The 690 Baja, the KTM machine that has been designed with the Baja races in mind, has just come through its second baptism of fire in real race conditions, proving its worth as a stable, reliable and highly competitive racing machine. After an excellent performance in the Baja 500 race in Mexico earlier this year, the machine, this time in the expert hands of KTM's Spanish factory rider Marc Coma, has just absolved the Baja Aragon in the semi desert area of Spain. The bike now gets to all clear to tackle the Baja 1000 desert race classic (Las Vegas - Reno) on August 28.
KTM factory rider Isidre Esteve Pujol of Spain underwent surgery on Friday in Barcelona, Spain to stabilize a spinal injury sustained during a high speed crash last weekend. The Spanish rider was injured while competing in the Spanish All Terrain Rally. Specialists Dr. Villanova and Dr. Meir have reported after the operation that the level of injury to the 7th and 8th vertebrae was such that the rider has suffered paralysis from the waist down. They must now wait for inflammation to subside from the spinal column to establish if any further treatment is at all possible.