Visit of FIM President Jorge VIEGAS

The President of the International Motorcycling Federation Jorge VIEGAS came to Budapest crowned with his new mandate as President of the Federation of Motorsports on Two Wheels. Absent in Budapest for a few years, President VIEGAS wanted to once again soak up the atmosphere of the SuperEnduro World Championship that he appreciates so much. Witness to the crash of Eddie KARLSSON, he took the opportunity to salute all the measures put in place to ensure maximum safety for competitors. Impressed by the level of performance of the riders, he once again testified to his attachment to a discipline that is perfectly anchored in the catalog of disciplines of the FIM.

News from Eddie KARLSSON

Last Saturday evening, the Swede Eddie KARLSSON scared himself and made the 9 '000 spectators of the Papp Laszlo Arena in Budapest shudder. We are in the 5th lap of the first evening final. The KTM rider, flanked by number 42, occupies a brilliant 4th place. He is a few seconds away from the infernal trio composed of Billy BOLT (GBR-Husqvarna), Jonny WALKER (GBR-Beta) and Cody WEBB (USA-SHerco). He is finishing his lap by returning to the series of jumps that precede the finish. Upon landing the last jump, the unbalanced Swede is ejected from his motorcycle. He falls heavily on his back, while he is getting up his machine hits him violently in the head. The Scandinavian pilot is on the ground, the rescuers are quickly at his side and manage to evacuate him safely. After a night under observation in Budapest hospital, KARLSSON did not suffer from any fractures but a head trauma still seemed to bother him, the Swede having a tendency to tire quickly. He managed to get home a few hours ago. The sympathetic Eddie should be (we wish him) back among the competitors for the GP of Israel, next March 2nd in Jerusalem.

Great performances from Dominik OLSZOWY, Cooper ABBOTT and Diogo VIEIRA

The more the season progresses, the more the performances of Dominik OLSZOWY (POL-GASGAS) continue to improve. The 2022 Junior World Champion again offered convincing racing last weekend in Budapest. Always quick at the start, he signed the first holeshot of the night and again allowed himself for many laps to stand up to the bosses of the discipline, Billy BOLT and Jonny WALKER. He then scrapped with Cody WEBB for a place on the podium. The Polish rider is using a lot of his resources to fight at this level. He therefore tends to release a little energy at the end of the round. But the TTR driver once again showed his many qualities. 5th in the Hungarian Grand Prix, he can think of aiming for the podium of a race before the end of the season.

He finished just behind another rookie in the Prestige category: Cooper ABBOTT (USA-Sherco). The Arizona rider feels more and more at ease in the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship field. Only 7th in the Akrapovic SuperPole, the Sherco rider recovered in the races. He finished P3 in the first final, he signed a Top 5 in the second and a little more tired he finished 6th in the last. He ranks 4th in the GP signing his best career result for the moment.

Last final of the day, Diogo VIEIRA (POR-GASGAS) starts in 8th position. The Portuguese is progressing rapidly in the classification to fight for 3rd place with Dominik OLSZOWY. The two boys must let Jonny WALKER pass them. They then trade positions to secure a top 5 spot in the heat. It is ultimately the Pole who will have the last word, but VIEIRA can be satisfied with this encouraging result. He has 2 GPs left to hope for a possible podium in the event of an exploit on his part. In any case, he is on the right track. He is 8th overall, 17 points behind OLSZOWY 6th.

BLAZUSIAK unlucky

He loses a place in the general classification and a weekend to forget for Taddy BLAZUSIAK. The Pole suffered on the Budapest track. Entangled in traffic, the official GASGAS had however started his Saturday well with the 3rd fastest time in the Superpole. Taddy, confident before the start of hostilities, admitted to having completely recovered from all the little pains or discomfort he may have suffered. It was in total possession of his abilities that he started the Hungarian round. The law of the track is often cruel. The famous Number 111 finished 5th, 7th and DNF in the final heat. Shaken and pushed beyond his true potential, the Pole is stung raw. It would not be surprising to find a great Taddy BLAZUSIAK from the round of Jerusalem.

Dan PEACE wins Europe

Dan PEACE (GBR-Sherco) certainly did not win the Hungarian Grand Prix in the European Cup, but the Briton could afford to manage and let his opponents get a little exposed. This was the case since Alessandro AZZALINI (ITA-GASGAS), Mark SZOKE (HUN-Sherco), Roland LISZKA (HUN, KTM) and Grzegorz KARGUL (POL-Husqvarna) were all united in very few points. PEACE smoothly led and managed this Budapest meeting played placed when he could not dominate his opponents. He finished 2nd in the first race and 3rd in the second. These two places in the points are enough to offer him the European crown for the 2023 season. Titled in Europe this season, we hope to be able to see the English driver join the ranks of Prestige in 2024.

TTR Racing team: SuperEnduro passion

If a team seems well involved in SuperEnduro, it is Italian and is managed by Thomas GIANOTTI. TTR Racing Team entered a squad GASGAS in the Prestige, Junior and European Cup categories. The figurehead of the Italian team is none other than the 2022 Junior World Champion: Dominik OLSZOWY. In constant progress since the start of the season, the Pole is the pride of his boss who continues to believe in the enormous potential of his protégé. Witha true potential to discover young talents, Thomas GIANOTTI has the pleasure this season of providing a ride to the brothers Mitch and Ashton BRIGHTMORE. Currently 1st and 2nd in the Junior SuperEnduro World Championship. The two English boys have got into the habit of placing the two black GASGAS of the transalpine team at the forefront. But the TTR effort doesn't stop there as European Cup GP winner Alessandro AZZALINI is also a TTR rider. It would seem that the canvas of the TTR team is perfectly extended, we should hear about the Italian team for many more  seasons.

Manufacturer rankings

The fight is also very good for the brands involved in the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship. Winner of all the Grand Prix since the start of the season with the BILLY BOLT missile, Husqvarna is logically at the top of the rankings with 120 units. 15 points behind Husky, Beta leads Sherco by 15 points as well. A little in trouble since the start of the season GASGAS is only 4th in the standings 34 points behind the Swedish brand...

Provisional classification: 1. Husqvarna 120 pts, 2. Beta 105 pts, 3. Sherco 90 pts, 4. GASGAS 86 pts, 5. KTM 50 pts, 6. Rieju 47 pts, 7. TM Racing 38 pts.