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MA - Press Release:
For the first time since 2001, Slovakia will host a round of the Enduro World Championship on June 26-27, with Australian Stefan Merriman set to continue his relentless charge towards a fourth title in five years.
The multi-talented Merriman, who rides for the Italian-based UFO Corse Yamaha, has already won seven of the 10 Enduro 1 (125cc two-stroke versus 250cc four-stroke) races in 2004, with his latest masterstroke a maximum-point effort in Sweden on June 6.
That helped him increase his lead in the eight-round world championship to 46pts (235 to 189) over young Polish teammate Bartos Oblucki, with a maximum of 150pts still up for grabs in the final three battles.
This weekend’s action will be held in the Povazska Bystrica region of Slovakia, which has previous experience in hosting, among a bevy of world-class events, the International Six Days’ Enduro on three separate occasions. Riders in the three world championship classes will have to complete three 80km loops on each day (for a total of 480km), with four time checks on each lap.
In other words, Merriman will have to remain vigilant throughout – just as he had to in Sweden for round five. "In Sweden, there was no where to rest on the course and not much time to rest at the end of the controls either," recalls 31-year-old Merriman. "It made it really hard to keep your concentration. "Winning both days in Sweden gave me a bigger lead in the championship, which is great. I just have to try and get the same result in Slovakia this weekend."
Another cutting-edge performance in Slovakia will go a long way towards sealing a fourth world enduro title for Merriman, which would place him equal fifth on the all-time winners’ list alongside Paul Edmondson and current Enduro 1 rival Petteri Silvan (KTM). Finland’s Kari Tainen and Sweden’s Anders Ericksson currently lead the way on seven.
Silvan currently sits in third in the Enduro 1 standings on 185pts, just four behind Oblucki, with Italian Simone Albergoni (HM Honda, 176) keeping them both honest in what should be a thrilling battle all the way to the final round in Germany on October 15.
The other two classes – Enduro 2 and Enduro 3 – have some familiar faces controlling proceedings - Finnish KTM duo Juha Salminen and Samuli Aro. Salminen has been even more emphatic than Merriman in dominating Enduro 2 – at least in terms of wins – and is currently a 24pt (222 to 198) leader over Edmondson (Fast Eddy Honda), who was an inaugural world champion way back in 1990.
Meanwhile, a clean sweep for Aro in round five saw him edge another 6pts clear of fellow KTM punter David Knight in Enduro 3, with his lead now out to 17 (230 to
213).
Current standings (after five of eight rounds)
Enduro 1
1 Stefan Merriman Yamaha 235
2 Bartosz Oblucki Yamaha 189
3 Petteri Silvan KTM 185
4 Simone Albergoni Honda 176
5 Richard Larsson TM 143
6 Roberto Bazurri Husqvarna 142
7 Alessandro Belometti KTM 122
8 Fabien Planet KTM 115
9 Marion Rinaldi Yamaha 114
27 JAKE STAPLETON TM 7
Enduro 2
1 Juha Salminen KTM 222
2 Paul Edmondson Honda 198
3 Allessandro Botturi KTM 174
4 Arnau Vilanova Honda 159
5 Mika Saarenkoski Husqvarna 136
6 Paul Whibley Honda 134
7 Valtteri Salonen Honda 124
8 Andreas Toresson Husaberg 116
9 Giovanni Sala KTM 112
10 Petri Pohjamo Gas Gas 111
Enduro 3
1 Samuli Aro KTM 230
2 David Knight KTM 213
3 Ivan Cervantes KTM 206
4 Mike Ahola Husaberg 159
5 Bjorne Carlsson Husaberg 148
6 Anders Eriksson Husqvarna 144
7 Marko Tarkkala Husaberg 128
8 Jani Laaksonen Gas Gas 106
9 Christoph Seifter KTM 89
10 Swen Enderlein KTM 88
Scratch
1 Salminen 199
2 Aro 198
3 Knight 182
4 Cervantes 167
5 Merriman 158
6 Ahola 125
7 Eriksson 107
8 Edmondson 95
9 Tarkkala 90
10 Oblucki 88
Mark Fattore
Media Manager
Motorcycling Australia