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All content © Bob MuIIins |
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Husqvarna Motorcycles are looking forward to a successful start to their 2015 FIM Enduro World Championship campaign, which begins in a little over four weeks time when the seven round series kicks off in Talca, Chile on April 17. Entering the series as defending champions in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class, Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing will have riders fighting for top honours in four classes of the EWC under the guidance of the Swedish former enduro star and today’s team manager Thomas Gustavsson.
Back in action following a season curtailed by a serious knee injury, Frenchman Mathias Bellino competes in the Enduro 3 class and has his sights set on capturing a debut senior title. A race winner in 2014 at the GP of Sweden, Bellino has the speed needed to reach the top step of the podium. Making a switch to the TE 300 two-stroke for 2015, Bellino’s aims to come out swinging in Chile.
Competing in the Enduro Junior category, Jamie McCanney is one of the hot favourites for the title. Despite suffering injury in 2014, he still produced two important podium results. Now back to full fitness and feeling race sharp on his FE 350, the youngest of the McCanney brothers is eager to turn his winter preparation into a winning result when the series gets underway in Chile. The opening round of the 2015 Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship gets underway in Talca, Chile on April 17/18/19. Pela Renet – Enduro 2: “I’m looking forward to the defence of my Enduro 2 title. I’ve put a lot of work in during the off-season to improve things and I really feel like everything has taken another step forward. Last year was an incredible season with Husqvarna. We won the world championship and then backed it up with the overall win in the ISDE, while also securing the French Enduro Championship. It will be tough to match that again but we’ll try our best. The level of competition is very high in E2 – there are a lot of riders capable of winning – but I believe I can do it again. It’s going to be a long hard season of racing but I’m ready for the fight.” Daniel McCanney – Enduro 1: “I’m really excited to join Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing for 2015. It’s a big year for me in enduro but I feel like I’m in the right place to do well. After winning the Enduro Junior title in 2014 I’m looking forward to the move up into the senior ranks and the Enduro 1 class. It’s my first season racing a four-stroke in the EWC but so far testing has gone really well on the FE 250. With the opening round of the season just a couple of weeks away in Chile, I’m targeting a top five result and from there try to build towards regular podium finishes.” Mathias Bellino – Enduro 3: “It feels great to be back on a bike again having been sidelined with a knee injury for nine months. Although 2014 ended in disappointment I was able to win the GP of Sweden so that’s been my motivation leading into 2015. Switching to the TE 300 two-stroke has so far gone very well. It’s been refreshing to change machinery but still remain in the Enduro 3 class. I want to fight for the title. I know it’s going to be a very competitive season ahead but I believe in the programme I’ve got and the team are 100 per cent behind me to achieve this goal.” Jamie McCanney – Enduro Junior: “I’m hungry for success in 2015. It’s always difficult to know how things will unfold but I feel like I’ve done all the groundwork during the winter months to challenge for the Enduro Junior title. Although last year was tough with some injuries, my pace was always good enough to fight for a podium result. Now that I’m back to full fitness and feeling confident in my riding I believe I can progress things more. My target is to end the year as world champion.”
JOSH STRANG TAKES HOME THE SILVER MEDAL FOR ROCKSTAR
ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING FROM GNCC ROUND 2 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang claimed 2nd place at the 2nd GNCC of 2015, his second silver medal in a row in XC1 Pro. Aonia Pass, North Carlolina harbored warm temperatures and high humidity. Riders had to patiently select lines to traverse the muddy and slick terrain and navigate through some challenging mud holes. Strang started out 5th and moved into 2nd on the second lap. After refueling on lap 2, he came within 15 seconds of the leader and during lap 3 closed the gap to 9 seconds. Midway through lap 3 Strang came together with a lapper and suffered some minor damage to his machine. The front wheel was changed at the Pro Pit shortly after which caused him to drop back to 4th place. Just 2 miles after leaving the pit for his repairs, Strang reclaimed 2nd place and held on for the silver! “Today was good; I had a decent start and started to catch the leader. I ended up tangling with a lapper and bent my rotor so had to change the wheel. I felt good all day so it was good to get up on the podium again,” explained Strang. Teammate, Andrew DeLong, remains sidelined as he recovers from last week’s collar bone injury. Husqvarna also claimed the third step on the podium in the XC1 Pro class with Thaddy Duvall finishing behind Strang, and a second place finish in the XC2 Pro Lites class with Husky rider Nick Davis. Rockstar Energy and Husqvarna backed Ryan Sipes finished the day 10th in the XC1 Pro class. XC1 Pro Results 1 KAILUB K RUSSELL 2 JOSH V STRANG - Husqvarna 3 THADDEUS DUVALL - Husqvarna 4 JORDAN ASHBURN 5 CHRISTOPHER BACH 6 GRANT BAYLOR 7 RUSSELL BOBBITT 8 TYLER MEDAGLIA - Husqvarna 9 ADAM J BONNEUR 10 RYAN SIPES - Husqvarna Photos by Ken Hill
Solid performance from Gomez in France After four long and demanding months of racing Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Alfredo Gomez signs off on the 2015 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship with a fifth place result in the final series standings. Delivering Husqvarna Motorcycles’ best performance at the season ending finale in Cahors, France Gomez brought his FE 350 home in fourth overall. With the sixth and final round taking place on an extremely tight, technical and physically demanding course, Gomez was hoping to put his years of trials experience to good use and deliver a strong result. But during the night’s second practice session the Spaniard tore a ligament in his finger. Determined to ride on, Gomez battled his way to three fourth place results to secure a top five position in the overall championship standings. Bringing his SuperEnduro season to a close, Daniel McCanney endured an up and down night. Qualifying for the SuperPole showdown, Danny claimed sixth place in races one and two. Unfortunate mistakes in the final race left him eighth overall on the night. He ended his season ninth overall.
Sampling SuperEnduro action for the very first time, Colton Haaker made the trip over from the USA to compete. With the SuperEnduro series proving far different than his regular AMA EnduroCross Championship, Haaker struggled to adapt to the conditions and had to settle for tenth overall. Alfredo Gomez: “This wasn’t quite the result I hoped for tonight. I was feeling really good on the track but in the second practice session I tore a ligament in my finger. I was in a lot of pain and was barley able to use the front brake. But it was the last round of the series and I wanted to race and protect my position in the championship. I struggled but managed to finish fourth three times to end the championship in fifth.” Mathias Bellino: “After missing out on the entire championship I only came to this race to have some fun. I wanted to put on a good show for my French public and try to give them a good race. But without any proper training I just wasn’t ready for this track. It was so tight and technical – I wasn’t comfortable on it and I didn’t want to risk more than I needed to. Eighth overall is not ideal but I’m happy to be safe and now focused on the Enduro World Championship.” Daniel McCanney: “France just sort of summed up my SuperEnduro season really. The course suited the trials type riders and I really struggled to find any rhythm with it. I managed to place sixth in the first two races but mistakes in the final race cost me a chance at improving my overall position. Generally it’s been a tough series for me but hopefully an important one. I’ve learned a lot about my new bike and feel motivated to head outdoors for the EWC.” Colton Haaker: “It was a last minute decision to race here so I didn’t really have any expectation. I just wanted to experience this style of racing. It took a few races to get into things, it wasn’t until the second last race that I began to improve my speed and confidence. Tenth overall is far from ideal but racing in Europe is a completely new thing for me and one I want to do more of in the future.” Results – 2015 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 6 Championship Standings – 2015 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship
Gomez and McCanney battle on in Brazil Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing team riders Alfredo Gomez and Danny McCanney were both in action at round five of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Belo Horizonte, Brazil – the penultimate round of the six-event 2015 series.
Competing alongside Gomez was Danny McCanney. Gaining further important experience in his first full season of senior class competition, Danny endured a tough night despite showing good pace. A strong start in the opening race saw the Manxman banging bars near the front of the race before mistakes saw him eventually place ninth. Crashing at the start and starting ninth in the second final Danny was unable to make his way forward and finished in the same position as he started. Another frustrating race saw Danny place eighth in the third and closing final.
Danny McCanney: “Things just didn’t happen for me in Brazil. I hurt my leg during last weekend’s race in Mexico and it made things tough for me here in Brazil. I couldn’t gel with the track and I wasn’t able to get a good feeling with the conditions. I struggled in the logs and rocks most. In race two I crashed off the start and in race three I collided with another rider in the first rock section and went down. We have one more SuperEnduro event for this series so I want to make the most of it and end the series with the best result I can.
Prestige overall 1. Cody Webb (KTM) 53 points; 2. David Knight (KTM) 50 points; 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 45; 4. Jonny Walker (KTM) 40; 5. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 33; 6. Dani Gibert (Gas Gas) 29… 9. Danny McCanney (Husqvarna) 22 Race 1 1. Cody Webb (KTM); 2. Jonny Walker (KTM); 3. David Knight (KTM)… 6. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna); 9 Danny McCanney (Husqvarna)… Race 2 1. Jonny Walker (KTM); 2. Cody Webb (KTM); 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM)… 6. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna); 9. Danny McCanney (Husqvarna)… Race 3 1. David Knight (KTM); 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM); 3. Cody Webb (KTM); 4. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna); 8. Danny McCanney (Husqvarna)…
Fourth Overall For Gomez In Mexico Mixed results for Husqvarna Motorcycles at round four of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico The fourth round of the SuperEnduro World Championship in Mexico was a tough night for Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing with Alfredo Gomez battling back from numerous mistakes to secure fourth. Entering Guadalajara with high hopes of bettering his performance from the previous round in Finland, Gomez’ night got off to a difficult start when he crashed in the second corner of race one. Remounting almost last the Husqvarna rider charged hard on the slippery and technically demanding track to climb his way back up to sixth. Improving position in race two, Gomez jumped two places to fourth. Determined to end his night on a high, the Husqvarna rider almost grabbed the holeshot in race three. Ending the opening lap locked in a battle for the race lead with Taddy Blazusiak and Cody Webb, the Spaniard fought on to place a solid third and end his GP of Mexico in a well-deserved fourth overall. For Gomez’ teammate Daniel McCanney, the tricky conditions in Guadalajara caught the young Manxman out on numerous occasions. After his strong showing in Finland, McCanney looked for better in Mexico but suffering costly crashes in almost every race prevented the Husqvarna rider from closing in on a top five result.
Alfredo Gomez: “It’s been an ok night. I had a bit of bad luck in the first race when I crashed just after the start in the second corner. It was tough to recover from that mistake but I managed to improve my position with each lap to get sixth. I was fourth in race two but in race three my start was much better and I was third on lap one. I battled with Cody Webb and Taddy Blazusiak but they gapped me a little towards the end and I finished third. It was good to end the night on a high and hopefully I can continue like that in Brazil next weekend.” Danny McCanney: “Things just never really got going for me here in Mexico. After a strong ride in Finland I wanted a top five result but for some reason I just couldn’t get to grips with the track. The harder I tried to make it work the more I crashed. The conditions were hard to judge. It was incredibly slippery in places and that made it so easy to get things wrong. All I can do is put it down to a valuable learning experience and move on to Brazil next weekend.” The Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship continues in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on February 28. Results – FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Rnd 4
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Featuring
a restructured and more focused team for the 2015 season, Husqvarna will
field riders in the Enduro1, Enduro 2, Enduro 3 and Enduro Junior classes.
Frenchman Mathias Bellino and Manxman Jamie McCanney will once again compete
alongside reigning E2 champion Frenchman Pela Renet. 2014 Enduro Junior
World Champion Manxman Daniel McCanney is a welcome addition to the squad.
Joining
the team for 2015, British rider Daniel McCanney is Husqvarna’s hope for
podium results in the Enduro 1 class. One of the EWC’s most impressive
riders during 2014, McCanney is a young rider with a bright future ahead of
him. Gelling well with his FE 250 during the FIM SuperEnduro World
Championship, McCanney is ready to get his outdoor season started.
Making his
first appearance in the SuperEnduro series in 2015, Mathias Bellino was
hoping to make good on his podium result from last weekend’s Enduro Indoor
de Barcelona. But with the course favouring the trials specialists, Bellino
was unable to deliver the result he wanted in front of his home crowd and he
placed ninth overall.
Following
on from the Mexican event one week earlier, it was again Gomez who secured
the best results for Husqvarna placing fifth overall despite an eventful
night’s racing. With an exciting track ensuring plenty of on-track action
Gomez was made to work hard in each of the two opening races. Starting
eighth the Spaniard fought his way into sixth, results that would have been
better were it not for several mistakes and incidents. Saving his best for
the third and last final, Alfredo ended the opening lap in fifth before
improving one position to claim a strong fourth, giving him fifth overall.
Alfredo
Gomez: “It’s been great racing these two SuperEnduro events in
Mexico and Brazil, but I made so many mistakes and crashes in Brazil. I
still managed to come away with fifth overall, which is good, but I know it
could have been a lot, lot better. I tried as hard as I could but just
couldn’t get a decent rhythm going. There was always something – small
mistakes or crashing with other riders.”
Results
– FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Rnd 5
In the Junior class there was delight for Husqvarna mounted Gethin
Humphreys when he claimed the overall runner-up result. Making the long haul
trip from Wales to Mexico more than worthwhile, the 21-year-old quickly got
to grips with the challenging conditions. Placing an impressive second in
all three races the Husqvarna rider secured his debut podium result in
SuperEnduro and moves up to third overall in the championship standings.