{"id":15155,"date":"2012-07-01T17:55:37","date_gmt":"2012-07-01T15:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enduro.nl\/?p=15155"},"modified":"2012-07-01T17:55:37","modified_gmt":"2012-07-01T15:55:37","slug":"grand-prix-scorpion-exo-of-italy-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/15155\/grand-prix-scorpion-exo-of-italy-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Prix Scorpion Exo of Italy – Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"First<\/a>Knight Wins Day One at the EWC GP of Italy<\/strong>
\nDavid KNIGHT <\/strong>returns to his winning ways as he secures a much-welcomed victory in\u00a0Enduro 3<\/strong>.\u00a0Juha SALMINEN<\/strong> places his Husqvarna back on top to win Enduro 2<\/strong> while KTM\u2019s\u00a0Antoine MEO<\/strong> puts in a last lap dash to steal victory in\u00a0Enduro 1<\/strong> at the\u00a0Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship Scorpion GP of Italy<\/strong>.
\nAfter a six-week break since round four of the series in Portugal, the EWC returned to action with a bang at Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. With temperatures reaching as high as 35 plus degrees, day one of the fifth round of the championship was a real test of attrition for all the competitors involved. Along with\u00a0David KNIGHT (GB – KTM)<\/strong> winning Enduro 3, fellow British competitor\u00a0Jane DANIELS (Husaberg) <\/strong>also reached the podium of theWomen\u2019s Cup<\/strong> in her debut EWC ride. In what was her first ever enduro competition; the 18-year old grabbed a sensational third overall in the Women\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n

However, there was also upset for numerous riders as the heat began to take its toll on both man and machine. France\u2019s\u00a0Johnny AUBERT (KTM)<\/strong> was first to fall foul when a technical issue ruled him out on contention in Enduro 2. Britain\u2019s\u00a0Jordan ROSE (TM)<\/strong> and Spain\u2019s\u00a0Mario ROMAN (KTM) <\/strong>were also forced to retire due to injury. Finland\u2019s\u00a0Juha SALMINEN (Husqvarna) <\/strong>returned to form in the Italian sunshine to claim victory in Enduro 2. Finding the dry, dusty and rocky terrain exactly to his liking,\u00a0SALMINEN <\/strong>secured a well deserved win.\u00a0\u201cI felt comfortable all day and didn\u2019t have any problems. My speed was strong and I\u2019m happy with how I rode,<\/em>\u201d said\u00a0SALMINEN <\/strong>after the podium celebrations. \u201cAlthough\u00a0Cristobal<\/strong>was fast on the Enduro Test I was able to gap him on the other two tests to control my advantage. It\u2019s nice to win again and I hope to repeat this result tomorrow.<\/em>\u201dAs the only rider to challenge the hard charging Finn, Spain\u2019s\u00a0Cristobal GUERRERO (KTM) <\/strong>ended his day as runner up. Setting some of the fastest times of the day o n the Enduro Test,\u00a0GUERRERO <\/strong>finished less than 18 seconds behind the Husqvarna rider to card his sixth podium of the season. Behind the top two, championship leader\u00a0Pierre-Alexandre RENET (Husaberg)<\/strong> fended off a late charge from Spain\u2019s\u00a0Ivan CERVANTES (Gas Gas)<\/strong> to grab third. With\u00a0CERVANTES <\/strong>ending his day in fourth, France\u2019s\u00a0Antoine BASSET (Yamaha)<\/strong> delivered his best result of the year to place fifth.<\/p>\n

The E2 Poodium<\/em> In Enduro 3 Britain\u2019s\u00a0David KNIGHT <\/strong>made a welcome return to the top step of the podium. Finding some fast and smooth lines in the crucial Extreme Test, the KTM rider was able to maintain his advantage throughout the day. Putting an end to\u00a0Christophe NAMBOTIN<\/strong>\u2019s eight-race wining streak, he topped his class by almost 18 seconds.\u201cI didn\u2019t expect to win but it feels good to finally do so,<\/em>\u201d smiled a very pleased\u00a0KNIGHT<\/strong>. \u201cI just tried to keep consistent today and managed to remain relatively mistake free. I\u2019m so happy to finally be back on the top step of the podium.<\/em>\u201dAfter what has been an incredible run of form so far this season,\u00a0NAMBOTIN (F \u2013 KTM)<\/strong> was unable to match the pace set by\u00a0KNIGHT <\/strong>an d had to be content with second. Hampered by a couple of small crashes, the Frenchman ended his day in second place. Sweden\u2019s\u00a0Joakim LJUNGGREN (Husaberg) <\/strong>rode a lonely race to finish third. Finishing 30 seconds behind the leading duo, the Husaberg rider also placed almost 30 seconds in front of his teammate\u00a0Oriol MENA (S)<\/strong>. Enjoying the tough conditions,\u00a0MENA <\/strong>beat Estonia\u2019s\u00a0Aigar LEO<\/strong>K (TM)<\/strong> to place fourth with\u00a0LEOK<\/strong> finishing 25 seconds further back in fifth.<\/p>\n

First win of the season for David KNIGHT (GB – KTM)<\/em><\/p>\n

France\u2019s Antoine MEO (KTM) made a last lap charge in the scorching Italian sunshine to record his eight victory of the season.\u00a0Admitting to struggle with nerves during the early morning tests,\u00a0MEO <\/strong>almost failed to finish when he crashed hard on lap two and twisted his knee. Strapping the injury, the Frenchman dug deep to overhaul the hard charging Husqvarna mounted\u00a0Matti SEISTOLA (FI) <\/strong>to secure victory.\u201cMy grandparent live quite close Castiglion Fiorentino so it felt like a home race for me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to win here and it caused me to make many errors,<\/em>\u201d confirmedMEO<\/strong>. \u201cI crashed hard on the Enduro Test and hurt my knee. After strapping it up, I pushed incredibly hard and managed to win.<\/em>\u201dShowing that he has put his difficult start to the season behind him, Finland\u2019s\u00a0Matti SEISTOLA<\/strong> lead the way throughout most of day one in Italy. However, unable to hold back the late charge by\u00a0MEO<\/strong>, the Finn was forced to settle for second. Challenging\u00a0SEISTOLA <\/strong>throughout most of the day, Finland\u2019s\u00a0Eero REMES (KTM)<\/strong> finished just three seconds behind his fellow countryman to place third.Behind the top three, the Italian duo of\u00a0Simone ALBERGONI (Honda)<\/strong> and\u00a0Thomas OLDRATI (KTM) <\/strong>engaged in a daylong battle for fourth. With little to separate each other,\u00a0OLDRATI <\/strong>eventually got the better of\u00a0ALBERGONI <\/strong>to secure fourth and pushed the Honda rider back to fifth.<\/p>\n

In Enduro Junior France\u2019s\u00a0Mathias BELLINO (Husaberg) <\/strong>recorded his seventh win of the year. Building a lead during the opening lap, the Husaberg rider was forced to fight his way back into contention after a costly crash in the Extreme Test on lap three. Battling hard with Italy\u2019s\u00a0Jonathan MANZI (KTM)<\/strong> during the final lap he narrowly beat his rival by 11 seconds to claim victory. Sensing a home win,\u00a0MANZI <\/strong>pushed hard for victory on the final lap but couldn\u2019t beat\u00a0BELLINO <\/strong>and finished as runner up to the Frenchman. Finding hot conditions similar to home, Argentina\u2019s\u00a0Kevin BENAVIDES (KTM)<\/strong>completed the top three. Britain\u2019s\u00a0Danny MCCANNEY (Gas Gas)<\/strong> was fourth, while Italy\u2019s\u00a0Edoardo D\u2019AMBROSIO (KTM) <\/strong>rounded out the top five.Italy\u2019sGiacomo REDONDI (KTM)<\/strong> delivered a winning result to win the E nduro Youth class.\u00a0Guido CONFORTI (I – Yamaha)<\/strong> was second with\u00a0Matteo BRESOLIN (I – Husaberg) <\/strong>rounding out the top three.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s\u00a0Laia SANZ (Gas Gas) <\/strong>was the clear leader in the Women\u2019s Cup. Making light work of the technically demanding Extreme Test, she went on to claim victory by over five minutes. Unable to match the pace set by her teammate, France\u2019s\u00a0Ludivine PUY (Gas Gas)<\/strong> finished a distant second. Keeping touch with PUY during the early part of the day,\u00a0DANIELS <\/strong>held on to finish an impressive third overall. Sweden\u2019s\u00a0Jessica JONSSON (Gas Gas) <\/strong>and Australia\u2019s\u00a0Jessica GARDINER (Yamaha) <\/strong>completed the top five.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knight Wins Day One at the EWC GP of Italy David KNIGHT returns to his winning ways as he secures a much-welcomed victory in\u00a0Enduro 3.\u00a0Juha SALMINEN places his Husqvarna back on top to win Enduro 2 while KTM\u2019s\u00a0Antoine MEO puts in a last lap dash to steal victory in\u00a0Enduro 1 at the\u00a0Maxxis FIM Enduro World…<\/p>\n

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