KTM Offroad Newsletter
12.03.2008
Top riders in all three classes for KTM Enduro Factory
Racing
The KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team, as always under the experienced
guidance of team boss Fabio Farioli, goes into the 2008 racing
season pumped with confidence.
With a talented line-up in each class, the team expects to
reap podiums and titles this year. To keep riders motivated
and to give them new challenges there has been a shakeup of
riders in the individual classes. This year both 2- and 4-stroke
KTM machines will be used in the two bigger categories, a
move that Farioli says will produce "a good fight"
for supremacy.
Cervantes to show finesse in E1
The team has a mix of experience and youthful talent in the
E1 class this season. Ivan Cervantes is back on a KTM 250
4-stroke, a bike that suits his riding style and which will
serve him well on his favourite hard surfaces. He is joined
by Britain's Tom Sagar who moves up from the junior competition
where he finished in the top three last year. Sagar's inclusion
in the factory line-up underlines KTM's forward-looking commitment
to nurture young talent that can prove to be tomorrow's stars
in the top level of competition. Having already shown he can
produce good results in his own right, Sagar will also be
able to learn much from the more experienced Cervantes, winner
of the E3 world championship title in 2007. Cervantes was
on the podium at the end of every race last season, eventually
winning the E3 title from KTM teammate Marko Tarkkala by an
outstanding 51 points.
New challenges for Juha Salminen in E2 class
Juha Salminen, who triumphantly returned to the European racing
season in 2007 to dominate the E1 class, now moves to E2.
Now fully recovered from a shoulder injury in the closing
stages of 2007, the Finn is ready to attack the Enduro tracks
onboard a KTM 450 4-stroke machine. Salminen, whose amazing
racing career has seen him pick up a hoard of titles and trophies,
goes into the season with one aim - to finish as E2 World
Champion. Alessandro Belometti of Italy joins Salminen in
E2 onboard his KTM 250 2-stroke bike and according to team
boss Farioli, is a definite podium contender. Both riders
contested the E1 class last season with Salminen winning the
title by a 28-point margin after missing two races in Slovakia
through his injury. He won 12 of the 13 races in which he
competed and was third in the remaining one. Belometti finished
the season in a creditable fifth place overall.
All Finnish line-up for E3 in 2008
KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team features an all-Finnish line-up
in the E3 class. Big Marko Tarkkala, the only KTM factory
rider who remains in the same class in 2008, will ride the
KTM 520 4-stroke bike while teammate Samuli Aro will be onboard
the KTM 300 2-stroke machine. Aro fought a tough battle with
fellow Finn Mika Ahola in E2 last year, finishing in second
place at the conclusion of the season. The opening races in
Sweden will be the perfect chance for the Finnish duo to display
their talents and they will also be in their element on other
forested circuits.
Compact calendar takes riders all over Europe
The 2008 calendar, this year without any races in North America,
presents riders with a whole series of challenging terrain.
The seven event double race season opens in Östersund,
Sweden in March offering riders their one chance to compete
in winter conditions and using spiked tyres. While the Finnish
contingent in the KTM factory team does have the edge in these
conditions, their KTM teammates are also gaining in confidence
on this type of surface. The Enduro competition then goes
to the Iberian peninsular for races in Spain and Portugal,
surfaces where Cervantes is truly at home. Teams then travel
to Kwidzyn in Poland and to new tracks in Llanidloes in the
heart of Wales and on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains.
They then travel to Uzerche in the French region of Limousin
where enthusiastic French fans add a very special atmosphere.
The final race of the season at Piediluco, Italy is home ground
for Belometti. During breaks in the world championship series,
riders wil l be able to keep their skills finely tuned competing
in other international and national events.
12.03.2008
Fabio Farioli talks about the coming season
KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team Manager Fabio Farioli talks
to KTM Racing about the coming season.
What are your expectations for the 2008 Enduro season?
We go into this season with very good riders (as usual…)
in all three classes. We want to be consistently on the podium
and I believe we have a good chance of finishing with some
titles. That is what we will be working towards.
What are your impressions of the calendar this year?
There are no events in North America this year so it is quite
compact here in Europe. During the break in the season the
riders will be busy with national competitions and other important
events, so this gives them continuity on the bikes and in
competition. I am looking forward to the opening event in
Sweden where it is the one opportunity for us to tackle the
snow and to use spiked tyres. This really suits our Finnish
riders of course but the other KTM guys are also getting much
more confident on this type of track. It should be a great
start to the season.
We see some changes in the line-ups for each class
this year. Why is that?
This is important to give the riders new challenges and to
keep them motivated. I think we have very strong contenders
for this season in each class and we decided (together with
riders) to use different bikes in the two biggest classes.
KTM is producing very good 2-stroke bikes and we trust a lot
in them, for this reason we will have both bikes - 2 and 4
stroke - competing in the same class. It is going to be a
good fight…
Talking first about E1, you have some established
talent and a title winner and a new young rider. What do you
expect from them?
Ivan Cervantes is riding back in E1. He will be very fast
on his KTM 250-4stroke. It's a bike that suits his style and
he is very confident riding it. Ivan is also very popular
with the fans and we will see some great riding from him this
year. He particularly likes the hard, dusty surfaces like
the ones he is used to at home in Spain.
In E1 we also have British rider Tom Sagar riding a KTM 250-4stroke.
We like to invest in talented young riders and last year he
was one of the top three in the world in the Junior Class.
Tom will be able to learn a lot from Ivan and this year will
be an important one where he can gain a lot of good experience.
And Juha Salminen is riding in E2 in 2008?
Salminen is very motivated going into E2. A change in class
gives him a new challenge. He definitely wants to go for the
title and for sure he has the skills to do it. This year he
is riding a KTM 450-4-stroke and it's a machine that he trusts
a lot. He has spent some time in Spain training together with
Marko Tarkkala and is completely fit again after injuring
his collarbone at the end of the 2007 season.
Alessandro Belometti will be riding with Juha in E2 this year
and he will be onboard the KTM 250-2-stroke bike. He's also
very motivated and likes his new bike a lot. He's preparing
for the season in the south of Italy and I think he is definitely
also a podium contender
And how is it with E3?
This year we have an all-Finnish team for the big bikes with
Marko Tarkkala and Samuli Aro. Again, it gives the riders
new challenges to be in different classes. Marko is a very
big guy so he will be on the KTM 530-4-stroke machine. Samuli
will be on the KTM 300-2-stroke and this really suits his
riding style. They will definitely be good rivals for each
other this season in the E3 class. As I said, Marko has been
in Spain with Salminen preparing for the season. Aro has had
an operation on his knee and he will be back on the bike at
the beginning of February. I am sure he will be in excellent
shape for the first event in Sweden.
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