No time to rest for riders in the Mika Ahola “Brave One” Trophy! Two weeks after facing two Enduro Tests which were typically Scandinavian and very tricky with ruts, roots, sand and pebbles, the stars of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship this time took on a beautiful, hilly, and very long test… but equally demanding in its own Basque style!
Under these conditions, no one expected the factory TM rider Manuel MONNI (I) to be quite so impressive! With a victory on Saturday and a third place on Sunday, the Italian proves that he has the talent to fight well within the Top 10…
Other riders have shown potential during this weekend, Nathan WATSON (GB – KTM – 6/1) and Johnny AUBERT (F – Beta – 2/8) both glean valuable points on leaders REMES (SF – TM), HOLCOMBE (GB – Beta) and PHILLIPS (AUS). Especially since none of the top three were really able to shine on the Basque terrain…
While REMES and HOLCOMBE were back on track on Sunday (4th and 5th), on Saturday it was a different story and the pair struggled (13th and DNF). Aussie powerhouse PHILLIPS suffered on the Enduro Test all weekend managing just 13th and 10th. Meanwhile, diminutive Finn REMES took the lead by 6 points over HOLCOMBE, and by 15 over PHILLIPS.
Also note the strong performance of Mathias BELLINO (F – Husqvarna), 5th and 2nd, who seems to be back on top form after four difficult Grand Prix.
Giacomo REDONDI (I – Honda) also put in a powerful performance, producing an excellent third place on the first race day!
While REMES temporarily regained control of the Mika Ahola “Brave One” Trophy at the expense of HOLCOMBE and PHILLIPS, this GP AMV Seguros of Euskadi also proved that the three leading riders were not untouchable and that the trend could quickly change. With two races remaining, the competition between the rivals will step up another gear at the ever exciting Grand Prix Acerbis Italy, to be held in Fabriano on 16 and 17 July.
Provisional Standings: 1. Eero REMES 171pts ; 2. Steve HOLCOMBE 165pts ; 3. Matthew PHILLIPS 156pts; 4. Nathan WATSON 140pts; 5. Taylor ROBERT 125pts; 6. Mathias BELLINO 121pts; 7. Johnny AUBERT 119pts; 8. Alex SALVINI 94pts; 9. Antoine BASSET 79pts; 10. Manuel MONNI 78pts…
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