All content © Bob MuIIins

Jonny Walker wins Alèstrêm Extreme Enduro 2016

Getting his 2016 extreme enduro season off to a winning start Jonny Walker has topped the results at Alèstrêm – the first major, European extreme race of the year. At the end of a demanding main race Jonny finished ahead of Wade Young and Graham Jarvis, having battled with Young during the opening two laps before edging ahead during the more technically challenging third lap.

Ahead of the event’s main race Jonny placed a close second to Wade Young in the opening day’s qualifying special test. With all of the event’s top riders recording their fastest time on lap two Jonny placed second, just four seconds behind Young.

The opening day also saw all competitors compete in an outdoor Endurocross event. Dominating the proceedings, Jonny topped his qualifying heat before going on to win the Pro final. Bringing day one to a successful close he then toped the Super Final.

Fast, flowing terrain dominated much of the opening two laps of the Alèstrêm main race. Trading positions with Wade Young having overcome a mediocre start Jonny hit his stride when the going started to get tougher. Unaware at the time that the race was to be shortened by one-lap, Jonny pushed hard during the third lap to open up what would become a winning advantage.

Jonny Walker: “It’s been tough, but a good race. The qualifying special test and then the Endurocross races were really good fun, but obviously the main race was the important part. Getting a winning result is a great way to start the extreme season. Wade Young was running a really fast pace for the first two laps. He’d be ahead for a while, then I'd be ahead for a while. It was really close and really high paced. Things started getting tougher on the third lap, and that’s where I managed to open up a small lead. I kept pushing and stayed ahead to the finish. The last lap was really physical, some parts of the track was so, so slippery. It made pushing hard really difficult.”

Results – Alèstrêm 2016

1. Jonny Walker (KTM); 2. Wade Young (Sherco); 3. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna); 4. Alfredo Gomez (KTM); 5. Mario Roman (Husqvarna); 6. Julien Gauthier (Yamaha); 7. Lars Enockl (KTM); 8. Yannick Mappinard (Beta); 9. Alexandre Queyreyre (Beta); 10. Billy Bolt (KTM)…