After a victorious and emotional send off by Taddy BLAZUSIAK (PL - KTM) at the opening round of the 2016/17 Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, the series now heads to Germany for round two in Riesa.
With BLAZUSIAK retiring in a blaze of glory in Poland, the door is now firmly open for the next generation of SuperEnduro riders to take the six-time world champion’s place in the sport.
With competition wide open, round two in the SachsenArena of Riesa on Saturday 7th is promising to be a highly-charged fight for victory.
A Sold Out Show!
The Motorsportverein Riesa and the production company "Eventmanufactur" of the Auerswald brothers are now vastly experienced organizers. Indeed, it is the third consecutive time that they will organize a round of the Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship with the support of the ADAC and the DMSB.
Even before hosting the second round of the 2016 SuperEnduro series last January 2016, the Auerswald brothers already confirmed their intention for year three in 2017.
With enormous success in Riesa and a successful second event in Prague, Eventmanufactur Auerswald and Motorsportverein Riesa are among the most experienced organizers on the SuperEnduro circuit. Very attached to the city and to the venue of their debuts, they therefore chose the SachsenArena in Riesa and its 6,000 seats to host the second round 2017 of the championship.
The town of Riesa is located in the east of Germany, in the region of Saxony. Riesa is the largest city in the Meissen district and borders the banks of the River Elbe. It is located 90 km east of Leipzig and 70 km south-west of Dresden.
With a full entry list from more than 21 nations in both categories, the German Grand Prix will see a very large audience of SuperEnduro enthusiasts treated to a full feast of dirt bike action indoors.
GOMEZ, WALKER & BROWN ready to fight back
With BLAZUSIAK retiring in style in Krakow, it now leaves the series #1 plate up for grabs in Riesa.
As the reigning champion, Colton HAAKER (USA - Husqvarna) is favorite to claim that prize in Germany. Decisively fast, HAAKER secured a race win in Heat 3 and was denied another win due to a penalty in Heat 1. A mistake-free ride from HAAKER in Germany would very well be a victorious one.
Behind him, Alfredo GOMEZ (E - KTM) sits third overall in the championship standings and one point clear of teammate Jonny Walker (GB-KTM). Despite having not trained for round one due to his hard enduro commitments, Gomez was extremely impressive — even leading race two — and now aims for the top step of the podium in Riesa.
Winning the Akrapovic SuperPole in Poland, WALKER showed he has the speed to rival anyone in SuperEnduro. But still showing signs of race-rust due to his summer of injury, WALKER was unable to challenge for victory. Determined to set things right, he will want to get 2017 off to a winning start.
Claiming a very encouraging fifth place result in his debut SuperEnduro ride in Poland, Mike BROWN (USA - Husqvarna) aims to get on the podium and prove that he has the talent and speed to fight in a racing format much more intense than the United States.
Boosted by the benefit of Christmas testing on his new Sherco mount, Spain’s Mario ROMAN arrives to Germany eager to build on his performance from Poland. Similarly fellow countrymen Eloi SALSENCH (Beta) and Juan Pau SEGURA (Gas Gas) are expected to be in the thick of the battle.
Rookie Pascal RAUCHENECKER (AUT - Husqvarna) continues his SuperEnduro apprenticeship in Riesa. Showing plenty of potential in Krakow, he knows that a little more consistency will bring him close to the top five.
Finally, Rannar UUSNA (EST - KTM) looks to keep his place among the 10 best riders but he will have to face Diogo VIERA (P - Beta), Aurélien ADDESSO (F - Beta), John NYSTROM (S - KTM) and Russia’s David LEONOV (R - Husqvarna).
And note that Hungarian rider Kornel NEMETH will face the stars of the SuperEnduro on a KTM.
Junior: HERRERA leads the way
After dominating in Poland, the trio of Benjamin HERRERA (CL – TM) – Blake GUTZEIT (RSA – Yamaha) - Kyle FLANAGAN (RSA - Sherco) lead the way. And with the taste of victory still fresh, they will be aiming to win again.
But the young European guys, led by the home favorite Tim APOLLE (D - Husqvarna) and British riders William HOARE (KTM) and Gethin HUMPHREYS (Husqvarna) will seek revenge on Saturday night at SachsenArena. Indeed, APOLLE, HOARE, HUMPHREYS or Lee SEALEY (GB - Yamaha), Emil JUSZCZAK (PL - Sherco) and Oskar KACZMARCZYK (PL - KTM) already have a great experience in SuperEnduro and will seek to prove that they can match the pace of the leading trio.
Also new names like Teodor KABAKCHIEV (BL - KTM), Max VIAL (F - Husqvarna), David CYPRIAN (CZ - KTM) and Kevin GALLAS (D - KTM) all showed great promise in Poland and will look to improve and fight with the best in Germany!
After an emotional opening round in Poland with the retirement of Taddy BLAZUSIAK, the question now is whether WALKER, GOMEZ or BROWN can beat the reigning World Champion Colton HAAKER.
Racing commences at 18:00 this Saturday, January 7th, inside the SachsenArena of Riesa where the stars of the SEWC will go head-to-head in the battle for victory.
Informations:
- Riesa (Land of Saxony);
- 88 kilometres East of Leipzig and 73 kilometres North-East of Dresden;
- Saturday, January 7th from 16.00 (Gate Opening);
- Organizer: Eventmanufactur Auerswald;
- Websites: www.superenduro.org;
- Format: 3 heats for Prestige class, 3 heats for Junior class;
- Ticket Price: From 45€ to 55€;
- Airport: Dresden : 73 kms – Leipzig : 90 kms – Berlin : 180 kms
