It was a close and exciting start to the 2022-23 FIM SuperEnduro World Championships at the opening round in Poland at the weekend.
Husqvarna Factory Racing Team rider Billy Bolt got his FIM SuperEnduro World Championship title defence off to a perfect start with victory at this series opener in Poland.
In what was his first return to racing following a five-month injury, British rider Bolt won all three Prestige races in Krakow, along with topping the SuperPole hot lap, to make it a clean sweep for the weekend.
Battling him hard, right to the finish, was GasGas Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak, who eventually had to settle for a fighting fourth.
Narrowly missing out on a podium result at his home race, Polish star Blazusiak still tied on points with third place to ensure a solid start to the new season.
A difficult track with soft dirt made for tough racing on the night in Krakow.
Rolling out for the SuperPole hot lap, Blazusiak (pictured here) showed he had pace and his lines dialed in by setting the second fastest time of the night, earning himself two extra championship points.
With confidence building, he wanted to turn that speed into three solid results. However, a crash on the opening lap of race one put him on the back foot. In spirited style, Blazusiak set about charging his way forward and gave everything to finish fourth.
With the customary reversed start order for race two, Blazusiak looked to fight his way to the front early on. Slipping past his rivals, he got his bike out front, much to the roar and delight of his home crowd.
Battling back and forth with eventual race winner Bolt, the Polish star put on a show. Dropping back to second, a small mistake during the closing laps saw him slip to third at the chequered flag.
Hoping to make amends in the third and final Prestige race, a crash on the opening lap dropped Blazusiak down the order. Knowing a place on the overall podium was hanging in the balance, he pushed hard to regroup.
Racing his way from eighth to fourth, Blazusiak tied for third overall, but agonisingly just missed out on that home-round podium result he wanted.
“I’m so pleased to be back racing, but to make my comeback with a clean sweep of wins and taking SuperPole is the dream start to the championship I had hoped for,” said Bolt afterwards.
“It’s felt like a long and tough five months off the bike, but I’m chuffed to be back on the bike and racing hard again. It’s what I love to do.
“Although tonight went to plan, I feel like I’ve some work to do to get back to my very best. We’ve a couple of weeks until round two in Germany, so I’ll keep working hard to be even stronger there.”
Round two is set for Germany on January 7, 2023.
Blazusiak said: “It was a tough race tonight. The dirt was so difficult to ride. Big ruts formed on the jumps, and it was hard to make consistent clean laps.
“In race one I used a lot of energy going from last to fourth and my arms pumped up at the end of that race. They stayed really tight for the rest of the night, and I was fighting against myself at times. I’m disappointed not to finish on the podium at home, but tying on points for third is still a good result for the championship. My speed and pace is good, so I’m confident for more in Germany.”
FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 1, Poland
Event Classification
- Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 63 points
- Jonny Walker (Beta) 51 pts
- Cody Webb (Sherco) 43 pts
- Taddy Blazusiak (GasGas) 43 pts
Prestige Race 1
- Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
- Jonny Walker (Beta)
- Cody Webb (Sherco)
- Taddy Blazusiak (GasGas)
Prestige Race 2
- Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
- Jonny Walker (Beta)
- Taddy Blazusiak (GasGas)
- Cody Webb (Sherco)
Prestige Race 3
- Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
- Jonny Walker (Beta)
- Cody Webb (Sherco)
- Taddy Blazusiak (GasGas)
Photo courtesy GasGas
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2023 Schedule:
Rnd 1, 10 Dec, GP Poland, Krakow
Rnd 2, 07 Jan, GP Germany, Riesa
Rnd 3, 04 Feb, GP Hungary, Budapest
Rnd 4, 17 Feb, GP France, Nice
Rnd 5, 02 Mar, GP Israel, Jerusalem
Rnd 6, 18 Mar, GP Poland II, Gliwice
