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World champion
Salminen wins final season |
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16.09.2007 |
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World champion Salminen wins final season's
E1 race |
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Juha Salminen, 2007 world champion in the
Enduro E1 class on Sunday proved that the top
podium spot was his natural habitat when he took
the final race of the season in a style that has
won him admiration and the season's title. |
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The KTM factory rider added yet another title to the
ever expanding cache of world championships won by KTM
when he put in a superb final day at the French Enduro
Grand Prix. It was Salminen's seventh career title and
elevates him into the record books as the most
successful Enduro rider in the sport.
The Finnish rider returned to race in Europe after two
years of competition in the USA and made a clean sweep
of all the first 12 races of the season for a perfect
scorecard of 300 points. Then he took a tumble and broke
his collarbone while competing in Britain in an event
outside the Enduro World Championships. Salminen decided
to sit out two world championship races in Slovakia,
hoping to heal the shoulder so he could be back racing
for the final showdown, a decision that Fabio Farioli,
team boss of the KTM Enduro Factory Team said was
sensible.
Not wanting to take unnecessary risks and endanger the
title, Salminen took it easy on Saturday, finishing
third and picking up enough points to give him the
title. With the pressure off, he went out to have fun on
Sunday and again climbed to the top of the podium.
Salminen winds up the season with 13 victories and one
third place finish in the 14 races in which he started,
thus firmly stamping his mark on the Enduro record
books. His victory also underlined that KTM is always
"Ready to Race" and that they remain at the forefront of
curing edge technology and development for offroad
motorcycles.
Farioli said he was very satisfied with the Enduro World
Championship season which ended with victory in the E1
and the E3 championships and a second place in E2. "Over
the past three seasons we have now won eight world
championships and one second place from nine possible
titles, so we have to be satisfied. But now we must look
to the future and the pressure will be on us to stay in
front."
Results Sunday
1. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM, (2007 World Champion)
2. Simone Albergoni, Italy, Yamaha
3. Marc Germain, France, Yamaha
4. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
5. Maurizio Micheluz, Italy, Yamaha
6. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM
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Salminen in his natural winning habitat
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Salminen concludes a superb winning season
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Alessandro Belometti sixth on Sunday |
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16.09.2007 |
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E3 World Champion Ivan Cervantes finishes the
season in victorious style |
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The freshly crowned E3 World Champion Ivan
Cervantes won the final race of the Enduro World
Championships on Sunday in France to finish the
season in style, just one day after claiming the
title. |
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It
was the KTM Enduro Factory Team rider's first year in
the big bike category and he said that winning the title
had exceeded his expectations. "I am very happy to win
this third title, because it really was a hard year for
me with changing the categories."
The Spanish rider said that at the beginning of the
season he had hoped to be able to fight for a top three
place, but Sunday's victory, on top of no less than 11
others during the season was certainly proof of his
superiority. Cervantes can be well satisfied with a
season where he was on the podium in every single race.
KTM teammate Marko Tarkkala came home in fifth place on
Sunday and finished second in the championship standings
to add more pleasure to the successful KTM factory team.
The Finnish rider had been Cervantes closest rival in
the closing stages of the season with both of the KTM
team-mates putting considerable points distance between
them and third placed Sebastien Guillaume of France.
Results Sunday
1. Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM (2007 World
Champion)
2. Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
3. Alessandro Botturi, Italy, Honda
4. Bjorne Carlsson, Sweden, Husaberg
5. Marko Tarkkala, Finland, KTM (2007 Vice World
Champion)
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Cervantes on his way to victory |
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KTM Factory team celebrating world championship
titles |
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Tarkkala finishes second in season's standings |
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16.09.2007 |
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Samuli Aro holds onto second place in E2
World Championship |
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KTM Factory rider Samuli Aro wound up the E2
season at the French Grand Prix on Sunday with a
sixth place securing enough championship points
to finish second in the world championship
behind arch rival Mika Ahola. |
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Aro's final day out on the track in the French
countryside was not without incident. He had one small
crash, which cost him some time but thankfully no injury
or damage that stopped him completing the day's action.
Meanwhile his KTM Enduro Factory Team team-mate Fabien
Planet was in fine form again on Sunday to score his
second podium in two days in front of his home crowd.
The course, with its grassy surfaces and woodlands was
tailor-made to suit the French riders and Planet also
took good advantage of the familiar conditions.
Aro has been on the podium 11 times during the 2007
season including victories in Sweden and Canada. Planet,
who finished fourth in the championship standings, was
three times on the podium but consistently well in the
points ranking after each race.
Results Sunday
1. Johnny Aubert, France, Yamaha
2. Mika Ahola, Finland, Honda
3. Fabien Planet, France, KTM
4. Stefan Merriman, Australia, Aprilia
5. Xavier Galindo, Spain, KTM
6. Samuli Aro, Finland, KTM (2007 Vice World Champion)
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Aro finishes second in E2 World championship
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Aro in action in France |
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Second podium in two days for Frenchman Fabien
Planet |
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