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All content © Bob MuIIins |
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Bellino & McCanney win in Jerez Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing had a weekend to savour at the second round of the FIM Enduro World Championship in Jerez, Spain. Securing a double victory in both the Enduro 3 and Enduro Junior classes, Mathias Bellino and Jamie McCanney leave Spain with strong leads in their respective championship campaigns. Mathias Bellino claimed one of the standout performances at the GP of Spain with a double victory in the Enduro 3 class. Hitting the ground running he set a time on the Friday super test that was five seconds quicker than his classmates. Continuing that form, he won day one by 15 seconds. On day two a small crash on the third enduro test dropped him to fourth. Giving it everything on the final lap he battled his way back into contention and secured victory by just one second. With two wins in Spain, Bellino now leads the Enduro 3 classification. For Enduro 2 champion Pela Renet, the GP of Spain didn’t quite deliver the results he’d hoped for. Leading the way on day one, Renet enjoyed a daylong battle with Antoine Meo for victory. Separated by six tenths of a second – in Renet’s favour – entering the penultimate test a small crash proved costly and he dropped back to second. Still feeling the effects of his pre season injury, Renet wasn’t able to give his maximum effort on day two. Losing out to his closest rivals in the latter half of the day, he ended his race in third. After his strong showing at the opening round in Chile, Danny McCanney was hungry for more podium success in Enduro 1. Struggling slightly to adapt to the enduro test, the Husqvarna rider ended lap one off the pace of the leading pack. Improving as the day unfolded he placed sixth. Starting day two with a crash in the enduro test, he was again on the back foot. But a determined effort saw him work his way forward to fourth and place only 15 seconds shy of the podium. Entering the GP of Spain, Enduro Junior championship leader Jamie McCanney was unsure if he could take the start. Feeling seriously under the weather, the Husqvarna rider dug deep to pull off two very important victories. Winning day one by a commanding 21 seconds, McCanney – despite feeling low on energy – held off a fierce challenge from Steve Holcombe on day two to record his second win of the weekend. With two rounds complete, McCanney now holds a 15-point lead in the championship. Husqvarna Spain’s Josep Garcia yet again delivered an outstanding performance in the Youth Cup class and claimed a perfect 1-1 scorecard in Jerez. For Husqvarna UK’s Jane Daniels, the opening round of the Women’s Cup category was a productive one. Ending both days on the podium, Daniels placed third overall each time. The Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship continues with round three in Portugal on May 16/17.
Pela Renet: “Of course I am always looking to try and win, but I can't be too unhappy with a second and third place result. It’s good championship points. I feel like I am getting stronger, but I’m still not able to push to my maximum. Day one started really well and I was leading, like I was in Chile. Antoine was pushing hard and I made some small mistakes, which I don't normally do. When I need to be strong I am not yet able to give 100 per cent. It was close on day two but again I wasn’t able to push like I wanted during the second half of the day. It’s like that at the moment so my focus is securing strong championship points.” Mathias Bellino: “It’s been a crazy GP for me and the other riders fighting for the win in the Enduro 3 class. From the start of day one it was clear that there were several riders that had the speed to win. I was battling with Matt Phillips most of the day and things were tight. I got the win, so that was great for me. Day two was good, but a crash in the third test put me back to fourth. I knew I had some work to do then, and things went well. I had a big fight with Matti Seistola then for the rest of the day. I pushed as much as I could. There were many riders waiting for us to make mistakes. It’s great to win a day like this. It’s been a great race for me.” Jamie McCanney: “I honestly can’t believe that I’ve won both days. I felt terrible before the race so I just decided to take things steadily and ride smooth. To say things turned out well is a massive understatement. I certainly wasn’t expecting it. I made a few silly mistakes during both days but generally going a little more steadily paid off as it was easy to push too hard, especially on the enduro test. I knew there were a few riders that would be strong on day two. I took a similar approach to day one and things went well.” RESULTS – FIM ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND TWO |
Danny
McCanney: “It’s been an ok race for me, but after my podium results
in Chile I would have liked things to have gone a little better. It took me
too long to really get to grips with the enduro test. On one lap I dropped
into a deep rut that knocked my bike into neutral. Before I knew it I was
back at the bottom of the hill. I was playing catch up from that point
onwards. I crashed in the enduro test at the start of day two, which was
exactly what I didn't need. I was down in seventh so to work back to fourth
is great.”