Persson Climbs To Second In Enduro Junior Championship Standings

2017-04-24 09:05
Enjoying a highly successful outing in Puerto Lumbreras, Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team rider Mikael Persson wrapped up round two of the Enduro Junior World Championship claiming two top three results at the GP of Spain. Collecting 42 points the young Swede moves up to second in the class' points standings.

In contrast to the season opening Finnish GP, round two of the 2017 series saw all competitors battle through dusty and extremely dry conditions. Taking advantage of the time he spent training in Spain during the off-season, Persson was quickly up to race pace aboard the Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team's WR250F machine.

Topping the time sheets during the short opening Super Test, Mikael went on to post top three times in six out of the nine special tests contested during the first full day of competition in Spain. Suffering some small mistakes at the end of the first lap, the Swede had to eventually settle for third on day one.

Gaining confidence on the unpredictable terrain on day two, Persson was fastest in three out of seven tests. Battling for the win until the end of the day, he claimed the runner-up spot finishing less than 13 seconds behind the eventual class winner.

Making his debut in the Enduro World Championship, Camille Chapelière claimed a 16th place result on day one but was unable to finish day two of the event. Earning his first career points in the series, the Yamaha France supported rider is currently placed 30th position in the Enduro Junior championship standings.

Mikael Persson and the Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team will return to action in Spoleto, Italy, for the third round of the 2017 Enduro World Championship taking place on March 21/23.

Untitled Mikael Persson – Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team rider
3rd Day 1 / 2nd Day 2

"I'm really happy with our results from Spain. Getting third on Saturday and then second on Sunday helped us collect some precious points for the championship. It was a tough GP under some difficult conditions. With all that dust you had to be really careful to avoid mistakes. It took me some time to get a good feeling on day one, but as the race went on I felt really good on the bike. On day two my riding was really good and I could push for a good result. We had a good fight with Brad and Davide and in the end a few mistakes here and there cost me the win. It's always good to get on the podium but obviously we want more. We'll continue working hard with the goal to reduce mistakes and further improve our results in Italy."
Results - 2017 FIM Enduro World Championship, Round 1, Spain

Day 1 - Enduro Junior
1. Davide Soreca (ITA), Husqvarna, 52:10.11
2. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 52:17.95, +7.84
3. Mikael Persson (SWE), Yamaha, 52:28.98, +18.87
4. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 52:41.45, +31.34
5. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Husqvarna, 53:56.47, +1:46.36
6. Valerian Debaud (FRA), TM, 54:23.82, +2:13.71
16. Camille Chapelière (FRA), Yamaha, 59:30.93, +7:20.82
17. Antoine Magain (BEL), Yamaha, 1:02:36.02, +10:25.91

Day 2 - Enduro Junior
1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 42:12.76
2. Mikael Persson (SWE), Yamaha, 42:25.21, +12.45
3. Davide Soreca (ITA), Honda, 42:28.63, +15.87
4. Matteo Cavallo (ITA), Beta, 42:58.80, +46.04
5. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 43:26.24, +1:13.48
6. Enric Francisco (ESP), Husqvarna, 44:22.61, +2:09.85

2017 FIM Enduro World Championship Standings (After Round 2)

Enduro Junior
1. Davide Soreca (ITA), Honda, 89pts
2. Mikael Persson (SWE), Yamaha, 77pts
3. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 66pts
4. Antti Hanninen (FIN), Husqvarna, 57pts
5. Eemil Pohjola (FIN), Husqvarna, 50pts
6. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 47pts
21. Antoine Magain (BEL), Yamaha, 13pts
30. Camille Chapelière (FRA), Yamaha, 5pts

Source: Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.

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