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Photo - Stefan Merriman, negotiating a special test in Spain:
Check out the WEBSITE: of Stefan Merriman, the Kiwi born Enduro ace, for photos (including this event) his profile, latest and archived news etc.
By Lexy Thorogood
The opening round of World Enduro Championships was held in Guardalajara, Spain on the weekend. Guardalajara is 50 km north east of Madrid, the Spanish capital. We arrived at the race place early on Easter weekend to find the special tests ready-to-walk, all pegged and taped. The FIM had requested that this year the special tests should be longer, and so the organisers made a cross test and enduro test approximately 10 mins long and one shorter extreme test - 3 mins. The weather leading up to the race was warm and sunny, 20 degrees.
The cross test was on an open ploughed paddock, which was the site of future roadworks. The area assigned for the special test was not large, and so to make it 10 mins long the organisers had to make it very twisty and turny, with the track doubling back on itself in many places. The area was really only big enough for a 5 minute special.
The Enduro test was long. It started at top of a hill at a huge statue of Spain's national emblem, The Bull. The start ran down a steephillside, and wound up and down some eroded slopes, through several small creek crossings and then crossed across a number of paddock on very steep hilly ground before finishing near the paddock with a few motocross corners to the finish.
The extreme was set in the centre of the town in a large carpark. The artificial test was similar to an indoor enduro, the organisers shipped in dirt, sand, logs and rocks to make the test wind through a number of obstacles. There was some concern about the safety of the double jumps prior to the race and so after none of the pre riders could make the whole test on Friday, the jury ordered some modifications to make it possible. The organising motorclub was mostly trials riders and so set the tests very narrow and tight, conditions they could pass with a trials bike but a little more difficulty on an enduro bike. The Extreme Test was a combination of Trials obstacles, supercross jumps and supermotard bitumen corners.
The race started on a cold and windy Saturday morning at 9am after a night of rain and the dark storm clouds looming hinted at the threat of worse weather to follow. The jury announced that there would only be three laps ridden rather than the 4 laps planned. The riders pre-rode the enduro test off the start and headed to the cross test. The heavens opened up and the rain pelted down with stong cold winds. The Enduro 1 class were first through the cross test. The ploughed dirt was like slippery, sticky glue and the riders struggled throught the tight, twisty corners. The first riders in Enduro 1, were doing times of 10 to 10 and a half minutes. Merriman crashed on this test and did a time of 9.31mins. Shortly after Merriman, Pohjamo did a time of 9.05 mins. Then Mattila arrived at the finished, and said that all the tapes were down and there was no marshalls putting the tapes back up. Next pased Stefan's main rival for the day, French rider Fabien Planet who did a time of 9.19mins. The Enduro 3 class were next, the fastest in this test was David Knight who did a time of 8.49 mins. Then the Enduro Junior class passed and a rider did a time of 8.44mins.
The rain became light and as the day progressed the dark clouds remained but the rain was no longer a problem. The tests began to dry out and the times got faster as the day progressed on all tests. After the second loop through the motocross test, the jury decided it couldn't be ridden anymore as they did not have the marshalls to maintain such a big test. Merriman made a breakthrough on the third time through the Enduro test and was 26 seconds faster than Planet and took the lead of the class. In the remaining tests, he extenede his lead to win the day by 48 seconds from Planet.
About Day One, Merriman said, " I am happy to have won, but it was a difficult day. The cross test was a sham with no marshalls to put the tapes back up. The test was set too tight and with the mud just made it worse, many riders went through the tapes and crossed the track. I was pleased when they finally cancelled it on the last loop."
The FIM Jury made a good decision on Saturday night to modify the cross test on for Sunday. They shortened the test by 5 mins and made it less twisty and ordered more marshalls to maintain the test during the race. Due to the modifications, the riders were to pre-ride cross test to learn of the changes. A shower or two on Saturday night, meant the Enduro 1 class started again with a wet and slippery test. The times got faster again as the tests dried out and mud got worn out of the main line. Merriman led Day Two from the first test, clocking a time 15 secs faster than his main rival Aro. By the second day, muddy ruts had started to form in the cross test.
Merriman had a nasty crash in the first time through the Extreme test, failing to clear a log on a uphill jump. He went over the handlebars and the bike landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He injured his left pointer finger and was unable to bend it due to the swelling. Thus he was unable to use the clutch properly for the remainder of the day, and so was slightly disabled. Nevertheless, he won the day comfortably from Aro by 35 seconds.
