, forgetting
that my four-stroke race bike has a button! I nearly hit a fox in one of the
enduro special tests but apart from that I didn’t have any problems at all.
The event got better as it went on. The tests were good fun and winning again
just made it better."
Bolter wins Enduro Junior class at WEC Rnd 4
Husky Sport Husqvarna rider Daryl Bolter, racing for the Italian Mucci
Racing Husqvarna team, claimed his best ever Enduro Junior World Championship
result finishing as runner-up in the EJ class on day one and then winning on
day two. In doing so Daryl claimed his first ever world championship victory.
On day one Bolter started as he meant to go on and posted the fastest time
in the Enduro Junior class on the opening motocross test, setting himself up
for his memorable result. Going on to finish no lower than fourth in class on
any of the opening day’s remaining special tests, Daryl found himself under
pressure from French Husqvarna rider Marc Bourgeois. Unable to match the pace
of the EJ championship leader, Spain’s Cristabal Guerrero, Daryl remained
ahead of Bourgeois to finish in the runner-up spot.
On day two Daryl started as he had on day one – determined to equal or
better his runner-up spot from day one. Managing to remain close to Spaniard
Guerrero during the opening lap, a mistake by the factory Gas Gas rider meant
that Daryl was handed the class lead. Once again under pressure from Frenchman
Bourgeois, Daryl remained at the front of the Enduro Junior class to claim his
first ever WEC win.
In finishing in second and first positions at the fourth round of the WEC
series Daryl now lies in third in the ’05 Enduro Junior World Championship
standings just one point behind second place rider Oriol Mena and 24 behind
class leader Cristabal Guerrero.
Daryl Bolter: "I’m over the moon to have won my first Junior
World Championship race. Day one went really well, I’m just so happy to have
won. Finishing in second was great because up until then it was my highest WEC
result. I really enjoyed the race - the course and the special tests were all
excellent. I didn’t have any crashes all weekend and rode as well as I have
at any other race this year.
"I wasn’t too far behind Guerrero on day two but then he crashed and
hurt his leg. Unfortunately that’s racing, so I just pushed as hard as I
could to win. I didn’t have a big lead during the day because it was hard to
open up a big lead, but I just made sure that I didn’t make any mistakes. I
was pretty nervous on the last few tests because I didn’t want to crash,
thankfully I didn’t. It’s great to have won my first Junior World
Championship race."
Results – Day 1
Enduro 3
1. David Knight (KTM Enduro Factory Team
Farioli) 35:50.77; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM)
36.23.73; 3. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 36:30.31; 4. Xavier Galindo (KTM)
37:14.25; 5. Alex Zanni (Honda) 37:18.24; 6. Mika Ahola (Husqvarna) 37:30.69;
7. Alessio Paoli (TM) 37:36.90; 8. Thierry Klutz (Gas Gas) 38:03.03; 9. Vita
Kuklik (KTM) 38:08.50; 10. Sebastien Denis (Husqvarna) 38:33.20; 11 Gerard
Farres (KTM) 38:33.52; 12. Michal Rudolf (KTM) 38:33.84; 13. Mario Rinaldi (Husaberg)
38:42.51; 14. Thierry Traccan (Husqvarna) 42:04.89; 15. Tobias Auerswald (Husqvarna)
42:14.25; 16; Jens Oestreich (KTM) 43:38.29
Results – Day 2
Enduro 3
1. David Knight (KTM Enduro Factory Team
Farioli) 42:05.59; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM)
43:02.62; 3. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 43:33.84; 4. Xavier Galindo (KTM)
43:55.74; 5. Mika Ahola (Husqvarna) 44:08.23; 6. Alex Zanni (Honda) 44:10.64;
7. Thierry Klutz (Gas Gas) 44:13.71; 8. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 44:39.88; 9. Mario
Rinaldi (Husaberg) 44:42.06; 10. Daniel Persson (Husaberg) 44:57.11; 11.
Gerard Farres (Husqvarna) 45:05.20; 12. Michal Rudolf (KTM) 45:18.11; 13.
Sebastien Denis (Husqvarna) 45:35.37; 14. Maurizio Magherini (Beta) 47:58.38;
15. Thierry Traccan (Husqvarna) 49:42.42; 16. Tobias Auerswald (Husqvarna)
50:32.56; 17. Jens Oestreich (KTM) 51:20.66
Results – Day 1
Enduro Junior
1. Cristabal Guerrero (Gas Gas) 36:34.08; 2. Daryl Bolter (Husqvarna)
37:25.28; 3. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 37:28.31; 4. Oriol Mena (Gas Gas)
37:54.05; 5. Paolo Bernardi (Honda) 38:13.28; 6. Julien Dubac (Husqvarna)
38:51.49; 7. Maurizio Facchin (Husqvarna) 39:14.90; 8. Si Wakely (Honda)
39:36.02; 9. Jean-Charles Gilbert (Honda) 39:44.33; 10. Lucas Puerta
(KTM)39:52.15; 11. Evrard Gutkin (KTM) 39:55.29; 12. Juras Dozsa (KTM)
40:45.64; 13. Carlo Conforti (Husqvarna) 40:48.24; 14. Olli Turma (Husqvarna)
41:42.10; 15. Borja Nieto (KTM) 41:57.64; 16. Ricard Wressel (Yamaha)
42:12.04; 17. Emilio Escribano (Yamaha) 42:46.41; 18. Erald Lammertink
(Yamaha) 43:16.88; 19. Arana Txomin (Yamaha) 45:21.55
Results – Day 2
Enduro Junior
1. Daryl Bolter (Husqvara) 44:47.22; 2. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna)
45:07.41; 3. Oriol Mena (Gas Gas) 45:14.33; 4. Paolo Bernardi (Honda)
45:38.41; 5. Julien Dubac (Husqvarna) 45:39.64; 6. Si Wakely (Honda) 46:03.79;
7. Jean-Charles Gilbert (Honda) 46:12.33; 8. Maurizio Facchin (Husqvarna)
46:27.64; 9. Lucas Puerto (KTM) 46:38.23; 10. Evrard Gutkin (KTM) 47:02.43;
11. Carlo Conforti (Husqvarna) 47:49.54; 12. Olli Turma (Husqvarna) 48:31.55;
13. Borja Nieto (KTM) 49:23.58; 14. Patrick Wikman (KTM) 49:29.25; 15. Txomin
Arana (Yamaha) 51:45.79; 16. Pedro Ruiz (Yamaha) 53:41.16; 17. Juras Dozsa (KTM)
55:19.92
Report & Photos -
Jonty Edmunds
Website contents - Copyright © Adrian Harris
2005 - Articles and photos are not to be
reproduced without prior permission.
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