Less than two weeks before the grand finale of the 2020 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, it is time for us to take a look at the challengers for the crown in the Prestige and Junior classes. There is plenty of suspense and great battles still to be had. Let’s start with the Under 23 category…
The Contenders
There are three riders all capable of taking the highly coveted title of Junior World Champion; Teodor KABAKCHIEV, Leon HENTSCHEL and Ty CULLINS…
· Teodor KABAKCHIEV (BG - KTM): 7th in 2019, who would have thought at the start of the season that the Bulgarian giant would be a contender for the Junior title in 2020? And especially that he would lead the way one round before the end of the season! While his advantage over HENTSCHEL is slim (2 points), he remains the man of the moment after emphatically winning the last two rounds. The question now is, will he manage to finish the job and become the first Bulgarian motorcycle World Champion? Or will the pressure get to him in Lodz?
· Leon HENTSCHEL (D - KTM): Less flamboyant than "KABA" and CULLINS, the German has shown remarkable consistency by not dropping lower than 5th place in any race. HENTSCHEL could well use his solid and steady approach in order to take advantage of any mistakes made by the Bulgarian and the American in Poland, but will he have that little something extra in order to be Champion?
· Ty CULLINS (USA - TM): Early standings leader and impressive during the German GP, the TM rider has since struggled, finding himself 20 points behind KABAKCHIEV! It seems like a difficult task for CULLINS, but it’s far from impossible, and the youngster has bags of talent on his side.
Who Will Round Out the Top 5?
Fourth place seems to be confirmed for France’s Adrien JACON (KTM), but five other riders are in with a shout for the final place in the Top 5 overall!
· Adrien JACON (F - KTM): A potential contender for the title before the Hungarian GP, the Frenchman will have to settle for 4th place - even if he still has some hopes of getting on the final Junior podium if CULLINS finds himself in great difficulty. In any case, the KTM rider is now guaranteed to finish no lower than 4th overall!
· Dominik OLSZOWY (PL - KTM): A great young hope for Polish SuperEnduro, OLSZOWY is showing good pace and technique in his second season in the discipline. Unfortunately, the KTM rider still makes too many mistakes to chase the crown, but if he works hard he could find himself in the Top 5 best Juniors. An elbow injury during the opening in Krakow perhaps dented his challenge the most this season.
· Isaac DEVOULX (F - Husqvarna): Showing intriguing form in Germany and Hungary, the young Frenchman perhaps lacks the strength and experience to make up the 10 points that separate himself from OLSZOWY, but never say never…
· Raul GUIMERA (E - Sherco): At the end of the season, the Spaniard may well regret his absence in Germany which would undoubtedly have put him closer to the Top 5 - but SuperEnduro is known for its unpredictability!
· Milan SCHMUESER (D - Sherco): Again, his lack of participation in the Hungarian GP could well have been detrimental to him, especially as he had performed excellently in A Coruña, where he took a podium and a first race victory.
· Fabien POIROT (F - Husqvarna): Certainly the fastest rider on this list along with OLSZOWY. He suffered the setback of an injury which saw him miss two rounds. Despite this, the Frenchman is only points to 19 points behind OLSZOWY, so let’s see how he gets on in Lodz!
KACZMARCZYK Or WICKOWSKI For 10th Place?
Two Poles will fight it out in front of their home fans at the Atlas Arena in Lodz both hoping to grab a spot in the Top 10...
• Oskar KACZMARCZYK (PL - KTM): Holds the advantage as the more experienced of the two. KACZMARCZYK is already in his 6th season of SuperEnduro and he fully intends to secure another Top 10 finish. With 11 points over his compatriot, the KTM rider will give it his all.
• Maciej WICKOWSKI (PL - KTM): The “new kid on the block” has learnt quickly and surprised many in his first season in SuperEnduro. He will be very keen to close this great debut season in the Top 10 in front of the Polish fans.
There will be interest and excitement at all levels in the Junior category even though the spotlight will be on the thrilling fight for the title between KABAKCHIEV, HENTSCHEL and CULLINS!
See you on Saturday March 14 at 18.00 in the Atlas Arena in Lodz (Poland)...
Or, if you can’t make it, watch every second of the season finale on enduro-tv.com!
