The KTM Enduro Factory Team goes to Puerto Lumbreras in Spain, fit, confident and hopeful of top positions in the grueling 2-day world championship event. The team is fully prepared to defend their string of top podium places secured in the opening round in Östersund, Sweden, in March.
"After the winter event in Östersund where we had snow and ice, this is the first event in typical Enduro conditions. We are well prepared, the team is very motivated and we would like to win in all classes. That is definitely what we are working towards,” said team boss Fabio Farioli.
Spaniard Ivan Cervantes who had two third places in Sweden in the E3 class riding in the winter conditions, will now feel very secure at home in Spain. A real hero on home ground, Cervantes can also expect boundless support from his band of enthusiastic, loyal and very numerous Spanish fans.
The Finnish stars Juha Salminen (E1) and Marko Tarkkala (E3) have be en training in Spain ahead of the event to hone their skills on the typical hard packed, stony course that constantly throws up unexpected challenges. These two talented riders – Salminen on his KTM 250 EXC-F and Tarkkala on his KTM 525 EXC Racing machine laid the foundations stones for their championship title challenges in Sweden, both scoring double top podiums. Fellow Finn Aro Samuli (E2) had a 1-2 result in the winter conditions and has been preparing in Italy. Now, away from familiar ice and snow conditions, the Finns have to consolidate their positions on territory more familiar to the other KTM factory riders Cervantes of Spain, Fabian Planet of France (E2) and Italian Alessandro Belometti (E1).
Planet, who comes from the south of France where conditions are similar to those in Spain, will be at home and comfortable on his KTM 250 EXC, a machine well suited to the tight and often tricky track in Puerto Lumbreras. He s urvived a recent crash unscathed competing in the national championship and is confident of a top three position.
Belometti has been at home in Bergamo, Italy, training hard during the relatively long gap between the season’s first two events. The team has expectations of top three positions at the weekend for the 34-year-old Italian.
Well prepared for the grueling two day event where riders are onboard their machines for 6-7 hours a day, KTM Factory team is pumped with motivation for this weekend’s races in the south east corner of Spain.
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