As Enduro 1 World Champion Antoine Meo arrived in Mexico looking to continue his winning ways in '10 and despite finishing second in class at the end of the opening day's competition showed that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with in Morelia. Jumping to the top of his class on day two the French Trophy team rider then won the Enduro 1 class on days two, three, four and five. Amassing a sizeable 36-second winning advantage, Antoine performed faultlessly throughout the week to claim a well-deserved victory.
Competing aboard a 250cc four-stroke machine for the first time this season, as well as in his first international enduro event of '10, Alex Salvini delivered one of the standout performances in the E1 category.
Proving himself to be every bit as fast and consistent as his more experienced class mates, Alex placed third on each of the opening three days before claiming his highest finish of the event with a runner-up result behind team-mate Meo on day four. Despite dropping to fifth on day five Salvini claimed a well-deserved third overall result in the E1 class.
Completing a hat-trick of impressive results for Husqvarna in the Enduro 1 class was team newcomer Giacomo Redondi. Competing in his first ever ISDE, and as a member of the Italian Junior Trophy team, Redondi excelled throughout the week to finish as the best placed 125cc E1 class rider having not once finished outside of the top 10. With his best result coming on days two and five, where he finished eighth, Giacomo showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with during the '11 Enduro Junior World Championship.
Competing in an ISDE event aboard Husqvarna's new TE449 machine for the first time Finnish Trophy Team competitor Juha Salminen enjoyed a productive week, one in which the former seven-time World Champion placed runner-up in the Enduro 2 class. Enjoying a trouble free event like all Husqvarna riders Juha placed sixth in class on day one before then finishing third at the end of the remaining four days.
With Antoine Meo delivering four-stroke powered success for Husqvarna in the Enduro 1 class Seb Guillaume topped the Enduro 3 category aboard his 300cc two-stroke. Making a steady start to the competition and placing second on day one, it didn't take Seb long to work his way to the top of his class. E3 winner on days two and three, Seb finished behind countryman Christophe Nambotin on days four and five but maintained his position as the dominant rider in E3, finishing an eventual 33 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger Oriol Mena from Spain.
Antoine Meo - Enduro 1: 'It's been a very good race for me, and all the French Trophy Team made a good job. It has been a fantastic experience and we had a great atmosphere inside the team, which really helped us. My bike performed really well, as I was afraid some days because there were a lot of rocks. It is a good end to a perfect season for me - I am world champion, I won my class at the ISDE and the French team are also Trophy Team champions, too. This year has been incredible and a great experience. Although we have lost the final day, I think it was the correct option, as we all must stay safe. It's been a fantastic event.'
Alex Salvini - Enduro 1: 'The race was really good for me, I didn't believe that I could be so competitive in the E1 class as I had only ridden the bike three times before coming to Mexico. The race was tough so I was really surprised how well it went for me. It was fun to fight with Antoine and Eero as these guys are the best in the world in this class, it was exciting to be up against them. Both on paper and in the race France were the best team, but the conditions were good for the Italian riders, too. All the team tried their best, and so did I, my only disappointment is that I did not manage to win a day. But I was close. This was a good place for me to show my potential, now I am stronger in the mind and I am ready for the Enduro World Championship next year.'
Giacomo Redondi - Enduro 1: 'It's been a fantastic experience for me. I joined the CH Racing Husqvarna team just one month ago so to finish eighth in my first ISDE is amazing. I am really happy with my result and enjoyed the race. Also, finishing as the first 125cc rider in the E1 class is very special for me. I didn't have any problems during the event, and the only crashes I had were away from the special tests. Next year I will race in the Enduro Junior class in the World Championship, so this result has really helped my confidence. It's been a fantastic experience.'
Juha Salminen - Enduro 2: 'I'm pretty happy with everything - my riding went well, which is the most important thing. Towards the end of the week we made some changes on the bike, and it did help as the results show. I am happy because I made no big mistakes, just one crash on Monday, and for the rest of the time I was pretty much pushing to the limit without any other problems. So it has been a good six days for me. It was dry and dusty, there were a few small problems with the dust, but generally it has been a good event. But not an easy one. The days were rough and long, and about the right level for this event. It was a shame for the event to finish in this way because it has been a good week.'
Seb Guillaume - Enduro 3: 'It's great to win the Enduro 3 class, a fantastic end to the season. I had a few small problems on the first day but after that things went really well for me, and the French Trophy Team. The terrain was extremely dry and really challenging but I really liked it. Of course all of the French riders were looking forward to the final day motocross races, but we all fully understand why the day was cancelled. It's been a great event and I'm really proud to be a part of the winning French team, and to have won the E3 class for Husqvarna.'
Results - 85th FIM International Six Days Enduro, Morelia, Mexico
Enduro 1
Antoine Meo (CH Racing Husqvarna) 3.17:25.40;Eero Remes (KTM) 3.18:02.22; Alex Salvini (CH Racing Husqvarna) 3.19:02.85; Kurt Caselli (KTM) 3.20:31.18; Jari Mattila (Honda) 3.20:53.88; Mike Brown (KTM) 3.22:32.25; Ian Blythe (KTM) 3.23:43.67; Giacomo Redondi (CH Racing Husqvarna) 3.24:04.85; Victor Guerrero (Yamaha) 3.25:23.37; Mario Roman (KTM) 3.25:38.52; 11.
Johnny Aubert (KTM) 3.14:50.91;Juha Salminen (Husqvarna) 3.20:18.40; Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 3.20:53.15; Manuel Monni (Yamaha) 3.20:53.31; Rodrig Thain (TM) 3.21:01.22; Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 3.22:11.09;Jeff Goblet (Yamaha) 3.22:23.89; Michal Szuster (Yamaha) 3.22:39.59; Johan Carlsson (Beta) 3.22:53.04; Taylor Robert (Yamaha) 3.23:04.11...
Seb Guillaume (CH Racing Husqvarna) 3.19:21.66;Oriol Mena (Husaberg) 3.19:55.22; Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) 3.20:00.04; Simone Albergoni (KTM) 3.20:51.90; Alessandro Botturi (Husaberg) 3.21:36.33; Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 3.21:37.69; Homero Diaz (KTM) 3.21:50.79; Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 3.23:02.33; Nathan Woods (Husaberg) 3.24:41.42; Sebastien Krywult (KTM) 3.26:50.90...
Trophy Team Competition
1. France - 16.32:01.55
Johnny Aubert (KTM) E2; Nicolas Deparrois (Kawasaki) E2; Seb Guillaume (CH Racing Husqvarna) E3; Antoine Meo (CH Racing Husqvarna) E1; Rodrig Thain (TM) E2; Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) E3
2. Italy - 16.42:15.57
Alex Salvini (CH Racing Husqvarna) E1; Alessandro Belometti (KTM) E3; Thomas Oldrati (KTM) E2; Manuel Monni (Yamaha) E2; Simone Albergoni (KTM) E3; Alessandro Botturi (Husaberg) E3
3. Finland - 16.46:38.80
Eero Remes (KTM) E1; Jari Mattila (Honda) E1; Juha Salminen (Husqvarna) E2; Marko Tarkkala (Husqvarna) E2; Oskari Kantonen (KTM) E2; Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) E3
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