KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
US Hare & Hound: 3rd round El Centro, CA (27.03.2006)
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Track was super fast and sandier than usual. Track was dusty and had two loops; First loop very fast and about 50 miles where they had to have extra gas stop and second loop was more technical going along the canyons. Whether was warm around 85’F.

All of our three factory riders bikes worked spotless today and all riders was happy for bike set ups. All three riders spend some extra time on Saturday to set up suspension to fit this track.

David Pearson had pretty decant start and he was 8th end of the bomb run (1mile start straight) Matt Gosnell and Kellon Walch came around 20th to the bomb.

All three riders worked their way up to top after the start. David and Kellon manage to keep charging thru the whole race and finish race 4th and 5th. Matt Gosnell made his way up to 6th spot but couple mistakes force him back to 8th on the end.

Result
1. Destry Abbott KAW
2. Steve Hengeveld HON
3. Russell Pearson YAM
4. David Pearson KTM
5. Kellon Walch KTM
6. David Kamo KTM
8. Matt Gosnell KTM

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
6 Hours of Glen Helen; David Pearson and Matt Gosnell dominate (20.03.2006)
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The first round of the Endurance Series kicked off at the famed Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA and David Pearson and Matt Gosnell ran a flawless 6 Hour race, never to be contested.

Under gray and rainy skies, David Pearson was the lead rider for the two-man KTM team and found himself in front of 148 other competitors by the second lap, in muddy and sloppy conditions. When Matt Gosnell took over, he was also faced with a muddy main track and kept charging the 10.5 mile long course, lapping all the way up to third place.

Pearson and Gosnell ran a stock KTM 450 XC and both the riders and the motorcycle ran perfectly, again proving KTM is “Ready to Race.”

The next two scheduled races of this endurance series contain the 12 Hour and 24 Hour race.

Gosnell and Pearson now lead the series

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
AMA National Enduro; Round 2, Greensboro, GA (20.03.2006)
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The Enduro series moved to Georgia for the second round of the AMA National series and KTM Off-Road rider Mike Lafferty placed third, continuing to hold the series points lead.

The conditions were great for Enduro racing with a cool overcast day and tight wooded sections with nine challenging segments. Lafferty got off to an usually slow start but soon bounced back and regained precious points at the first and second gas stops. Russell Bobbitt, Mike Lafferty and Stephan Edmonson went check for check until the end of the race, where Bobbitt edged out Edmonson by 19 seconds for the win.

AMA National Enduro Results, Greensboro GA

1. Russell Bobbitt KTM
2. Steven Edmonson KTM
3. Mike Lafferty KTM
4. Jason Chancey KTM
5. Rich Lafferty KTM
6. Nick Faringer
7. Mike Grizzle KTM
8. Fred Hoess
9. Andrew Kendrick
10. Tommy Veator KTM

Enduro 1 : Sixth for Micheluz
Round: 1 - Sweden
Circuit: Östersund
Date: 19 March 2006
Crowd: 4500
Temp: 5ºC
Weather: Sunny

With UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Arnau Vilanova unable to compete in Sweden due to having injured his ribs while training for the event Italian Maurizio Micheluz competed as the team’s only E1 rider. Having never raced in winter conditions before Maurizio placed in sixth on both days showing that despite feeling far from at home in the cold, slippery conditions he was able to produce consistent results and finish both days comfortably inside the top 10.

Finn Petri Pohjamo and Spaniard Ivan Cervantes claimed a day win each in Sweden with Cervantes claiming the lead in the E1 championship standings ahead of Pohjamo and Sweden’s Peter Bergvall. Having finishing in sixth on both days Maurizio currently lies in sixth position in the E1 standings with seven rounds remaining.

Race classification Enduro 1

Round: 1 - Sweden
Circuit: Östersund
Lap Record: 62′ 47.770 (Ivan Cervantes, 2006)

Race: 1 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 P. Pohjamo TM FIN 66′ 46.540
2 I. Cervantes KTM ESP +14.870
3 S. Albergoni Honda ITA +18.540
4 P. Bergvall Suzuki SWE +23.870
5 B. Oblucki Husqvarna POL +1′ 12.150
6 M. Micheluz Yamaha ITA +1′ 38.910
7 A. Belometti KTM ITA +1′ 51.230
8 R. Carlsson Yamaha SWE +2′ 0.710
9 H. Rodrigues Yamaha POR +2′ 12.900
10 F. Georgsson KTM SWE +2′ 15.440
11 M. Hartmann KTM GER +3′ 35.200
12 P. Olsson Yamaha SWE +5′ 19.130
13 L. Holm KTM FIN +5′ 2,704.000
14 F. Blanc KTM FRA +6′ 51.960

Race 2: 1 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 I. Cervantes KTM ESP 62′ 47.770
2 P. Bergvall Suzuki SWE +26.490
3 B. Oblucki Husqvarna POL +27.690
4 P. Pohjamo TM FIN +44.910
5 S. Albergoni Honda ITA +48.440
6 M. Micheluz Yamaha ITA +1′ 17.840
7 A. Belometti KTM ITA +1′ 29.690
8 R. Carlsson Yamaha SWE +1′ 47.640
9 F. Georgsson KTM SWE +2′ 27.580
10 H. Rodrigues Yamaha POR +2′ 57.330
11 P. Olsson Yamaha SWE +3′ 43.390
12 M. Hartmann KTM GER +3′ 48.620
13 M. Andreasson Suzuki SWE +4′ 10.180
14 L. Holm KTM FIN +4′ 47.360
15 F. Blanc KTM FRA +6 ‘ 11.310
16 M. Wiberg Honda SWE +8′ 53.100

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 I. Cervantes KTM ESP 62′ 47.770

Championship standings Enduro 1

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 47
2 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 43
3 Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 40
4 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 36
5 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 36
6 Mauricio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 30
7 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 28
8 Robert Carlsson Yamaha SWE 26
9 Frederik Georgsson KTM SWE 23
10 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 23
11 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 19
12 Pär Olsson Yamaha SWE 19
13 Leit Holm KTM FIN 15
14 Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 13
15 Matts Andreasson Suzuki SWE 8
16 Mikael Wiberg Honda SWE 5
17 Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 0
18 Giuseppe Gallino Yamaha ITA 0
19 Philip Powderly TM IRL 0
20 Emilio Comotti Honda ITA 0

Manufacturers standings Enduro 1

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 KTM 47
2 TM 43
3 Suzuki 40
4 Husqvarna 36
4 Honda 36
5 Yamaha 30

Enduro 2 : Aubert third on WEC debut
Round: 1 - Sweden
Circuit: Östersund
Date: 19 March 2006
Crowd: 4500
Temp: 5ºC
Weather: Sunny

UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert finished the opening round of the 2006 World Enduro Championship with two impressive third place positions in the competitive Enduro 2 class. Making his WEC debut at the Swedish event, the former motocross rider showed that not only is he a fast learner, but that he has the speed to challenge the series’ more established riders for podium positions. Placing less than one-minute behind class winner Samuli Aro on day one, Aubert managed to win one of the day’s special tests while remaining smooth, aggressive and consistent. On day two the Frenchman again rode well finishing just 37 seconds behind Aro, who again claimed the class win. In finishing in third position on both days Johnny is currently in third position in the E2 world championship standings, just 10 points behind Aro and four points behind runner-up Mika Ahola.

Disappointingly the season opener wasn’t a good one for Australian Stefan Merriman. After injury wrecked his 2005 season the former world champion hoped to get his 2006 campaign off to a strong start but struggled to master the challenging conditions in Sweden. Placing fifth on day one Merriman faired even worse on day two and despite not making any serious mistakes on either of the event’s motocross, enduro or extreme tests he placed in sixth.

Johnny Aubert
“It’s been a great weekend for me. Finishing third on day one was incredible for me, a great surprise. I hoped to learn during the race and before the race I hoped to finish inside the top 10. I am not sure why I was so fast because I didn’t make so much training in these conditions. I enjoyed day one but it is so difficult adjusting to the conditions.

“Although I finished third again on day two I didn’t feel as good as I did on day one. I rode consistently all day, which I think really helped me. I didn’t make any big mistakes and managing to finish on the podium again is great - a perfect start to my first world championship enduro season.”

Stefan Merriman
“The best part of this weekend for me has been the finish of the race because I have had two very disappointing days. I really struggled on both days to be honest, I couldn’t ride like I wanted to on day one and just paddled my way around the tests as best I could. It feels to me like you have to ride almost out of control, with little control of the front wheel. I like to ride knowing exactly what the front wheel of my bike is doing. If I don’t have a good, positive feeling from the front wheel I don’t have the confidence to push hard. That’s exactly what has happened this weekend, I haven’t had the confidence to push hard.

“I didn’t have any crashes on the tests but I had several in the checks. I did try making some changes to my bike for the second day but they didn’t make any real difference. No, it’s not been the best of weekends for me.”

David Knight claimed top honours on both days in the Enduro 3 class finishing ahead of Finn Marko Tarkkala with Sweden’s Bjorne Carlsson claiming third on both days.

Race classification Enduro 2

Round: 1 - Sweden
Circuit: Östersund
Lap Record: 60′ 51.650 (Samuli Aro, 2006)

Race: 1 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Aro KTM FIN 64′ 53.340
2 M. Ahola Honda FIN +26.720
3 J. Aubert Yamaha FRA +59.600
4 V. Salonen HusaBerg FIN +2′ 9.090
5 S. Merriman Yamaha AUS +2′ 37.550
6 F. Planet KTM FRA +3′ 5.130
7 P. Silvan KTM FIN +3′ 8.870
8 P. Wicksell KTM SWE +3′ 54.350
9 R. Rihelainen HusaBerg FIN +3′ 59.640
10 C. Guerrero GasGas ESP +4′ 8.510
11 E. McConnell TM GBR +4′ 15.130
12 X. Galindo KTM ESP +4′ 25.500
13 T. Klutz Sherco BEL +4′ 28.500
14 A. Beconi Beta ITA +4′ 46.540
15 F. Dini Yamaha ITA +5′ 35.980
16 G. Canova Husqvarna ITA +5′ 58.040
17 CJ. Bjerkert KTM SWE +6′ 16.600
18 P. Nurminen HusaBerg FIN +6′ 31.740
19 T. Burman HusaBerg SWE +7′ 0.020
20 A. Botturi Aprilia ITA +7′ 4.090

Race 2: 1 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Aro KTM FIN 60′ 51.650
2 M. Ahola Honda FIN +44.700
3 J. Aubert Yamaha FRA +1′ 9.740
4 F. Planet KTM FRA +3′ 2.580
5 V. Salonen HusaBerg FIN +3′ 12.570
6 S. Merriman Yamaha AUS +3′ 14.860
7 P. Silvan KTM FIN +3′ 41.160
8 C. Guerrero GasGas ESP +3′ 44.220
9 T. Klutz Sherco BEL +4′ 16.860
10 X. Galindo KTM ESP +4′ 44.310
11 A. Botturi Aprilia ITA +4′ 53.120
12 F. Andersson KTM SWE +4′ 54.450
13 F. Dini Yamaha ITA +4′ 56.260
14 R. Rihelainen HusaBerg FIN +5′ 0.860
15 A. Beconi Beta ITA +5′ 5.890
16 E. McConnell TM GBR +5′ 30.070
17 P. Nurminen HusaBerg FIN +5′ 57.470
18 CJ. Bjerkert KTM SWE +6′ 7.660
19 P. Wicksell KTM SWE +6′ 11.240
20 G. Canova Husqvarna ITA +6′ 18.390

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Aro KTM FIN 60′ 51.650

Championship standings Enduro 2

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 50
2 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 44
3 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 40
4 Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 34
5 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 33
6 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 31
7 Petteri Silvan KTM FIN 28
8 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 24
9 Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 20
10 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 20
11 Riku Rihelainen HusaBerg FIN 19
12 Euan McConnell TM GBR 15
13 Patrik Wicksell KTM SWE 15
14 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 14
15 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 13
16 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 11
17 Fritz Andersson KTM SWE 9
18 Carl Johan Bjerkert KTM SWE 7
19 Pentti Nurminen HusaBerg FIN 7
20 Giuseppe Canova Husqvarna ITA 6

Manufacturers standings Enduro 2

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 KTM 50
2 Honda 44
3 Yamaha 40
4 HusaBerg 34
5 GasGas 24
6 Sherco 20
7 TM 15
8 Beta 13
9 Aprilia 11
10 Husqvarna 6

KTM Press Newsletter

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ENDURO
2006 FIM World Enduro Championship Rnd 1 Grand Prix of Sweden - Day 2 (19.03.2006)
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The strong start KTM’s factory enduro team riders made on day one of the opening round of the ’06 WEC series got even better on day two where Ivan Cervantes topped the Enduro 1 class, Samuli Aro the Enduro 2 class and David Knight the Enduro 3 class. In doing so the three KTM riders now lead the E1, E2 and E3 world championship standings.

In the Enduro 1 class Ivan Cervantes went one better than he did on day one and topped the class by close to half a minute. Winning six of the day’s special tests the reigning E1 world champion showed just how good he is by mastering the difficult conditions – something most thought a former motocross rider from southern Europe would never do. Disappointingly day two was a frustrating one for his Italian team-mate Alessandro Belometti. Matching his day one finishing position of seventh, Belometti struggled to feel comfortably in the changing conditions and as a result saw several mistakes prevent him from finishing higher.

Riding at his absolute best, Finn Samuli Aro topped the Enduro 2 class as he did on day one, beating countryman Mika Ahola and French rider Johnny Aubert. Failing to win just two special tests in the E2 class the reigning Enduro 2 world champion placed 24 seconds ahead at the top of the class and finished as the day’s fastest overall rider. With two wins in Sweden Samuli now sits six points clear at the top of the E2 world championship standings. French rider Fabien Planet rode consistently on day two and placed in fifth position.

After topping the Enduro 3 class on day one, and beating Finnish team-mate Marko Tarkkala in the process, David Knight showed just how dominant a rider he has become in the WEC. On day two he repeated his class victory, beating Marko by 15 seconds, to claim a maximum 50 points and strengthen his lead at the top of the E3 world championship. With Marko finishing second after an uneventful day the two KTM riders finished comfortably ahead of Swede Björne Carlsson.

David Knight: “The conditions seemed to change all the time on day two, which makes each lap different. The first lap was quite tricky, my bike seemed to be moving around a lot more than on day one. There wasn’t much between myself and Marko in the morning when the tests were reasonably smooth but when they got rougher I was able to open up a lead. Once I had a good lead I eased off a bit so that I didn’t crash. I was really worried on the last lap that my chain would come off because of the frozen ruts.
“I spent one week trying to figure out how to ride with spiked tyres and it seems to have worked. I’ve really enjoyed learning how to ride on a different type of surface and terrain and I think having a winter enduro as the first round for the WEC has been a success. It’s the perfect start for me. I just hope that I can continue winning now.”

Samuli Aro: “I am really happy with the way I have ridden this weekend, especially on day two. I think the last time I was able to concentrate as well as I have this weekend in the special tests was over one year ago. It is a perfect start to the world championship for me, which is exactly what I wanted and worked for in the weeks and months leading up to the race.
“The race wasn’t exactly like we expected because there wasn’t as much snow as predicted. The organisers were ready for bad weather, but instead we got good weather. When it is so warm, like it has been in the afternoon on both days, it gets really hard to ride because spike tyres don’t work on stones. It’s been a great event though and a great start to my world championship.”

Ivan Cervantes: “Obviously I am very happy to have won today. Finishing second on day one in these conditions was like a victory for me but to actually finish first today is incredible, I never thought that I would be able to do this. I made one crash on day two, on the ice, but I didn’t loose too much time. I have really enjoyed the race but it has been hard. Five laps each day in the snow ruts really makes your legs ache.
“I think that having a new race to start the WEC is a really good thing, and I think that David and I have shown that it is possible for riders from outside of Scandinavia to do well with spiked tyres. I am looking forward to the races in Portugal and Spain now though.”

Alessandro Belometti: “On day one I made one big mistake on the enduro test and lost 30 seconds. After that, in the last enduro test, my chain came off and I lost a lot of time fitting it again. I ended up seventh, which was disappointing but I guess that is racing some times.
“On day two I struggled to find a good feeling in the ice and snow and I crashed a few times. When I pushed to try and get a good time I just made mistake after mistake. I like the idea of having different races in different types of conditions but the result wasn’t what I was hoping for. In Portugal, at the second round of the championship, I will push hard again and hopefully make better results in conditions that will suit me.”

Marko Tarkkala: “It’s been a good weekend for me with not too many problems. Day one went well for me but David was too fast. I didn’t really have any problems and enjoyed the day. On day two things were again very close between myself and David in the morning. Again I didn’t make any mistakes and again David was a little faster. It’s been good battling with him but it would have been nice to have won.”

2006 World Enduro Championship Rnd 1
Grand Prix of Sweden – Day 2

Enduro 1 class

1. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 1.02:47.77; 2. Peter Bergvall (Suzuki) 1.03:14.26; 3. Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) 1.03:15.46; 4. Petri Pohjamo ™ 1.03:32.68; 5. Simone Albergoni (Honda) 1.03:36.21; 6. Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) 1.04:05.61; 7. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 1.04:17.46; 8. Robert Carlsson (Yamaha) 1.04:35.41; 9. Fredrik Georgsson (KTM) 1.05:15.35; 10. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) 1.05:45.10; 11. Par Olsson (Yamaha) 1.06:31.16; 12. Mike Hartman (KTM) 1.06:36.39; 13. Mats Andreasson (Suzuki) 1.06:57.95; 14. Leit Holm (KTM) 1.07:35.13; 15. Freddy Blanc (KTM) 1.08:59.08; 16. Mikael Wiberg (Honda) 1.11:40.87

Enduro 2
1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 1.00:51.65; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 1.01:36.35; 3. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 1.02:01.39; 4. Fabien Planet (KTM) 1.03:54.23; 5. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 1.04:04.22; 6. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 1.04:06.51; 7. Petteri Silvan (KTM) 1.04:32.81; 8. Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas) 1.04:35.87; 9. Thierry Klutz (Sherco) 1.05:08.51; 10. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 1.05:35.96; 11. Alessandro Botturi (Aprilia) 1.05:44.77; 12. Fritz Andersson (KTM) 1.05:46.10; 13. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 1.05:47.91; 14. Riku Rihelainen (Husaberg) 1.05:52.51; 15. Andrea Beconi (Beta) 1.05:57.54; 16. Euan McConnell ™ 1.06:21.72; 17. Pentti Nurminen (Husaberg) 1.06:49.12; 18. Johan Bjerkert (KTM) 1.06:59.31; 19. Patrik Wicksell (KTM) 1.07:02.89; 20. Giuseppe Canova (Husqvarna) 1.07:10.04

Enduro 3
1. David Knight (KTM) 1.01:01.75; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 1.02:27.07; 3. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 1.02:30.86; 4. Heikki Timonen (KTM) 1.05:04.58; 5. Daniel Persson (Husaberg) 1.05:17.68; 6. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 1.05:21.98; 7. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 1.05:31.97; 8. Markus Kehr (KTM) 1.05:32.42; 9. Alessandro Zanni (Aprilia) 1.06:37.83; 10. Paolo Bernardi (Honda) 1.06:49.49; 11. Alessio Paoli ™ 1.07:57.45; 12. Michael Vukcevic (Sherco) 1.08:34.86; 13. Michal Rudolf (KTM) 1.08:37.29; 14. Daniel Johansson (Gas Gas) 1.08:51.09; 15. Kimmo Hintikka (KTM) 1.09:13.79

Enduro Junior
1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 1.02:56.56; 2. Michal Szuster (Yamaha) 1.04:51.62; 3. Robert Kapajcik (Yamaha) 1.05:25.34; 4. Jake Stapleton ™ 1.05:30.09; 5. Oriol Mena (Gas Gas) 1.06:01.55; 6. Fredrik Kvarnstrom (KTM) 1.06:48.34; 7. Ricard Wressel (Husaberg) 1.07:06.66; 8. Olli Turma (KTM) 1.07:28.44; 9. Roni Nikander (KTM) 1.07:37.32; 10. Oskari Kantonen (Husqvarna) 1.07:43.44; 11. Jonas Karlsson KTM) 1.07:46.94; 12. Lorenzo Santolini (KTM) 1.08:41.32; 13. Sebastien Adielsson (Honda) 1.09:00.10; 14. Jesus Garcia (Yamaha) 1.09:04.75; 15. Jakub Horak (KTM) 1.09:08.91; 16. Jari Pulkkinen (Yamaha) 1.09:11.72; 17. Anton Nordh (KTM) 1.09:12.50; 18. Patrick Wikman (KTM) 1.09:18.66; 19. Fredrik Berg (KTM) 1.09:41.49; 20. Armand Monleon (KTM) 1.10:07.13

KTM Press Newsletter

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ENDURO
2006 FIM World Enduro Championship Rnd 1 Grand Prix of Sweden - day 1 (18.03.2006)
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The KTM Enduro Factory Team started the eight-round 2006 World Enduro Championship in fine style with team riders David Knight and Samuli Aro claiming top honours in the Enduro 3 and Enduro 2 classes respectively on day one of the season opener. In the Enduro 1 class reigning world champion Ivan Cervantes ended day one in the runner-up spot after two falls on the enduro test dropped him behind Finn Petri Pohjamo.

With conditions in Ostersund, Sweden much warmer than expected the WEC’s first ever winter enduro turned out to be a lot less difficult than the majority of the teams and riders were expecting. With rain falling as the first riders left the start, clear skies and plus five degree temperatures during the day resulted in much of the snow on the enduro and motocross tests melting, leaving unseasonally wet conditions in many places.

In the Enduro 1 class Ivan Cervantes saw his hopes of starting the new season with a win ended when he crashed twice on the enduro test. Very much on the pace before his two spills, the Spaniard nevertheless still posted four class winning special test performances to claim a well deserved runner-up spot. Ivan’s Italian team-mate Alessandro Belometti was also performing well but also suffered bad luck on the enduro test when his chain came off, losing the former motocross rider a considerable amount of time and dropping him down the results. At the end of the day Belometti placed in seventh position.

Samuli Aro was another KTM factory rider who found himself parting company with KTM motorcycle during the day when the ’05 E2 world champion made a mistake on the extreme test. Battling with countryman Mika Ahola Samuli stepped off line on one of several man-made bridges on the extreme test, hit neutral, and slid back to the base of the climb before attacking the slope for a second time – thankfully making it over without another mistake. With the exception of his extreme test slip Samuli posted a solid performance and claimed a well deserved win. Newcomer to the KTM factory team, Frenchman Fabien Planet, rode consistently and finished in sixth position.

Claiming victory in the Enduro 3 class, as well as just managing to squeeze ahead of Samuli Aro in the overall results, Manxman David Knight pulled off what for many was a surprise result in his first ever winter enduro. Having never used spiked tyres in competition before Knighter showed just how quickly he is able to adjust to foreign conditions and placed 22 seconds ahead of KTM Enduro Factory Team team-mate Marko Tarkkala.

David Knight: “I’m well happy with the way things went today – I never thought it would go as well as it did. I started off pretty steadily because I wanted to get used to the conditions before really pushing hard but I felt good right from the start of the day. I put in good times on all three tests during the day but I really enjoyed the enduro test. I made a few mistakes not knowing how hard to push on the ice sections of the tests. I’m over the moon to have beaten the riders from Scandinavia. I did a lot of training during the week before the race but I still didn’t think that I’d be able to win. I’m going to see what the weather is like for tomorrow and not push any harder than I feel comfortable with.”

Samuli Aro: “I am really happy with the way things have gone, apart from a mistake that I made on the extreme test. I don’t remember which lap it was on because we rode so many laps, but I think it was lap three. I got stuck on one of the man-made ramps, missed a gear shift, and had to have a second attempt to get over it. Apart from that it has been a good day. The weather has been really strange. I am a little disappointed that it has been so warm. The last lap was quite difficult because the snow was almost all gone in the enduro test and the dark ground made it hard to see the ruts.”

Ivan Cervantes: “It has been a really good day for me, I am really happy with my result. Petri (Pohjamo) is from Finland so he has a lot of experience in these conditions. To finish second is like a victory for me. But having said that I am a little bit angry with myself because I feel that I could have won. I lost a lot of time with two crashes on the enduro tests. I think that I must have lost about 20 seconds, which would have been enough to win.”

2006 World Enduro Championship Rnd 1
Grand Prix of Sweden – Day 1

Enduro 1 class
1. Petri Pohjamo ™ 1.06:46.54; 2. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 1.7:01.41; 3. Simone Albergoni (Honda) 1.7:05.08; 4. Peter Bergvall (Suzuki) 1.07:10.41; 5. Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) 1.07:58.69; 6. Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) 1.08:25.45; 7. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 1.08:37.77; 8. Robert Carlsson (Yamaha) 1.08:47.25; 9. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) 1.08:59.44; 10. Frederik Georgsson (KTM) 1.09:01.98; 11. Mike Hartman (KTM) 1.10:21.74; 12. Par Olsson (Yamaha) 1.12:05.67; 13. Leit Holm (KTM) 1.12:13.58; 14. Freddy Blanc (KTM) 1.13:38.500

Enduro 2
1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 1.04:53.34; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 1.05:20.06; 3. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 1.05:52.94; 4. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 1.07:02.43; 5. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 1.07:30.89; 6. Fabien Planet (KTM) 1.07:58.47; 7. Petteri Silvan (KTM) 1.08:02.21; 8. Patrik Wicksell (KTM) 1.08:47.69; 9. Riku Rihelainen (Husaberg) 1.08:52.98; 10. Euan McConnell ™ 1.09:09.47; 11. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 1.09:18.84; 12. Thierry Klutz (Sherco) 1.09:21.84; 13. Andrea Beconi (Beta) 1.09:39.88; 14. Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas) 1.09:01.85; 15. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 1.10:29.32; 16. Giuseppe Canova (Husqvarna) 1.10:51.38; 17. Johan Bjerkert (KTM) 1.11:09.94; 18. Pentti Nurminen (Husaberg) 1.11:25.08; 19. Tobias Burman (Husaberg) 1.11:53.36; 20. Alessandro Botturi (Aprilia) 1.11:57.43

Enduro 3
1. David Knight (KTM) 1.04:52.22; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 1.05:14.27; 3. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 1.05:43.25; 4. Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) 1.07:42.74; 5. Heikki Timonen (KTM) 1.07:46.35; 6. Daniel Persson (Husaberg) 1.09:14.24; 7. Alessandro Zanni (Aprilia) 1.09:27.89; 8. Marcus Kehr (KTM) 1.10:23.08; 9. Alessio Paoli ™ 1.10:26.96; 10. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 1.10:28.31; 11. Paolo Bernardi (Honda) 1.10:53.14; 12. Daniel Johansson (Gas Gas) 1.12:36.91; 13. Kimmo Hintikka (KTM) 1.12:59.49; 14. Michael Vukcevic (Sherco) 1.13:08.77; 15. Michal Rudolf (KTM) 1.13:27.64; 16. Tobias Auerswald (Husqvarna) 1.19:02.52

Enduro Junior
1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 1.05:56.88; 2. Michal Szuster (Yamaha) 1.08:17.15; 3. Jake Stapleton ™ 1.08:46.16; 4. Robert Kapajcik (Yamaha) 1.09:31.14; 5. Oriol Mena (Gas Gas) 1.10:23.67; 6. Ricard Wressel (Husaberg) 1.11:04.18; 7. Patrick Wikman (KTM) 1.11:44.01; 8. Roni Nikander (KTM) 1.12:04.97; 9. Jonas Karlsson (KTM) 1.12:09.82; 10. Olli Turma (KTM) 1.12:32.17; 11. Oskari Kantonen (Husqvarna) 1.12:42.54; 12. Frederik Kvarnstrom (KTM) 1,12:46.02; 13. Martin Sundin (KTM) 1.13:05.29; 14. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 1.13:25.78; 15. Jari Pulkkinen (Yamaha) 1.13:58.15; 16. Markus Luthstrom (Yamaha) 1.14:15.54; 17. Kristoffer Jonsson (Gas Gas) 1.14:27.23; 18. Anton Nordh (KTM) 1.15:03.59; 19. Lucas Puerto (KTM) 1.15:08.26; 20/ Jakub Horak (KTM) 1.15:39.12

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
GNCC; Round 2: Juha once again unmatched; Lafferty runs strong (15.03.2006)
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The first round in the deeply rutted and sandy Florida track took a toll on the GNCC riders. Even so, Juha Salminen powered through round two in Washington, Georgia and left the field of 1700 riders behind him to claim the number one spot on the podium.

Storming off the pro starting line, KTM Off-Road rider Juha Salminen had a great start and came around the first bend in the number one spot. The Finnish rider pulled away and had control of the race early on. On the podium he said, “Today after the first two laps, I felt really exhausted. I was tired…I think it was from Florida and I think everyone felt that race.” Even fatigue couldn’t slow down the 2005 GNCC Champion nick-named “U-Haul.”

The 28-minute long lap time did nothing to slow Mike Lafferty down as he showed as much heart and determination as he did in Florida. The New Jersey resident flew off the starting line and was fourth on the first lap and unfortunately fell on the second lap. Quitting was not an option as he picked himself up and charged from eighth to fourth. Charlie Mullins finished in the third position but was penalized for fueling his motorcycle outside of the pro pit area and Lafferty moved up to third. Teammate Robbie Jenks also had a great race as he finished fourth for the day.

GNCC Results, Round 2: Washington, GA (Top 10)

1. Juha Salminen KTM
2. Glenn Kearney
3. Michael Lafferty KTM
4. Robbie Jenks KTM
5. Fred Andrews
6. Paul Whibley
7. Garrett Edmisten
8. Shane Watts KTM
9. Rodney Smith
10. Jimmy Jarrett

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
Round 2; AMA National Alligator Enduro, Daytona Beach FL (10.03.2006)
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KTM Off-Road rider Mike Lafferty had an outstanding weekend during Daytona Bike Week as the New Jersey resident placed third in the Orange Crush GNCC and then crushed the competition at the Alligator Enduro and collected a win.

Lafferty’s 400 EXC handled extremely well under the sandy 83 mile and gnarled palm rooted course. He had a slow start off the line, but made up for it right away and rode solid for the remainder of the day, beating the rest of the 500 Enduro riders.

Results for the Alligator Enduro

1. Mike Lafferty KTM
2. Stephan Edmonson KTM
3. Brooks Hamilton KTM
4. Mike Grizzle KTM
5. Rich Lafferty KTM
6. Tony Geraci KTM
7. Fred Hoess
8. Jake Corn
9. Trey Wellborn KTM
10. Russell Etley KTM

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
GNCC kicks off in grand style in DeLeon Springs, FL; Salminen dominates (08.03.2006)
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The first round of the Grand National Cross Country Championship series kicked off in DeLeon Springs, FL during the Daytona Bike Week and Juha Salminen came out swinging and took a commanding win.

400 riders were entered in the afternoon program and more than 35 pros lined up to take on the mighty KTM Off-Road team of Juha Salminen, Mike Lafferty and Robbie Jenks. As the flag dropped, Salminen jumped way out in front on his KTM 250 XC and grabbed the holeshot and an early lead, never to be contested for the remainder of the 2 hour and 40 minute race. The sandy course contained deeply dug out whoops, but proved to be no match for Mike Lafferty as the New Jersey resident had a dreadful start and came last off the line of Pro riders. He gathered himself quickly and put his head down, picking riders off one by one until he moved into third place where he finished for the day. Robbie Jenks finished in 15th.

When asked about the conditions of the race course, Juha said, “There were no good lines, you just had to hope for the best. It was difficult today.” He also added, “Next Sunday is another race; the first race doesn’t tell you anything. I have a nice points lead now, but we’ll have to wait for next week and see what happens there.”

Mike Lafferty said, “I messed up on the start and just had to charge early. I had to pin it because I wanted it. I felt stable and strong and the confidence was there. The KTM 450 XC was running awesome and we’re going for it again next weekend. I want to be a contender in the GNCC series.”

Round 1; Orange Crush GNCC, DeLeon Springs, FL

1. Juha Salminen KTM
2. Charlie mullins
3. Mike Lafferty KTM
4. Nathan Woods
5. Barry Hawk, Jr.
6. Fred Andrews
7. Glenn Kearney
8. Ricky Dietrich
9. Nathan Kanney
10. Ryan Voase