E2 World Champion Johnny Aubert and Simone Albergoni join KTM Enduro Factory Team
. By Bikeland Staff
KTM has acquired two new talented Enduro riders for its factory team line-up for the 2009 World Championship season.
Frenchman Johnny Aubert, the newly crowned E2 World champion will be onboard for the Orange team and Italian Simone Albergoni rides for KTM in the E1 class.
Team boss Fabio Farioli is very positive for the 2009 season. "We are after the titles in 2009," he said. "We're now preparing the bikes and we expect the riders to start serious riding training at the beginning of December."
Albergoni gets a new taste of orange in E1
Simone Albergoni, who had his first experience with the KTM team four years ago, returns to ride in E1 together with new recruit, the Finnish team rookie Eero Remes. The 27-year-old first felt the passion of motor sports at just three years old and his appointment to the KTM Factory Team will, according to Farioli, be his big chance to take the title in the class where he was second in 2007 and third in 2008 behind KTM's Ivan Cervantes. Albergoni, a quiet and concentrated competitor has special talents riding in very hard conditions. "He is extremely fast over rocks and is very good in the mud and over difficult terrain," Farioli said. The more experienced Italian will also be a mentor for Remes in his first year with the factory team. Both riders will compete on KTM 250 EXC-F machines.
KTM welcomes Johnny Aubert to E2
Johnny Aubert, who took the E2 title in 2008 is also no stranger to a KTM, which he rode (for KTM France) to finish third in the French Junior Championships in 1995. The now 28-year-old Frenchman grew up in France near the Belgian border and up to 2005, rode in the MX world championships. He too was already onboard two wheels at a tender age and first raced at just four years old. With his previous riding experiences on the MX courses of France and Belgium, it comes as no surprise that Aubert is a great all rounder on grass and muddy conditions, while, according to Farioli, is also fast improving in the Extreme tests. Farioli describes Aubert as "very talented" and is looking forward to a rewarding E2 season. The Frenchman will ride a 450 EXC-R in E2 together with KTM factory team stalwart Italian Alessandro Belometti on a KTM 250 EXC. Belometti joined Aubert and Salminen on the podium at the end of the 2008 World Championship season.
Strong, tried and true KTM line-up in E3
The KTM Factory Team also goes into the big bike category with a proven and very strong line-up with 2008 E3 champion Samuli Aro of Finland riding a KTM 530 EXC-R and teammate Ivan Cervantes of Spain on a KTM 300 EXC. Cervantes, second in E1 in 2008 thus returns to his favourite category.
The coming season will offer the riders a rich choice of terrain and venues, starting with the first two rounds in Portugal and Spain, then continuing to Finland, Slovakia, Mexico, Greece and France.