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MA - Press Release:
After a rare foray off the Continent in 2003, this year’s International Six Days’ Enduro (ISDE) will return to more familiar surroundings in Poland from September 13-18, with Australia still searching for an elusive first win in the Senior Trophy.
After finishing fifth in the 2003 Brazil-hosted ISDE, only one change has been made to Australia’s six-rider Senior Trophy team for the Polish offensive, with Michael Oliver (KTM) moving up from Junior Trophy duties to join the experienced Stefan Merriman (Yamaha), Damian Smith (Yamaha), Brad Williscroft (KTM), Kirk Hutton (Yamaha) and Stuart Bennett (KTM).
Merriman, who is on the cusp of winning his fourth world enduro title in five years – the penultimate round in Greece on October 2 should see to that – will again be the mainstay of the Australian operation, and another clinical performance from the New Zealand-born rider will ensure that the likes of defending champion Finland, Italy and France will not have it all their own way.
In the interests of team balance, Merriman, 31, will compete in the E2 (250cc two-stroke versus 450cc four-stroke) class at the ISDE on a WR450F, which is a step-up from his normal world championship mount – a Yamaha WR250F.
That will bring the New Zealand-born Merriman, who was second overall in last year’s ISDE behind motocross ace Stefan Everts, head-to-head with arch-rival Juha Salminen (KTM) in E2, in what should be an enthralling battle for class honours.
However, a high-level of ISDE success is a function of more than one rider’s imperious deeds, so the focus will be on all the Aussie teamsters to produce their best form – notwithstanding that daily scoring is based on the best five results out of six.
31-year-old Hutton, who was fourth overall in the 2004 Australian four-day Enduro (A4DE), and Oliver will join Merriman in E2 during the 1329km event, with Smith set to ply his trade in E1 (125cc two-stroke versus 250cc four-stroke), leaving evergreens Bennett and Williscroft for E3 (500cc two-stroke versus 650cc four-stroke) duties.
For Smith, 29, this will be his 11th successive appearance at the ISDE, with his incumbency corresponding with Australia’s best two Senior Trophy results – third in 1998-99.
Twenty-two teams will compete in this year’s Senior Trophy, with the powerful Finnish team expected to cause Team Australia the most angst. In addition to Salminen, Finland also has two other world champions in its arsenal – Petteri Silvan and Samuli Aro. Salminen and Aro currently lead the E2 and E3 classes in this year’s world title.
Despite Finland’s recent dominance of the Senior Trophy – it has won five of the last eight events – the ISDE has traditionally been dominated by the likes of Great Britain (16 victories), the Czech Republic (12) and Italy (12).
In the Junior Trophy, for competitors 23 year and under, Australia will field an awesome quartet – Glenn Kearney (Yamaha, E2), Ben Grabham (Honda, E2), Anthony Roberts (Husqvarna, E1) and Jacob Stapleton (TM, E1). Kearney, 23, claimed the overall honours in the 2004 A4DE in Victoria after a superb final-day charge, with Stapleton second from Grabham – a case of youth prevailing over experience. Kearney was also the revelation of last year’s sweltering ISDE, with his piece de résistance a superb victory in the final day’s Supermoto special test. Australia will be chasing its second victory in the Junior Trophy, after first tasting success in 1995 – coincidentally the last time the ISDE was held in Poland. Since that win, Italy (1997, 2001), Spain (1998-00) and France (2002-03) have been the major players in the Junior Trophy – a dominance which the crack Australian team will be looking to extinguish in Poland.
Australia will also be represented by three club teams at the ISDE, whose riders will go into action as an adjunct to the main world championship action. Australia’s number one club team also contains the two official reserves for the Trophy teams – Victorian Jehi Willis and 23-year-old Tasmanian Matthew Fish, both KTM mounted.
Adam Lees (Husaberg) is the third member of the number one club team.
Including club-level competition, 460 riders will compete at this year’s ISDE.
The 1329km course will take riders on an odyssey over difficult and challenging terrain, with day five set to be the longest – 256km. The event will conclude on day six with an 81km special test.
For results and standings visit 2004 ISDE:
Mark Fattore
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