Italian UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz produced his best ever World Enduro Championship result at the 40th GP Valli Bergamasche finishing in third place in the Enduro 1 class on day one. Having performed consistently in the first three rounds of the '06 WEC series Maurizio claimed his first ever world championship podium aboard his WR250F placing behind reigning E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes and countryman Simone Albergoni. Winning the first test of day one in the E1 class, and then going on to perform well throughout the day, Maurizio again rode well on day two to finish fourth. Despite not managing to place on the podium for a second time Maurizio's results lifted him to fourth in the Enduro 1 world championship standings where he lies just nine points adrift of third.
The fourth round of the '06 World Enduro Championship saw Spaniard Arnau Vilanova make his debut ride for the UFO Corse Yamaha team having been forced to sit out the first three rounds of the WEC series due to injury. Disappointingly for Arnau a lack of race pace and fitness resulted in him placing in 11th on day one. With day one having taken its toll on Arnau he opted not to start day two.
Claiming a double class win in Italy was reigning Enduro 1 world champion Ivan Cervantes. With his team-mate Alessandro Belometti having set the pace for much of day one Ivan inherited the lead when Belometti bent his rear sprocket and dropped seven minutes. Joining Cervantes on the podium on day one were Simone Albergoni and Maurizio Micheluz while on day two it was Belometti and Albergoni who stood either side of Cervantes on the rostrum.
Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: third, Day 2: fourth"I am really happy with my weekend because I finished in a good position on both days. I am really happy with my result from day one because I claimed my first ever world championship podium. Finishing on the podium for the first time at my home GP is great. It was a really difficult race though, especially because of the heat and the dust. It was really physical on both days. Although it was a difficult race we have to remember that this is enduro. But I hope that the races don't get any harder than this."
Arnau Vilanova (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 11th, Day 2: DNS "It was a really difficult race to start my '06 world championship. Since I injured my foot I have been training at home but that is very different to racing at world championship level. I struggled a little bit but I didn't make any big mistakes. I need to work on my speed because the other riders have been racing all season."
Race classification Enduro 1:Round: 4 - Bergamo, Italy
Circuit: Valli Bergamasche
Date: 18 June 2006
Crowd: 28500
Temp: 28ºC
Weather: Sunny
Race 1: 1 Laps1 I. Cervantes KTM ESP 84' 21.040
2 S. Albergoni Honda ITA +6.790
3 M. Micheluz Yamaha ITA +1' 51.530
4 B. Oblucki Husqvarna POL +2' 17.810
5 R. Bazzurri Husqvarna ITA +2' 29.000
6 F. Blanc KTM FRA +4' 8.760
7 N. Deparrois Husqvarna FRA +4' 56.750
8 H. Rodrigues Yamaha POR +5' 9.630
9 J. Gauthier Honda FRA +5' 49.710
10 M. Pievani KTM ITA +6' 15.740
11 A. Vilanova Yamaha ESP +7' 6.700
12 F. Georgsson KTM SWE +9' 5.270
13 N. Nicoli KTM ITA +9' 44.670
14 N. Joye KTM CHE +11' 0.710
15 A. Belometti KTM ITA +21' 21.230
Race 2: 1 Laps1 I. Cervantes KTM ESP 85' 0.410
2 A. Belometti KTM ITA +40.500
3 S. Albergoni Honda ITA +1' 31.020
4 M. Micheluz Yamaha ITA +3' 21.490
5 R. Bazzurri Husqvarna ITA +4' 46.090
6 H. Rodrigues Yamaha POR +5' 12.850
7 M. Hartmann KTM GER +5' 35.200
8 M. Pievani KTM ITA +6' 30.140
9 N. Deparrois Husqvarna FRA +6' 44.330
10 F. Scovolo Suzuki ITA +7' 46.440
11 F. Blanc KTM FRA +9' 54.470
12 F. Georgsson KTM SWE +11' 1.650
13 N. Nicoli KTM ITA +11' 27.800
14 N. Joye KTM CHE +14 ' 25.940
15 B. Oblucki Husqvarna POL +20' 47.250
Championship standings Enduro 1:1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 194
2 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 165
3 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 138
4 Mauricio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 129
5 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 127
6 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 105
7 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 97
8 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 75
9 Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 74
10 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 70
11 Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 52
12 Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 43
13 Frederik Georgsson KTM SWE 41
14 Roberto Bazzurri Husqvarna ITA 32
15 Joan Jou Yamaha ESP 27
16 Robert Carlsson Yamaha SWE 26
17 Manuel Pievani KTM ITA 24
18 Andre Raphael Kawasaki FRA 24
19 Pär Olsson Yamaha SWE 19
20 Evrard Gutkin TM FRA 18
26 Fernando Ferreira Yamaha POR 13
27 Alexandre Mendes Yamaha FRA 12
30 Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 10
32 Andre Fernandez Yamaha POR 6
34 Santos Helio Yamaha ESP 4
Manufacturers standings Enduro 1:1 KTM 194
2 Honda 165
3 Husqvarna 137
4 Yamaha 134
5 TM 105
6 Suzuki 77
7 Kawasaki 24
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
Related News
