Double victory for Ivan Cervantes in E1 GP in Poland
 KTM
Factory rider Ivan Cervantes of Spain rocketed to a double
victory in rounds seven and eight of the E1 World Championship
held this weekend in Kielce in the north of Poland.
Cervantes picked up a maximum of 50 points for his efforts
to close the gap on standings leader Mika Ahola to 10 points
and keep his championship hopes alive. Team boss Fabio Farioli,
elated after KTM wins in all four Enduro categories in Poland,
described Cervantes rides as "incredible".
Cervantes back in the championship race
"The gap with Mika was very tight, just three or four
seconds in each special test. I fell once in the cross test
but for the rest I rode at my maximum," Cervantes said
after the race. "It was really important for me to win
here today. Now only 10 points separate us and anything can
happen."
Unbeatable in Poland
On Saturday Cervantes took the extremely long race with a
15 second margin from the dominant Finn Ahola after almost
eight hours of riding in the Polish sand. On Sunday in an
abbreviated version, the Spanish KTM rider took control of
the race from the first special test and successfully fended
off any attacks from Ahola. He finished with a 23-second advantage
to assume his role as a serious title contender. Farioli was
also satisfied with the performance of his KTM factory rider
Tom Sagar who wrapped up the weekend with a 7-8 result in
what is his first year in the senior competition.
Results Round Seven
1. Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM
2. Mika Ahola, Finland, Honda
3. Marc Germain, France, Yamaha
4. Simone Albergoni, Yamaha
5. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
Other KTM
7. Tom Sagar, Britain, KTM
Results Round Eight
1. Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM
2. Mika Ahola, Finland, Honda
3. Simone Albergoni, Yamaha
4. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
5. Maurizio Micheluz, Italy, Yamaha
Other KTM
8. Tom Sagar, Britain, KTM
Standings
1. Mika Ahola, Finland, 186 points
2. Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM, 176
3. Simone Albergoni, Italy, Yamaha, 165
4. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha, 118
5. Marc Germain, France, Yamaha, 115
Salminen doubles his luck in E2 GP in Northern Poland
KTM factory rider Juha Salminen sent a strong signal to his
rivals at the E2 Grand Prix of Poland this weekend when he
won both rounds seven and eight for top of the rank 50 world
championship points.
The Finn, who dominated the E1 competition last season, was
in devastating form on the sand of the northern Polish venue
delivering a result that thrilled his team manager Fabio Farioli
and compensated for him missing out on points in Round Five
in Spain.
Salminen going for victories
"It was a good day even if it was a long and hard race,"
Salminen said after nearly eight hours on his KTM machine
on Saturday," adding that it was now necessary to go
for the victory in all remaining races to keep his championship
hopes alive. Salminen fine-tuned his suspension settings and
on Sunday in a race that was nearly two hours shorter than
Saturday's marathon, he came home 41 seconds ahead of arch
rival and championship leader Jonny Aubert of France. Now
only 19 points separate the two riders in the standings with
200 points from eight remaining rounds still up for grabs.
It was also a solid weekend for KTM's Alessandro Belometti
who finished on the podium in third place on Saturday and
in fifth place on Sunday.
Results Round Seven
1. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM
2. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha
3. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM
4. Rodrig Thain, France, TM
5. Simmo Kirssi, Finland, BMW
Results Round Eight
1. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM
2. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha
3. Simmo Kirssi, Finland, BMW
4. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
5. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM
Standings
1. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha, 183 points
2. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM, 164
3. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM, 135
4. Rodrig Thain, France, TM, 110
5. Valtteri Salonen, Finland, Husaberg, 107
KTM's Aro and Tarkkala enjoy success in E3 GP in
Poland
KTM Enduro Factory Team Finnish riders Samuli Aro and Marko
Tarkkala were clearly at home in the conditions of northern
Poland this weekend. Aro was second on Saturday and Tarkkala
took the top podium spot for the E3 class on Sunday.
Aro's efforts on Saturday were despite lingering pain from
a non-race-related injury to his hand that required bone and
skin grafts in a race that went for almost eight grueling
hours. But the second day belonged to his teammate Marko Tarkkala
who called upon all his physical fitness and finesse to win
the race by around eight seconds from second placed Christophe
Nambotin of France. Aro experienced pain in his injured hand
on Sunday but still managed to finish in third place.
"Everything went well for me today. I made no big mistakes
so I am really happy," Tarkkala commented after the race
concluded on Sunday. "I was a bit nervous because the
times were tight all day. My riding did not weaken and I continue
to fight for the number one number plate."
Round Seven Results Saturday
1. Sebastian Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
2. Samuli Aro, Finland, KTM
3. Stefan Merriman, New Zealand, Aprilia
4. Marko Tarkkala, Finland, KTM
5. Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas
Round Eight Results Sunday
1. Marko Tarkkala, Finland, KTM
2. Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas
3. Samuli Aro, Finland, KTM
4. Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
5. Markus Kehr, Germany, KTM
Standings
1. Samuli Aro, Finland, KTM 189 points
2. Marko Tarkkala, Finland, KTM 163
3. Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas, 155
4. Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna, 138
5. Markus Kehr, Germany, KTM
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