
Walker Victorious at Red Bull Megawatt
Jonny Walker has made a winning return to the Red Bull Hard Enduro series by claiming victory at the 2016 edition of
Red Bull 111 Megawatt, his second consecutive win at the
Polish event.
Surpassing even his own expectations by securing victory,
following his lengthy lay-off with injury Walker was confident
of a podium result but also well aware that his relative lack
of race fitness would likely make challenging for the win
difficult.
Second behind early pacesetter Taddy Blazusiak during the
opening stages of the race, Walker battled his way through
the opening lap before settling into a steady pace on lap two.
With many of the soft, wet sandy hills posing serious
challenges for all the top riders, the battle for the win came
down to a three-rider fight between Walker, Wade Yong and
Mario Roman.
Keeping his mistakes to a minimum during the all-important
final lap, Jonny was the first to attempt the final climb.
Falling just short of reaching the top, he nevertheless
managed to push his bike across the finish line to secure
victory just seconds ahead of Mario Roman.
Jonny Walker: “It’s great to be back racing. After so many
months away from serious competition I was looking forward
to this race, to win it is an awesome feeling. I’d have been
happy with any result on the podium but the race went really
well. The rain certainly made things much harder than in
previous years. I got a good start, followed Taddy for a while
but decided to give things a go out front. It was tough on the
big hills because the sand was so, so soft. There was
nowhere to make time up. I tried to save as much energy as
possible once the race settled down. Then I put my head
down half way around the final lap. I knew that I could either
win or lose the race on the final hill, it was that kind of
event. Thankfully, I managed to get close enough to the top
of the last climb that I was able to push to the top. It was
close, but I got the win so I’m made up.”
Results – Megawatt, 2016
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 2:47:27; 2. Mario Roman (Husqvarna)
2:47:30; 3. Wade Young (Sherco) 2:47:47; 4. Graham Jarvis
(Husqvarna) 2:47:56; 5. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 2:54:20; 6.
Manni Lettenbichler (KTM) 2:57:44; 7. Alfredo Gomez (KTM)
3:06:08; 8. Adam Tomiczek (KTM) 3:16:17; 9. David Cyprian
(KTM) 3:17:54; 10. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 3:18:31…
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