The KTM Enduro Factory Team had a good weekend out at the GP of Portugal at the weekend, rounds 7 and 8 of the competition, with both French riders Christophe Nambotin and Antoine Meo picking up double wins in E3 and E1, while Italian Honda rider Alex Salvini dominated E2 and Australian Husqvarna rider Matthew Phillips ruled the roost in the EJ class.

Spain’s Ivan Cervantes was also in good form scoring two second-place podiums in E2 and his team-mate Johnny Aubert came away with a 3-4 result for the weekend. It was a super human effort by Aubert who took a very hard fall on Saturday, badly bruising his ribs and he rode in considerable pain the whole weekend.

Cristobal Guerrero, Meo’s team-mate in E1 was also unlucky. He crashed on Saturday, bumping his old shoulder injury. This hampered him but Guerrero still managed to salvage a ninth on Saturday and improved by three places to sixth on Sunday. Aubert too, had a very strong finish on Sunday and team boss Fabio Farioli said his fourth place result did not reflect how well he had ridden over the weekend.

Riders had uncharacteristically colder weather in Portugal and on Saturday and took time to get into the rhythm of the 70 km loops that keep then on their bikes for up to seven hours.

Phillips (Husqvarna TE310R) (pictured above) claimed an impressive double win in the Enduro Junior class in Portugal.

Opening up a solid lead in the EJ class as a result of his two victories, Phillips wasn’t alone in delivering podium success for the Husqvarna squad.

Eight-time Enduro World Champion Juha Salminen (TE250R) took an early lead in the E1 class on day one, going on to claim a hard fought eventual runner-up result. On day two Matti Seistola (TE250R) placed third in E1.

For Phillips it was a near perfect weekend. Winning six special tests on the opening day to claim a 33-second margin of victory, the EWC newcomer then went on to top the Enduro Junior class on day two. In doing so Phillips moves 17 points clear at the top of the EJ championship standings.

“I’m really happy with how the weekend has turned out,” said Phillips.

“Getting another two wins has been great but more importantly I’ve been able to extend my lead in the championship. I think I’m starting to find my feet in this championship. I felt a lot more comfortable with my bike and the track this weekend than I have done all season. I was able to hit all my lines almost every time I rode the special tests and could see an improvement in my riding as the weekend progressed.

“I feel like everything is starting to come together now as we start the second half of the season so I’m hoping to keep building on this momentum at the next round in Romania.”

Meanwhile, in the E1 and E3 classes respectively, even the normally dominant Meo and Nambotin, while up with the leaders in round 7, needed the first tests under their wheels before starting to dominate.

Nambotin won five of the 12 tests including the final four but on Sunday he needed no time to get into the swing. The French rider was on the case from the very first test and was number one in all 12 of Sunday’s Round 8. Meo won seven tests in E1 on Saturday and six on Sunday, where his worst finish was a third place in the second cross test of the day.

With the exception of a crash in the final cross test on Sunday, Cervantes had a good weekend in the competitive E2 class, even if he had a little more speed on Saturday than the second day. Aubert overcame his discomfort with his bruised ribs on Sunday and finished the day very strongly in the final three tests on Sunday, winning the final Enduro and Cross tests and finishing second in the Extreme.

Laia Sanz of Spain, who recently switched to KTM, picked up the win in Sunday’s round of the women’s competition, a remarkable performance after she competed in and won the Women’s EnduroCrosss gold Medal at the X-Games in Barcelona on Saturday evening. She then immediately flew to Portugal to join the competition on Sunday.

The riders will now compete in national competitions until the championship resumes in Greece for the next two rounds on June 15-16.

The Portugal rounds conclude the four rounds in the Iberian Peninsular, the competition’s first events back in Europe after four opening rounds in South America that launched the 2013 season.

 

Enduro World Championship, Round 8 at Torres Vedras, Portugal

 

E1 Results (indicates results for both days)

1, Antoine Meo, France, KTM (1 – 1)

2, Anthony Boissiere, France, Sherco (6 – 2)

3, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna (4 – 3)

4, Thomas Oldrati, Italy, Husaberg (8 – 4)

5, Eero Remes, Finland, TM (3 – 5)

 

E1 Standings after Round 8

1, Antoine Meo, 151

2, Matti Seistola, 117

3, Juha Salminen, 116

4, Eero Remes, 105

5, Thomas Oldrati, 85

 

E2 Results (indicates results for both days)

1, Alex Salvini, Italy, HM-Honda (1 – 1)

2, Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM (2 – 2)

3, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, France, Husaberg (4 – 3)

4, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM (3 – 4)

5, Victor Guerrero, Spain, KTM (5 – 5)

 

E2 Standings after Round 8

1, Alex Salvini, 149

2, Ivan Cervantes, 134

3, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, 121

4, Johnny Aubert, 116

5, Victor Guerrero, 80

 

E3 Results (indicates results for both days)

1, Christophe Nambotin, France, KTM (1 – 1)

2, Mathias Bellino, France, Husaberg (5 – 2)

3, Luis Correia, Portugal, Beta (3 – 3)

4, Manuel Monni, Italy, KTM (4 – 4)

5, Aigar Leok, Estonia, TM (2 – 5)

 

E3 Standings after Round 8

1, Christophe Nambotin, 150

2, Joakim Ljunggren, 116

3, Aigar Leok, 115

4, Luis Correia, 102

5, Manuel Monni, 97

 

EJ Results (indicates results for both days)

1, Matthew Philips, Australia, Husqvarna (1 – 1)

2, Giacomo Redondi, Italy, KTM (5 – 2)

3, Loic Larrier, France, Husaberg (4 – 3)

4, Luis Oliveira, Yamaha, Portugal (2 – 4)

5, Mario Roman, Spain, Husaberg (3 – 5)

 

EJ Standings after Round 8

1, Matthew Philips, 143

2, Giacomo Redondi, 126

3, Daniel McCanney, 102

4, Mario Roman, 91

5, Luis Oliveira, 89

 

Youth Cup (indicates results for both days)

1, Jamie McCanney, Great Britain, Husaberg (1 – 1)

2, Albin Elowson, Sweden, Husaberg (2 -2)

3, Dawid Ciucci, Italy, KTM (5 – 3)

 

Youth Cup Standings after Round 8

1, Jamie McCanney, 154

2, Albin Elowson, 110

3, Benjamin Herrera, 102

4, Dawid Ciucci, 84

5, Matteo Bresolin, 82

 

EW Results of Round 4 (indicates results for both days)

1, Laia Sanz, Spain, KTM, (0 – 1) – competed and won gold at the X=Games EnduroCross in Barcelona on Saturday, rejoined the women’s competition on Sunday in Portugal)

2, Jessica Gardiner, Australia, Sherco (1 – 2)

3, Geraldine Fournel, France, Husaberg (2 – 3)

4, Jane Daniels, Great Britain, Husaberg (3 – 4)

5, Audrey Rossat, France, KTM (6 – 5)

 

EW Standings after Round 4

1, Jessica Gardiner, 67

2, Jane Daniels, 60

3, Laia Sanz, 60

4, Juliette Berrez, 48

5, Jemma Wilson, 43