Albergoni and Oldrati on the podium in difficult E1 GP in Slovakia

2009-06-21 14:38
KTM Enduro Factory Racing E1 rider Simone Albergoni and KTM-supported rider Thomas Oldrati, both if Italy overcame a difficult weekend's racing in Rounds 9 & 10 of the World Championship to be on the podium for the Austrian manufacturer.

Albergoni was third in Saturday's race and Oldrati was third in on Sunday in an eventful weekend where the weather played a major role in the outcome of the event.
.
Difficult race weekend
The two races kicked off the second half of the Enduro World Championship season in Puchov, Slovakia, a hilly, forested area that has an established tradition of Enduro racing on a 65 km track to be covered 3.5 times on each of the race days. The teams knew in advance that it would be a difficult race weekend, especially if it rained and at least on Saturday that was the case.

Super Test
The weekend started with the Super Test on Friday evening, the extra test in front of a crowd that makes the sport more accessible to the public and gives rider the opportunity to show off their skills. Some 4000 motor sport fans gathered on the banks of the Vah River to watch the riders go through their paces with Ivan Cervantes of KTM's E3 team taking the glory and Oldrati in second place. But Saturday proved very tough with continual rain that turned many hills on the course into extremely difficult slippery slopes.

Hard day's ride
At the end of a tough first day the E1 KTM Enduro Factory team was on the podium with Albergoni in third place but like most riders, Eero Remes, in his rookie year with the factory team and Oldrati, who is racing his first year in the senior division, both had their share of difficulties. Oldrati finished a creditable sixth and the young Finn in eighth place on a day that factory team boss Fabio Farioli summarised as follows: "Everybody made mistakes today so the winner was the one who made the least mistakes."

Better weather on Sunday
The rain held off for Sunday's race and the track dried out as the day progressed. Organisers also made some amendments to the tests, making both the Enduro and the Extreme test easier than it had been on Saturday. Albergoni had been leading for most of the way but eventually had to settle for fourth place, while Oldrati finished in third place.

The World Championship competition now reconvenes in July for the next round in Mexico.

E1 Results Saturday
1. Mika Ahola, France, Honda
2. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
3. Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM
4. Fabien Planet, France, KTM
5. Julien Gauthier, France, Honda
Other KTM
6. Thomas Oldrati, Italy, KTM
8. Eero Remes, Finland, KTM

E1 Results Sunday
1. Mika Ahola, France, Honda
2. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
3. Thomas Oldrati, Italy, KTM
4. Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM
5. Julien Gauthier, France, Honda
Other KTM
6. Eero Remes, Finland, KTM

Standings after Rounds 9 & 10
1. Mika Ahola, France, Honda, 247
2. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna, 208
3. Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM, 203
4. Thomas Oldrati, Italy, KTM, 173
5. Eero Remes, Finland, KTM, 153

Source: KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story