Decision on the very last day
It was not until Saturday, 2
October 2021, at the final of the European Enduro Championship in Hellendoor,
the Netherlands, that the title of best rider in all classes was decided:
Krystof Kouble from the
Czech Republic competed: the Sherco rider had started the day eight championship
points behind and still finished the season as the new champion! "I felt
comfortable from the start and didn't make any mistakes," the junior was pleased
afterwards. In fact, he had not won a single special stage by the halfway point,
but was already leading by a clear margin because the competitors behind him
were making life difficult for each other. Especially his biggest competitor,
the Italian Enrico Rinaldi, did not manage well at all: "After the overnight
rain, the track was very slippery and I didn't want to take to much risks.”
Towards the end of the day things went a little better again, but the wrong lane
choice in the last extreme test then cost him almost half a minute and threw him
back to sixth place in the overall standings. This ate up his points lead and
Kouble was crowned the new champion.
The only consolation for
Rinaldi is that he still managed to secure the title in the Junior 2 class.
There, his lead in the championship was enough because not so many riders could
place themselves between him and Kouble and thus increase the points difference.
But it shows again that the
European Enduro Championship is a forge for young talents: Once again a junior
won the overall ranking of all riders, as it has been seen again and again in
the last years.
Former senior champion Arne
Domeyer reported back to the championship with two stage wins in the
Netherlands. But after his absence due to illness in the Czech Republic, it was
only enough for the German to finish third in the championship, behind Andrea
Belotti from Italy and Martin Gottvald from the Czech Republic.
In the women's category,
Justine Martel from France did not do well on either day: "I have never ridden
in such deep sand before," the KTM rider admitted afterwards. But two third
places were enough in the end to take her first championship title.
Maurizio Micheluz, on the
other hand, had already won his eleventh championship title in the 250cc
two-stroke class: "When my last competitor, my compatriot Giuliano Mancuso,
dropped out with technical problems in the first stage in the morning, I was
practically already champion. I enjoyed the day all the more and only rode for
the team classification.
He also became champion of
the trade teams with the Italian team "Diligenti
Racing".
The European Champion in the
U21 class, Fine Pyry Juupaluoma, who had already been crowned the day before,
was lucky: His bike had an electrical problem after the first lap that could not
be fixed quickly. So he dropped out, but the title was already in his pocket.
A special feature of the
final is the additional classification of the national teams, the Trophy teams:
Here, the Trophy of the Czech Republic won - with the champion Krystof Kouble,
the junior champion Matyas Chlum, the champion of the large four-stroke class
Jaromir Romancik and runner-up of the two-stroke class Jiri Hadek. Italy came
second, ahead of the Netherlands. In the junior trophies, France won ahead of
the Netherlands and Germany.
Three early champions
On Friday, 1 October 2021, at the final of the European Enduro Championship in Hellendoor, the Netherlands, the first champions were already determined on the first day of riding: The three riders Pyry Juupaluoma from Finland, Thiebaut Passet from France and Jaromir Romancik from the Czech Republic have so much lead in their displacement classes that it is impossible to catch them even on the last day of competition.
In fact, the finale of the European Championship already started on Thursday evening with a prologue on the deep sand motocross track of the organising Motorclub Nijeverdal Hellendoorn (MCNH): Krystof Kouble, who is still fighting for the title in the junior class and in the overall ranking, won there. But the prologue counts only as the first of eleven stages of the first riding day and there he had to give up the lead to his Italian competitor Enrico Rinaldi at the end.
The championship in the classes, however, was decided by completely different riders on this day: In the class of the under 21-year-olds with the 125 cc bike, there is Pyry Juupaluoma from Finland, who is only 18 years old. The student also won this day in class and rode to a good ninth place overall for all riders: "It's a bit like home in Finland," said the Husqvarna rider: "Lots of sand and roots, we have that too."
In the large two-stroke class over 250 cc, Thibaut Passet won, securing his title early. At the end of the day, the Beta rider had a lead of more than half a minute over the day's runner-up Lukasz Kurowski from Poland. Passet's direct opponent in the championship, Jiri Hadek from the Czech Republic, only finished in third place and the Frenchman's lead grew to an unassailable distance.
But another rider from the Czech Republic was all the more pleased: In the class of four-strokes over 250 cc, Jaromir Romancik only finished fourth in the day's classification, directly behind his rival in the championship, Tom Elwood from England. The day's win went to Belgian Dietger Damiaens ahead of Dutchman Wesley Pittens, who already had a bit of a home advantage because they are used to the sandy surface.
Romancik, who had already travelled to Holland with a 24 championship points lead, the place behind Elwood cost him two points difference - but since only twenty points are awarded per day, this cannot be made up. But the Sherco rider had not calculated all this in his head, because with his fourth place of the day he had no longer believed in an early success.
The awarding of the championships in the other classes and also in the national ranking has thus been postponed to the last riding day, Saturday
The start is from 8:30 a.m. on Saturday
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Final with prologue and closing ceremony
Next weekend, on 30 October and 1 and 2 October, the final of the European Enduro Championship will take place in Hellendoorn, Netherland. The organising Motor Club Nijverdal Hellendoorn (MCNH) will hold a prologue for the first time on Thursday from 4.30 p.m. and after the two long riding days on Friday and Saturday there will be the award ceremony.
There will be three laps a day on the 80 km long course, which is practically in the format of a big 8. This means that the paddock is also the service point twice per lap, which makes logistics much easier for the teams.
The course includes four different special tests: two enduro tests, one extreme test and one cross test. All tests are within easy reach of the paddock for fans and supporters.
In the overall classification it's a duel between Enrico Rinaldi and Krystof Kouble from Czech Republik. There the Italian has a small advantage and, completely untypical for his compatriots, he thinks that sandy ground would suit him.
In the class of the smallest motorbikes and youngest riders, the U21 class with the 125cc motorbikes, Pyry Juupaluoma, who is only 18 years old and riding in Finland, could even become the champion in his class early after the first day of riding. The Husqvarna rider already has so much lead over the competition and is also always to be found at the top of the overall standings.
French rider Justine Martel also has the best chance of securing her title in the women's class early.
In the other classes, the lead of the favourites is not yet so clear.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
The start is on Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m.
All important waypoints:
Start / Finish / TC 1 / TC 2: Manege ‘t Oale Spoor GPS: 52.379031, 6.450187
2MASTERS Proloog Circuit de Koetree – GPS: 52.388194, 6.452354
Putoline Enduro Test 1 – GPS: 52.388657, 6.412776
Sherco Enduro Test 2 – GPS: 52.381992, 6.436552
Eurol Extreme Test 3 – GPS: 52.391702, 6.473045
123 Magazijninrichting Cross Test 4 – GPS: 52.388509, 6.495661
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FIM Europe: Enduro 2021 – Kielce / Poland – Young guns in front
Youth ahead
In the end, three juniors stood on top of the podium at the overall winner's ceremony: Enrico Rinaldi ahead of Krystof Kouble and the Finn Peetu Juupaluoma.
Surprisingly, Krystof Kouble had to take a back seat this time: The Czech rider had come to Poland as the leader of the championship, where conditions were similar to the last round in the Czech Republic with mud and rain. In fact, however, the Italian Enrico Rinaldi won the overall standings on both days, first catching up with Kouble and then even just overtaking him in the championship. Both are separated by a narrow margin of only three points before the final, which ultimately makes everything possible. But Rinaldi has already indicated that, uncharacteristically for an Italian, he likes to ride in the sand. That could be his advantage in the final round in Hellendorn, the Netherlands.
In third place in the championship behind the two juniors, with a clear points gap, is veteran Maurizio Micheluz, who once again won the small two-stroke class ahead of his compatriot Giuliano Mancusco. "I don't like it when it rains," apologised the multiple European champion Micheluz for his second place on the first day of riding still behind his compatriot Giuliano Mancuso on the Fantic.
In the senior category, Arne Domeyer was able to claim the overall victory - the German, who was already European Senior Champion three years ago, won the second day already in the first round: "By then I had built up so much of a lead that I could ride the next stages safely and didn't have to risk anything." But due to illness, he is missing one competition, which is why he is not fitghting for the title.
In the women's category, which was only two rounds instead of three, Justine Martel from France won both days on a KTM.
Juniors in front
Rain brought no blessing
Continuous rain on the first day of riding made some changes to the track necessary on the second day and in the end the last extreme test was taken out. There, riders had jammed up several times through no fault of their own because other competitors had blocked the slip roads in front of them. Thus, almost the entire class of the big four-strokes was affected in the first round: On the first day, the class winner Jaromir Romancik was still sixth in the overall ranking - on the second day of riding, it was only enough for the Czech rider to finish 14th in the overall ranking, even though he again won his class.
In addition, one stage section had to be neutralised because a flooded creek made it almost impossible for the first riders to make the times. So it was more a fight against the track than against the other competitors for most of the participants at that point.
Due to technical problems, the evaluation of the timekeeping was delayed, so that the results will now be submitted later.
However, the overall win of the day by Enrico Rinaldi from Italy is undisputed, which means that for a short time he is equal
on points in the championship with the Czech rider Krystof Kouble.
Second half of the championship starts in Kielce
Next weekend, on 18 and 19 September, the European Enduro Championship in Poland will enter its second half of the season: The motorsport club from Kielce, "Korona Novi", has pitched its tents in Piekoszów, on the western outskirts of Kielce.
The club not only has a lot of experience with Enduro, it even hosted the finals of the European Championship in 2018.
Three rounds of the 76 km long course will be ridden every day, which adds up to over 220 km of off-road for the riders. The course includes a cross test, an enduro test and an extreme test to be completed in each round. All tests are within easy reach of the paddock for fans and supporters.
Over 120 riders have registered for this. Although junior rider Kristof Kouble from the Czech Republic is currently the leader in the overall standings, his fiercest rival Enrico Rinaldi from Italy is close on his heels.
In addition, the brothers Rafal and Aleksander Bracik enjoy home advantage and could certainly use that for a success in their cubic capacity classes.
Local hero Maciej Wieckowski even has the chance to take the lead in the small four-stroke motorbike class. But there are also some promising home-grown talents in the juniors with Dawid Domanski, Patryk Kuleszo and Kacper Baklarz, who have already established themselves in the European Championship.
The start is on both days from 9:00 a.m.
All important waypoints:
TC2 Enduro Test: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wFrHTz8nB9hhqVrR7
TC1 Cross Test: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1P7JEWWJ4oQG2w538
Extreme test: https://maps.google.com/?q=50.861760,20.498524&entry=gps
Training Area: https://maps.app.goo.gl/845VEvr2QD7P2XhN7
All
weather
On
the second day at the second round of the European Enduro Championship in
Kozojedy, Czech Republic, the weather was definitely an issue. Although it was
dry and warm during the day, the overnight rain had watered the track heavily
beforehand.
But
even under the more difficult conditions, it was the same riders who decided the
victory among themselves: First and foremost local hero Krystof Kouble: "In the
first lap it didn't go well at all. I crashed once in each of the three stages
and lost time. Only after half of the competition did I really get going." But
he forgot to mention, that despite the crashes, he had set the best time of all
the riders.
For
the other competitors also struggled with the demanding stages, which had become
even more difficult due to the rain. Italian Enrico Rinaldi finished third on
the unfamiliar terrain behind Dominik Olszowy and is right behind Kouble in
second place in the championship both, in the overall as in the junior E2
class.
Once again, junior Pyry Juupaluoma from Finland showed a very strong
performance: on the smallest displacement 125cc, he again rode to a sensational
fifth place overall! The 18-year-old also won the junior class of the U21 riders
again. He thus fought his way up to third place in his championship.
The
already very demanding track was made a few notches more difficult by the
overnight rain: The first lap in particular provided special challenges in the
uphills but also in the downhills. Just how difficult it actually was is shown
by the fact that almost half of all participants who started on Saturday did not
reach the finish on Sunday in the classification. Only 66 of the original 123
riders were able to bring their bikes properly to the parc ferme at the end.
In
the senior class, only six of the original 19 participants finished. Winner
Martin Gottvald as well as the runner-up, Milan Skuta, were able to use their
home advantage because they are used to such
conditions.
Nevertheless, there were no complaints, because it was not
impossible, as many riders have had shown. But the spirit of enduro racing, of
fighting through and arriving at the finish, was again extremely cultivated
here. No wonder that the Pole Dominik Olszowy felt so comfortable there: The
guest rider, who usually focuses on the Hardenduro World Championships, used the
race in the Czech Republic to prepare for the World Team Championships. In three
weeks, he will compete for the Polish national team. The 21-year-old set the bar
high with a second place in the overall standings on the second day of the race.
The
next round of the European Championship, then even in Olszowy's home country
Poland, will be after the "International Six Days Enduro" (ISDE) in September.
FIM Europe: Enduro 2021 – Kozojedy / Czech Republic With home advantage to overall victory at 1st day
On Saturday, 7 August 2021, the European Enduro Championship started its first day in its second competition in the Czech Republic:
The favourite, Krystof Kouble, lived up to his role and made the most of his home advantage on the demanding course - the Czech rider came back from the first of the three rounds with three special stages each as the overall leader. He did not relinquish this position until the finish. But he had a crash in the very last special stage: "I was so excited and in such a hurry to get back on the bike that I didn't lose much time. Luckily I didn't hurt myself," the Sherco rider was happy to report at the end.
After a crash in the extreme test, championship leader Enrico Rinaldi from Italy had to bury his hopes for another class win ahead of Kouble. Rinaldi took third place in the overall standings.
In second place, however, and surprisingly, was Dominik Olszowy from Poland, who had not yet competed in the European Championship. However, the KTM rider had just returned from the Hardenduro World Championship in Romania with a 10th place, so he was well prepared for the difficult track and difficult special stages. So he was also able to win the class of the over 250 cc four-stroke bikes.
A junior on the smallest displacement 125cc also put in a pleasingly strong performance: Pyry Juupaluoma from Finland rode to a sensational fifth place overall in all displacement classes! He won the junior class of the U21 riders with a lead of almost one minute.
In the women's category, who did not ride the last extreme test, Nieve Holmes from Great Britain won on the GasGas ahead of the previous leader Justine Martel from France.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
The start is from 9:00 a.m. on Sunday
Live-timing:
http://www.casomeric.cz/enduroonline/
Second round with new
winners?
On the weekend of 7 and 8 August, the
European Enduro Championship will enter its second round in the Czech Republic
after three and a half months: the KP Enduro Club has pitched its tents in
Kozojedy (- Obecní Úřad), about 70 km west of Prague.
Three and a half rounds will be ridden on
the 55 km long track each day, which add up to almost 200 km off-road for the
riders. The course includes a cross test as well as an enduro test and an
extreme test to be completed in the round.
Over 120 riders have signed up for this. It
is true that the Italian riders Enrico Rinaldi and Diego Niccoletti are the
favourites, as they are currently ahead of all other participants in the
championship standings. But in their Czech homeland, both junior Kristof Kouble
and his compatriot Jaromir Romancik should certainly not be underestimated.
The start is on both days from 9:00 a.m.
Info for the drivers and teams
https://www.czechenduro.cz/index.php/mcr-enduro-2014/eec-mistrovstvi-evropy-v-enduru-plasy-2021
Yet SELF REPORTING - covid measures that everyone in the paddock must present at the entrance.
INVITATION LETTR - for easy crossing of boundaries.
On the second day of the opening round of
the European Enduro Championship in Castel di Tora, Italy, the competition was
shortened to two instead of three laps - due to the weather conditions in the
last hour, no rider was unhappy about this afterwards. In fact, during heavy
thunderstorms, partly with sleet and snow showers, the track became particularly
slippery and challenging to ride. Many riders were unable to keep the set times
and some got totally left behind.
All this did not affect the Honda factory
team from the World Championship, which started as guests, and the riders Thomas
Oldrati from Italy, Theophile Espinasse from France and Roni Kytönen from
Finland took places 1-3 in the overall standings.
Best rider in the European Championship
standings on the day was Italian junior Enrico Rinaldi. The GasGas rider thus
takes the lead in the European Championship. Yesterday's winner Diego Nicoletti
is tied on points with the reigning champion of the 250cc two-stroke class,
Maurizio Micheluz, in second place. Micheluz, already 38 years old, again won
his displacement class on both days: "It was to be expected that the Italians
would feel at home on this terrain," the already 38 year old tried his hand at
being a low con man. But there is more than a grain of truth in that, because
the stone-strewn ground in the mountains around the lake is familiar fare for
the Italians, especially as they also regularly race championship races there in
the region.
Only in fifth place in the championship
standings comes Krystof Kouble from the Czech Republic, the first "foreigner" at
this opener. Only in three classes no Italian is currently leading the
championship:
French Justine Martel won the women's class
again, as she did the day before, even without time penalty points, and thus
proved to be unbeatable.
In the large four-stroke class, Jaromir
Romancik leads the championship standings after his second day's victory there,
and in the large two-stroke class it is the Frenchman Thibaut Passet who also
steers his Beta on a championship course with two day's victories.
The next round of the European Enduro
Championship is three and a half months away in the Czech Republic. By then,
completely different riders could be standing at the top of the
podium...
The best for the guests ...
At the opening round of this year's European Enduro Championship in Castel die Tora, Italy, two riders, who normally do not compete in the European Championship, won: Italian Thomas Oldrati and his team mate Theophile Espinasse from France were also at the start with the Honda factory team from the World Championship. They used the competition "on their doorstep" to train under competitive conditions, because it is still two months before the World Championship starts. Promptly, the two Honda factory riders won first and second place. And actually, it could have been the first three places, but the third rider, the Finn Roni Kytönen, has had, by his own admission, "a stupid crash", which had thrown him back to fourth place.
But the name Roni Kytönen brings to mind that the Finn had actually become European champion in the overall classification two years ago and then moved up to the Enduro World Championship.
However, the three guests do not get points for the European Championship and so the best rider in the European Championship is the Italian Diego Nicoletti on his Husqvarna.
Only six seconds behind is his compatriot, junior Enrico Rinaldi. Rinaldi placed ahead of Krystof Kouble, the rider from the Czech Republic who had even been fighting for the overall title until his injury two years ago. Kouble finished the day in eighth and fifth place respectively in the European Championship.
Maurizio Micheluz turned out to be a true old master: As the reigning champion in the small two-stroke class, the Italian once again won his class and moved up to sixth and third place respectively in the overall standings, directly behind Kytönen.
A total of 132 riders competed - a considerable number in view of the various international Covid requirements, as some riders had to stay at home involuntarily.
Live-tming day 2
Dear Sirs,
Only a few days to go until the start of the European Enduro Championship in Castel di Tora, Italy. We can already send you the list of registered riders in advance. (See Official)
In addition, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that there will be live timing on both days of the weekend:
At http://enduro.ficr.it/ you can then select the competition.
The direct link http://enduro.ficr.it/cie.htm will be activated shortly before.
Find the paddock in Castel di Tora nearby the sports-center at “Via dello Sport” at:
Lat. 42.205822 Long. 12.947609
The defending champion in the 250cc two-stroke class, Italian Maurizio Micheluz,
will also be on the grid at his home event.
Dear Sirs,
as already announced, one of
the dates of the European Enduro Championship have been postponed after all.
Because the originally planned weekend of the race in Kielce, Poland, has been
overlapped with a competition in the World Championship, the European
Championship race in Poland has been postponed to 18-19 September
2021.
The remaining dates and
venues have remained the same.
at the moment the restrictions are until 6th april. Here you are the link with all infos http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioContenutiNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=english&id=5412&area=nuovoCoronavirus&menu=vuoto
Dear Sirs,
After a one-year break from the championship, the start of the European Enduro Championship is planned for 17/18 April in Castel di Tora, Italy. All the official permits have been obtained and the hygiene concept has already proven itself at the previous rounds of the Italian championship.
The Motoclub Valturano had the misfortune of not being able to hold the race last year, so the club is all the more motivated for this season: There are three different special tests on the 60 km circuit, which is ridden three times - a 7.5 km enduro test, a 4.5 km cross test and a challenging 1.5 km extreme test.
Rider registration for the competition is not yet closed, so more registrations are still coming in daily from all over Europe.
In sporting terms, it will be very exciting this season, because after the year of involuntary break in the European Championship, there are hardly any reigning European champions from 2019, but there are some promising talents from the individual countries at the start.
Especially the 125 cm class with the youngest riders has again attracted strong interest from the participants
Fourth round in Finland – 3nd and final day in Heinola
Finland wins in Finland
On the third and last riding day at the finals of the European Enduro Championship in Heinola, Finland, the national teams' scores were decided:
The "Heinola MotoKlub" (HeMK) had prepared the final motocross on the former MX World Championship track very well and could therefore be carried out without problems.
The riders went to the start in classes, but their results were also evaluated across the board for the teams.
In the end it was not surprising that host Finland won the Trophy with Roni Kytönen, Antti Hänninen, Mika Tamminen and Eemil Pohjola. Second was the Trophy from Slovakia and third was the team from Sweden.
Finnish rider Pohoja had already secured his individual title as European Champion in the class over 250 ccm four stroke the day before. But the most outstanding rider from the Finnish team was undoubtedly Roni Kytönen: The 19-year-old junior not only won the European Champion title in the junior class E1, but also became champion of all classes in the overall ranking. In addition with the Trophy (see above) and his team from "Kytönen Motorsport" he also won the Trade Team title.
20 years after his father Vesa had become World Champion, his son Roni now had the greatest possible international success in the finals of the European Enduro-Championship.
In the Junior Trophy the team from Sweden won with individual European Champion Max Ahlin, Albin Norrbin, Oscar Ljungström and Noah Largen, ahead of Finland and France.
The Swedes were also at the top of the women's podium: They won the women's trophy with European Champion Hanna Berzelius, sisters Martina and Emilia Reimander and Emma Wennbom, ahead of Finland and England.
But the Finns were successful again in the senior category: The senior trophy was won by Janne Mukkala, Santeri Enjala, Mika Paavola and Marco Leponiemi ahead of Sweden.
But because the championship had not been decided prematurely in all classes, attention in the second race of the day was focused on the leader Sebastian Krywolt: The Pole defended not only his lead but also his European championship title in the senior class with a day's victory.
The Italian Maurizio Micheluz didn't have such an easy time: The Husqvarna rider started the last day with a lot of points advantage, but in the cross-race of the 250 cc two-stroke class he only finished third. But that was enough for the already 36 year old rider, to also defend the European Championship title in the 250 2-stroke class.
Double success and other titles
Local hero Roni Kytönen was able to clinch both possible titles early, on the second day of the European Enduro Championship finale in Heinola, Finland.
With an overall victory of the day, the Husqvarna rider not only clinched the title in the small cubic capacity class juniors E1, but also the European Champion title in the overall standings of all drivers.
But in the first of the three laps it didn't look like that yet: In the second special stage, the 19-year-old had crashed and lost about 20 seconds to the competition. He followed this gap and made up for it in five tests. At the beginning of the third lap he was able to take the lead again and then kept his nerve and extended his lead to over 15 seconds.
Jed Etchells, the Briton, was the only one who had a real chance to win the title. He "excused" his second place on the day by saying that it wasn't as wet and slippery as it have been on the first day.
At the same time some titles in the different classes were decided prematurely:
With another day's victory the Swedish Hanna Berzelius on her Husqvarna secured the title in the women's singles with another day's victory.
Her only 17-year-old compatriot Max Ahlin became European Champion in the juniors under 21: The Husqvarna pilot took no risks, was in the class, so far unbeaten only second behind his compatriot Albin Norbbin, but that was enough for the early title.
In the cubic capacity junior class E2-E3, Jed Etchells, beaten by Kytönen, won the day on the Sherco by almost two minutes and at the same time won the early title. He thus follows in the footsteps of his British compatriots Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman, who were also successful in the European Championship.
Although local hero and guest starter Mika Tamminen beat Jiri Hadek from the Czech Republic today, the KTM rider still won the European Championship title in the two-stroke 250 cc class early.
After Patrik Markvart had already been awarded the title in the small four-stroke class up to 250 ccm on the first day, the title in the large four-stroke class over 250 ccm went to local hero Eemil Pohjola on the second day. He won all the races with his TM.
At the final Motocross on the last day on the former Motocross World Championship track in Heinola, besides the victories in the event classification, the championship titles for the seniors and the small two-strokes up to 250 cc have to be riden out.
English victory in English
weather
The
partly heavy rain had made the track and special stages at the finale of the
European Enduro Championship in Heinola, Finland, particularly difficult and
demanding. On the slippery stones and smooth roots the motorcycles had to set
the best times.
At
first, 19-year-old Roni Kytönen was able to use his home advantage and took the
lead - but always the Englishman Jed Etchells was at the back. After the first
lap, he found the right suspension setting on his new Sherco and pushed the Finn
in front of him. At the end of the second lap he was able to take the lead with
less than a second. But already in the next special stage Kytönen took the lead
back again. But then Etchells drove 13 seconds faster than all other riders in
the next test and laid the foundation for his first overall victory of the day.
"In the rain and mud and right through the woods, I trained a lot in the winter,
conditions like these suit me," the 18-year-old junior rejoiced afterwards.
In
the championship, Kristof Kouble, the leader, had not started due to injury and
then Albin Elowson from Sweden, who was on third championship position, dropped
out abger a crash in the morning on his way to the first special stage, also
dropped out after a crash.
This
allowed Kytönen to take the lead in the championship and further extend his lead
over the competition.
In
the cubic capacity classes, the first champion was already crowned prematurely:
Patrik Markvart from the Czech
Republic can already be celebrated as the champion in the 250 cc four-stroke
engine class: The KTM rider had already won all the races this year and is
therefore already unbeatable in the lead, although there are still two days to
go.
In
the women's event, day winner Hanna Berzelius from Sweden may be able to secure
her title on the second of the three driving days: competitor Nieve Holmes from
England still suffers from her injured shoulder and, in addition, she jumped
down the drive chain twice in the special stage, which is why she lost the
shot.
Final in Finland
The final oft he European Enduro Championship will take place coming weekend in Heinola / Finland.
The former motocross world championship track has already hosted many international enduro competitions. From Friday, September 6, 2019, to Sunday, September 8, 2019, the European Championships will be staging their championships over three days. Two days are dedicated to the terrain and the special stages, on the last day there will be a final motocross contest for the last positions.
That's why the cross-country course in the north of Heinola is also the place for the paddock and the administration. And to make it even easier for the teams, the second time control will also be there, so that there will be short distances for all the staff.
But it won't be any easier for the riders: they will each have to complete three laps on the 55 km long track and complete every lap all the three different special stages.
The final decisions will then be made on Sunday at the final cross of the individual classes. Afterwards the medals for the European Championship will be awarded at the award ceremony.
Because it will take three days, 90 championship points will be awarded in this last competition. So theoretically the first 10 in the championship can become overall winners.
Czech rider Kristof Kouble is currently leading with eleven points ahead of Ronny Kytönen. But maybe the Finnish rider has a home advantage and can still beat his competitor? The 19-year-old had already managed this at the last race in Latvia. But that alone will not be enough for him this time, when the Czech takes second place every day. Kouble has to stumble at the same time to clear the way for Kytönen to win at home.
Double victory for Kytönen
The only 19-year-old junior Rony
Kytönen from Finland won the third round of
the European Enduro Championship
in Madona, Latvia, on the second day with
another day's victory in the class
and the overall ranking and not only the
overall victory over both days, but
he also extended his lead in the junior
class „E1“. For the young rider this
is the first overall victory in the
European Championship. "This gives me a
lot of self-confidence," said the
Husavarna rider, whose father Vesa, a
former enduro world champion (1999),
had accompanied him on this trip.
Second became Albin Elowson, only 18 seconds behind. But the
Swede knows
that he was ill just before the competition and had to take
antibiotics,
which is why he was physically behind. "But the more I ride,
the better." He
was also reconciled with the fact, that he naturally won the
big four-stroke
class and, despite his retirement in Slovakia, slipped back
to second place
in this championship. "And I had a small crash on the very
last special
stage, which certainly cost me ten seconds.
The
international competition again took place in the two-stroke driver
classes:
In the small-capacity category, Maurizio Micheluz from Italy won
and in the
large-capacity category, Dennis Schröter from Germany won.
In
the senior category, defending champion Sebastian Krywult from Poland was
able to win the second day one despite his knee injury and extend his lead.
The British rider Nive Holmes did not manage the trick: After
her right
shoulder was dislocated on the first day when she came into
contact with a
tree, she could only ride the second day in pain.
Nevertheless, she finished
third, but lost the championship lead to Hanna
Berzelius from Sweden.
The upcoming final, in early September in
Finland, will certainly be
exciting: Kytönen has shown that he can beat the
still overall leader
Kristof Kouble and in Finland he would also have a home
advantage.
Juniors fight to the end
At the third round of the European Enduro Championship in Latvia the juniors
fought for the overall victory until the last special-test on the first
competition-day: Up to this tim the Finn Roni Kytönen was still back:
"Things didn't go so well in the very first test, but I almost caught up
until the end - I knew that I simply had to risk everything.“ - The
Husqvarna rider did as he said and even managed to take seven seconds off
championship leader Kristof Kouble. So finaly the Finn finally won the day.
"In the end, Roni was simply faster than me," Kouble admitted without envy,
but he still keeps his lead in the championship for a long time. Of course,
both riders also won their respective cubic capacity classes at the same
time: Kytönen the Junior class E1, and Kouble on the KTM the Junior class of
the more powerful E2 and E3 machines - ahead of the Brit Jed Etchells.
The next Finn, Eemil Pohjola, took third place in the overall standings, but
he was also able to win the big four-stroke class ahead of Albin Elowson
from Sweden.
Directly behind these two riders, the Swede Max Ahlin rode his brand new
125cc Husqvarna to fifth place in the overall standings and once again
clinched a victory in the class of the youngest riders with the small 125cc
motorcycles. Ahlin had just switched from KTM to Husqvarna the week before.
It also became highly international in the two-stroke class: Maurizio
Micheluz, an Italian, won the small-capacity category and Dennis Schröter, a
German, won the large-capacity category.
A total of seven different nations were represented in the top 14 of the
overall standings!
The organizer in Madona had proved its worth on this first day of riding: No
problems at all on the track or in the special stages, so that the second
day will be done according to the same schedule as this first day.
The award ceremony is scheduled for Sunday at 16:30 at the central square
place.
Third round in Latvia
The European Enduro Championship will move to Latvia for the third round of the four competitions: the paddock and the administration will be located in the middle of Madona on the coming weekend of 29th and 30th of July 2019.
On Saturday and Sunday, the 100 riders from 14 nations will be sent out for the three laps from 8:00 a.m. onwards. There are around 180 km to be ridden daily and two different special stages to be completed in each lap. The Enduro test and the Crosstelst are not far apart, so that it will be easy for spectators and teams to follow the competition.
It won't be that easy for the riders, because in Madona regular international competitions, from the Enduro Sprint to the Baltic Enduro Cup, have been taking place for several years now. So that there is a lot of experience with challenging course management, but also with the organization of such events.
To set the mood for this international competition, an official opening ceremony will take place on Friday evening at 6:30 pm.
The Czech rider Kristof Kouble turned out to be the favourite. Behind him are Albin Elowson from Sweden and Roni Kytönen from Finland, who even won his junior class in the World Championship two weeks ago. This will provide excitement, as the top drivers in the championship and in the individual classes will of course all be at the starting line..
Overall-win to Kristof Kouble in Brezno / Slovakia
The Czech Kristof Kouble surprisingly won the second day of the second round of this year's European Enduro Championship in Brezno, Slovakia: The previous day's winner, Albin Elowson, have had led more than half the time, but a gearbox damage on his motorcycle caused the Swede to check out prematurely. Shortly before, his compatriot Mikael Persson, yesterday's third overall, had retired after a crash with electrical problems.
The only 19-year-old junior Rony Kytönen from Finland was able to finish second in the overall standings ahead of the Brits Jed Etcheles. In this order was the overall standings over the two days and Kouble continues the championship-lead in the overall class.
Both top-riders also won their cubic capacity class: Kouble the junior class 2/3, Kytönen the junior class 1. Etcheles starts as a junior with Kouble in the same class and therefore became second there.
The only Italian at the start was the former European Champion Maurizio Micheluz, who won the 250cc two-stroke class and finished fourth in the overall standings on day two. Directly behind him in fifth place was the only 17-year-old Max Ahlin, who finished fifth in the overall standings in the 125cc Youth Cup.
In the women's class, Audrey Rossat, the former European Champion of 2014, won: The French rider benefited from her great experience on the demanding course and ended the day with the least penalty minutes - all other women, if they ever reached the finish line, had also been late on the course.
Because of the bad weather with heavy rain, the organiser had defused parts of the track and the special stages. That was a good thing, because it was still difficult enough - in the end only 70 of the 107 participants who originally started on the first day crossed the finish line.
Albin Elowson wins first day
in Brezno / Slovakia
The Swede Albin Elowson won
the first day of the second round of this year's European Enduro Championship in
Brezno / Slovakia, in the overall standings: The Husqvarna rider gradually
managed to get ahead of championship leader Kristof Kouble, who in the end added
up to over half a minute.
Both riders also won their
cubic capacity class, Elowson the four-stroke 250cc class and Kouble the junior
2-3 class.
The junior class 1, with the
smaller cubic capacity motorcycles, was won by the Finn Roni Kytönen, who had to
overtake some slower riders on the track in front of him, otherwise he might
have been even better than his fourth place in the overall standings.
How demanding the track and
the special stages were is most evident in the women's class: there the English
rider Nieve Holmes won - although she got an additional penalty minute on the
track: "I was in time at the time control in time, but I still had to refuel,"
said the Sherco rider, who switched from motocross to enduro only two years ago.
"I drove more cautiously and looked more closely so that I wouldn't make any
mistakes in the tests," she revealed her secret recipe. That worked because the
demanding specials offered many opportunities for
mistakes.
The women also had to fight
hard on the track, just three of the 13 female riders remained without penalty
points.
But because bad weather is
predicted for the second day, the organiser has installed some defusing measures
on the stage as well as in enduro and extreme
tests.
Second round in Slovakia
The European Enduro Championship changes to the second round of the four competitions into Slovakia, next weekend on 18th and 19th of May 2019: The former mining town also has a tradition in Enduro sport. For a long time, the "Sports Training Centre for Offroad Motorcycles" was one of the largest clubs in Slovakia. Numerous competitions took place here, an just last year on round to the Slovak and Czech Championships.
The riders and teams of the European Championship move to the historical market square in the middle of the city, where the paddock and the administration centre are located.
On Saturday and Sunday the more than 100 riders from 13 nations will be sent out for the three laps from 9:00 a.m. onwards. There are around 180 km to be driven daily and three different special stages to be completed in each lap.
The award ceremony will take place on Sunday from 17:00.
To set the mood for this international event, an official opening ceremony will take place on Friday evening at 6 p.m. - together with cultural performances and fireworks at the end.
Czech rider Kristof Kouble turned out to be the favourite at the season opener. Behind him are Albin Elowson from Sweden and Eemil Pohjola from Finland with equal championship-points. But in his Slovak home Thomas Hostinsky should certainly not be underestimated: The Husqvarna rider is already leading his class in the championship classification, the two-strokes up to 250 cc.
Double for Kouble in Portugal
Krystof Kouble from the Czech Republic also won the second day at the start of the European Enduro Championship in Gois, Portugal.
Thus, the KTM rider takes the lead in the overall classification for the first time.
The only 21-year-old motorcyclist naturally also won the junior class E2/3 in which he takes part.
The Swede Albin Elowson not only won the cubic capacity class of the big four-strokes, but also took second place in the overall standings with his
Husqvarna. The Finn Eemil Pohjola, who had been ahead of Elowson the day before, lost some time after a crash, when he had to ride two special stages without clutch.
The Swede Max Ahlin won the youngest of the participants, the 125cc riders up to the age of 21, as he did on day one: The 17-year-old Sherco rider
finished sixth in the overall standings, just behind 125cc last year's winner Roni Kytönen from Finland, who this season moved up to the junior class with the big bikes.
But also in the class no herb seems to have grown against the Husqvarna rider, because in the junior class E1 he also won both daily classifications superior.
The Finn Petri Pohiamo, who has been successful in the Enduro World Championship in the past, won his first seniors' race among seniors who are
over 40 years old. On the first day he had to give up prematurely due to technical problems, so he is still a bit behind in the championship.
Even though there was less rain in Portugal on that day, the track was much more difficult than the day before - the ruts were too deep and cost
additional power. So again there were numerous retirements, even though some riders with technical problems or physical injuries just managed to make it
to the finish. Almost a quarter of the participants dropped out and a further quarter of the participants collected time penalty points due to delays at the checkpoints.
The Góis Moto Clube has done an excellent job as the organiser on site to organise the competition under these difficult conditions in an excellent and trouble-free way.
Metzelerfahrer gewinnen den Auftakt in der European Enduro Championship in Portugal-Gois
Junior Kouble wins the first
day
The only 21-year-old Krystof
Kouble from the Czech Republic won the first day at the start of the European
Enduro Championship in Gois, Portugal.
From the first stage on, the
KTM rider took the lead and extended this lead to 22 seconds until the end.
After a slip-up in the enduro test his lead had shrunk a little, but overall all
participants had to struggle more with the weather conditions than with the
competition. Heavy rain and hailstorms had made the track muddy and slippery and
had led the organizers to some detours.
The second of the day, the
Finn Eemil Pohjamo: took on more than 4,000 km of the journey: The TM-pilot on
the 300 two-stroke fought his way up to second place after the first lap and
didn't give up after a crash in the crosstest. The third rider of the day, the
Swede Albin Elowson, had no chance to get close.
Fourth place went to an even
younger rider: The Swede Max Ahlin with the small 125cc machine also won the
biggest class in this European Championship season
opener.
The Czech rider Zuzana
Novackova won the women's race: Not because she was the fastest in the special
stages, but because she had collected the fewest penalty minutes on the
demanding track: In the end she had a lead of over eight minutes over Hanna
Berzelius from Sweden, who is so much faster in the special stages.
All in all, at the end only
13% of the riders quit the competition bevore the
end.
Infos from the finals are updated now
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The finals of the European Enduro Championchip went by and you didn´t found any infos here. We are a small team and because of the illness from the webmaster there was no way to get the infos to the page.
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You can now find all informations about the three days from the final in Kielce submitted here.