    |
 |
|
|
|
This is `The Cart Before the Horse`. Just received this. A preview of Portugal.
By Lexy Thorogood
Mudholes for the first round of World Enduro Champs in Portugal:
The first round of the World Enduro Championships will be held in Lousa, Portugal on the weekend and already there is a whole lot of action in the sleepy little town. This year there are a number of changes to the format of the event. Firstly the riders will commence the race tomorrow in a different order than usual. The overall top thirty riders of 2002 will commence first before the top 10 riders of each class, followed by the rest of the riders.
It is proposed, that there will be 15 special tests on the first day and 16 specials on the second day. There are two enduro tests, one grasstrack motocross test and one \'extreme\' test. The riders will complete four laps of the four specials. The addition of the \'extreme\' test is not something anyone was told about before the event. The test is basically a trials section with boulders and logs placed around the track. This extreme test will not be timed on the first lap on day one, but on all subsequent laps. Many of the riders are angry about the inclusion of the \'extreme\' test as it distorts the results and is not a good judgement of skill when it is measured on speed alone. The enduro tests are bumpy and rocky and the organisers have also dug some bogholes into the enduro tests and filled them with water (!!??!!). It is doubtful whether these tests will last the duration of the weekend as they are already on very unstable ground. With 200 riders doing each test four times each day, it seems impossible for the tests to be passable after the second loop, especially as the area had quite heavy rain last night. However there is a jury meeting this morning (Friday) to discuss these problems and so we will have to wait and see the outcome.
Stefan has tested the bike and is happy with it\'s performance in the bumpy, rocky conditions. He has been busy walking tests and is getting the bike ready to put in the Parc Ferme. As he finished third overall in 2002, he will be starting tomorrow as Number 3. His main competition in the 250cc 2 stroke class will be his former teammate, Samuli Aro on a KTM and local Portuguese rider, Helder Rodrigues. The Yamaha 250 rider, Mats Andreasson has reportedly pulled out of the World Enduro Champs and will not be racing in Portugal.
