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From - Lexy Thorogood:
Check out - STEFAN`S W/SITE:
Merriman unbeatable in Overall results on Day 1 of WEC:
The French round of the World Enduro Championships looked to be a very challenging race from the outset. The task - 3 grassy off-cambered motocross tests, one fast single track enduro test and a rocky riverbed extreme test. This was to be the most difficult round so far with 56 mins of special test time on the first day and 51 on the second. In addition, the trail linking all the specials was hard and technical requiring a lot of effort by the riders and provided some excellent viewing for spectators. Hundreds of supporters lined the track to see the best enduro riders battle won another for the top spot in mostly dry conditions. Prior to the race, the forecast promised rain all week but nothing of substance eventuated. Just a little rain on Friday and Saturday night wet the grass on the first cross test, but dried out quickly for the latter riders. After walking all the tests, Stefan was apprehensive about the race to come,
\"This extreme is a lot different to anything we\'ve ever raced in the World Enduro Champs. I am not sure how the test will hold up.\" He said about the extreme.
Merriman didn\'t get such a good start on Saturday and crashed in the third test. He lost the front end on an off cambered corner heading uphill, losing 15 secs picking up the bike and getting going again. Then on the second loop Merriman redeemed himself, winning the extreme test 17 seconds in front of his rival Aro. He then followed this up with a 7 second victory in the Enduro test. Merriman was gaining momentum extending the lead on the third loop, when he pushed a little too hard in the enduro test and crashed, losing 8 seconds. He then won the next two foolowing tests to take the overall and 250 2 stroke class victory over Aro.
On the podium, he said, \" I had a couple of crashes today which I was not very happy about but I am pleased to take the class and overall win. It was quite a difficult race with some very challenging terrain. I am very happy with the bike and the team we have been working hard to make some improvements and this result shows our success.\"
A Convincing Win For Merriman on Day 2 of WEC:
A little rain on Saturday night did not change much. The first test was a little slippery but after that the dust became the biggest problem. Many riders had crashes in the grassy off cambered cross tests, as the powdery dust made it difficult to get grip on the ground.
On Sunday, Merriman started much the same as Saturday. He crashed in the second test and lost 10 seconds to Aro. He made up for lost time in the Extreme and Enduro test and was then leading over Aro and Salminen by 8 and 9 seconds respectively. By mid way through the second loop, Aro and Salminen had dropped back into 3rd and 4th position and Spanish motocross rider, Cervantes was only 5 seconds behind Merriman. Stefan put another awesome effort in on the extreme, beating Cervantes by 15 seconds and further extending his lead in the enduro winning by another 2 seconds. In the final three cross tests Merriman protected his lead, once again winning the class and overall classification.
\" I was pleased with my win today. I always enjoy the French rounds - many special tests with lots of challenging terrain. The organisers have gone to a lot of effort to prepare the course and they\'ve done a great job. For me, this was an excellent race!\" Merriman said about his victory.
After Day 2 World Enduro Championships - Aigueperse, France:
Overall Classification
Place - Rider - Bike - Total - Time
1st Stefan Merriman (AUS) HONDA CRE 250 51:22.744
2nd Ivan Cervantes (SPA) KTM 520 51:41.925
3rd Samuli Aro (FIN) KTM 250 51:52.116
4th Juha Salminen (FIN) KTM 520 51:56.606
5th David Knight (GBR) YAM 500 52:10.273
6th Bjorne Carlsson (SWE) HBG 500 52:44.383
7th David Fretigne (FRA) YAM 52:55.053
8th Alessandro Zanni (ITA) HON 450 52:55.279
9th Petri Pohjamo (FIN) GAS 125 52:55.984
10th Freddy Blanc (FRA) HUS 250 2T 52:57.337
Meanwhile Paul Whibley is in 8th position in his 250T class, just 1 point behind Sébastien Guillaume, France, also on a Husky.
