Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team Earn Runner-Up Result In Portugal

2017-07-25 09:15
Continuing his fight for the coveted Enduro Junior World Championship title, Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team rider Mikael Persson secured a runner-up result on the first day of competition at a challenging EnduroGP of Portugal. Suffering the effects of an old injury the young Swede was forced to abandon the race on day two.

Featuring long special tests and contested under extremely hot and dry conditions, round six of the 2017 FIM EnduroGP World Championship was a proper test for all competitors. Fresh from his first career victory in the Enduro Junior class Persson entered the event aiming for two equally good results in the under 23 class of the series.

Kicking off his participation to the Portuguese GP in the best possible way, the WR250F mounted rider posted the fastest time in his class during the short opening SuperTest on Friday evening.

Bringing his momentum into the first full day of racing on Saturday, Mikael won four out of nine tests battling for his second victory of the season all the way until the last test of the day. Suffering a few small mistakes Persson had to settle for a well-desered runner-up spot behind his fellow Swede Albin Elowson.

Enjoying a strong start to day two, Mikael won two tests in the first two laps but was unable to finish due to a recurrent shoulder injury. Remaining third in the Enduro Junior's championship standings, he is now determined to come back stronger in the following round in the United Kingdom.

Set to represent Sweden at the International Six Days Enduro in France from August 28 to September 2, Mikael Persson and the Johansson Yamaha Junior Enduro Team will return to the 2017 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Hawkstone Park, Great Britain, round seven of the 2017 EnduroGP World Championship on September 23/24.

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

"The weekend started really well for me. Winning the SuperTest on Friday afternoon I had a very good felling going into Saturday. I started day one by topping the super long cross test and then went on to post the second fastest time in the extreme test. Overall, I had a very good day one and was happy with my speed. I made a few mistakes here and there but I guess in such conditions it was almost impossible to avoid mistakes. Battling for the victory it all came down to the last test. Making another small mistake I lost some time and had to settle for second on day one. I really wanted to go out there and fight for the win on day two. While heading towards the enduro test I pushed to avoid an obstacle and felt my shoulder popping out. Two years ago I dislocated my shoulder and unfortunately it came back at the worst possible moment. Things got worse in the special test so I had to call it a day. It's a shame things panned out like that but we now need to focus on the remainder of the season. I'm going to take advantage of the small break in the series now to come back stronger in England."
Results - 2017 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 6, Portugal

Day 1 - Enduro Junior
1. Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna, 1:15:16.09
2. Mikael Persson (SWE), Yamaha, 1:15:22.54, +6.45
3. Davide Soreca (ITA), Honda, 1:16:00.67, +44.58
4. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 1:16:29.13, +1:13.04
5. Anthony Geslin (FRA), Beta, 1:17:05.07, + 1:48.98
6. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 1:17:12.96, +1:56.87
13. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), Yamaha, 1:18:42.37, +3:26.28
14. Antoine Megain (BEL), Yamaha, 1:19:10.68, +3:54.59
17. Thibaut Passet (FRA), Yamaha, 1:20:21.09, +5:05.00
18. Jean-Baptiste Nicolot (FRA), Yamaha, 1:21:35.42, +6:19.33

Day 2 - Enduro Junior
1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 1:16:16.20
2. Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna, 1:16:27.38, +11.18
3. Davide Soreca (ITA), Honda, 1:17:32.99, +1:16.79
4. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 1:17:36.29, +1:20.09
5. Anthony Geslin (FRA), Beta, 1:17:44.73, +1:28.53
6. Emanuele Fachetti (ITA), TM, 1:18:59.89, +2:43.69
7. Jean-Baptiste Nicolot (FRA), Yamaha, 1:19:18.23, +3:02.03
9. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), Yamaha, 1:20:07.20, +3:51.00
10. Antoine Magain (BEL), Yamaha, 1:20:33.37, +4:17.17
13. Thibaut Passet (FRA), Yamaha, 1:22:46.17, +6:29.97

2017 FIM EnduroGP World Championship Standings (After Round 6)

Enduro Junior
1. Davide Soreca (ITA), Honda, 244pts
2. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 230pts
3. Mikael Persson (SWE), Yamaha, 208pts
4. Kirian Mirabet (ESP), Sherco, 168pts
5. Matteo Cavallo (ITA), Beta, 139pts
6. Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna, 137pts
13. Antoine Magain (BEL), Yamaha, 62pts
25. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), Yamaha, 31pts
27. Jean-Baptiste Nicolot (FRA), Yamaha, 27pts
30. Thibaut Passet (FRA), Yamaha, 22pts
35. Erik Appelqvist (SWE), Yamaha, 13pts

Source: Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.

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