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Enduro 1 : Merriman continues winning streak till the end
Round 8 - Grand Prix of Germany
Circuit: Zschopau
Date: 16 October 2004
Despite having already being crowned as Enduro 1 World Enduro Champion at the penultimate round of the '04 WEC series, UFO Corse Yamaha rider Stefan Merriman continued his dominance of the E1 class at the final round of the championship held in Zschopau, Germany.
Claiming another double class win to end his impressive season in style, Merriman finished one minute and six seconds ahead of his nearest E1 class rival on day one and 47 seconds clear on day two.
Claiming the runner-up spot on both days, and in doing so landing himself the second place spot in the Enduro 2 world championship, was Italian Simone Albergoni. Having come into the event trailing UFO Corse Yamaha rider Bartosz Oblucki, Albergoni moved himself into the runner-up spot following a strong runner-up place finish on day one and a disappointing eighth place finish by Oblucki.
On day two Albergoni again placed ahead of Oblucki as the pair placed second and third respectively with Bartosz finishing third in the E1 world championship behind his team-mate Merriman and Albergoni. Four-time world champion Mario Rinaldi rode his WR250F to sixth on day one and seventh on the second day. The Italian veteran ends his season in seventh overall.
Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha) Day 1: First, Day 2: First
"Everything went well for me this weekend. The event, and especially the enduro test, was really difficult because we had to push our own bikes in places, which meant that all riders were completely destroyed when they reached the end of the tests. The extreme test was also pretty difficult. I have to thank Paul Edmondson for standing up for the riders because he acted as a spokesperson in talking to the organisers. He made them realise that unless they made changes to the course then the riders didn't want to start day two - it was crazy some of the things they wanted us to do. They seemed to forget that this is a round of the WEC and not a one-off extreme enduro.
After they made a few changes the event has been great, a really challenging but enjoyable day. My bike has been really good all weekend, just like it has all year, and I felt that I also rode well."
Bartosz Oblucki (UFO Corse Yamaha) Day 1:eighth, Day 2: third
"The first day of the race was really terrible. It was so wet and cold and the organisers made some parts of the course much too difficult. When we have to push our own bikes up some of the hills and have to ride too fast on the public roads, it's crazy. The extreme test was also crazy.
Day two here in Germany was a really good race though. It was difficult but because of the changes the organisers made we didn't struggle like we did on day one.
I'm happy because I have had a really good season. At the beginning of the year I wasn't sure where I would finish so back in March I would have been really happy with third in the Enduro 1 world championship.
But having battled to finish in the runner-up position all season I am a little disappointed to finish third and so close to second.I had a really bad day on day one and that has cost me the second place in the championship.
Finishing on the podium at the end of the world championship, as well as winning the E1 class at the six days, are results that I am happy with, but I'm just a little disappointed."
