The stars of the Enduro World Championship
Who will be the movers and shakers of the 2010 edition of the EWC? Who can become world champion and who could surprise? You can read it below in our preview of the three World Cup classes.
E1: Duel Aubert-Méo
Johnny Aubert may be the reigning world champion in the queen class, but he will not defend his world title. Aubert's employer KTM saw the northerner prefer to compete in the E1 class, which is gradually gaining commercial importance. Throughout his entire enduro career, Aubert rode in the E2 class, but with his past as a GP motocross rider he can still boast experience in the light class. Aubert's main competitor will more than likely be in E2 Antoine Meo. Meo, also a former GP rider, got on really well last year during the second half of the season. The southerner with Italian roots, not only underlined his own qualities but also those of the injection-equipped Husqvarna TE 250. During the first round of the French championship it became clear that Aubert is hardly inferior to Meo. The Husqvarna rider won on the opening day, but lost to Aubert the next day. Something tells us a nice rivalry is growing...
With such a titanic duel in prospect, it would be easy to ignore the chances of the other E1 top players. The young Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero could also play a role in this championship. The Yamaha rider just missed out on the top 3 in the E2 World Championship last year. This year the Spaniard fully intends to be on the podium. An ambition that could well be thwarted by some French riders such as Julien Gauthier (HM Moto), Nicolas Deparrois (Kawasaki) or Jordan Curvalle (Sherco).
Furthermore, two more notable names in the E1 of the EWC: Paul Edmondson en Matti Seistola. The Brit returns at the age of 40e back for a full World Cup season. The Suzuki rider is almost the blanket of old age, but could be surprising in difficult circumstances. For Finn Matti Seistola, 2010 will be the year of truth. After a disappointing first enduro season in E2, Husqvarna is giving the ex-crosser another chance in E1, which should suit him better.
E2: Who will be the new king of enduro?
Now that Johnny Aubert is not defending his title in E2, many drivers are aiming for the vacant throne of the premier class. Mika Ahola, the E1 world champion of 2008 and 2009, is already one of those drivers. Moreover, Ahola knows exactly how to become world champion in E2 because he already received that honor in 2007. However, the competition will be extremely tough because Juha Salminen en Ivan Cervantes are former world champions. It is remarkable that Salminen and his teammate Marko Tarkkala, on a motorcycle that has a hybrid between BMW and Husqvarna has taken office.
The KTM group also bets on two horses because in addition to Cervantes and Oldrati on the EXC 450, Husaberg is bringing no fewer than three factory riders to the start. Valtteri Salons, Joakim Ljunggren en Xavi Galindo defend the colors of the Swedish manufacturer. In the E2 class we also find three drivers from the Benelux. Hans Vogels rides a full World Championship on the Husaberg FE 450. Jean-François Goblet has been riding the Yamaha WR450F for at least the first four races. The D'Ieteren Sport rider will be able to count on the assistance of the Spanish Pons Yamaha team in the World Championship. For Cedric Melotte the race in Valverde del Camino will be his baptism of fire in the EWC. During the first round of the BEC in Warnant Lyingi a strong impression, but a World Cup is something different from a national championship.
E3: patron wanted
With the switch of reigning E3 world champion Ivan Cervantes to E2, the title is also vacant in the toughest class. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas Factory) left a strong impression on the two-stroke Gas Gas last year and seems a logical successor to Cervantes. However, that is outside David Knight (KTM Supported team). The Manxman won the E2005 title each time in 2006 and 3 and seems to have his sights set on a repeat. After a disappointing start to the season at BMW, Knight switched to Kawasaki halfway through last season, with which he was active in E2. This year Knight is back with KTM, although he does not have factory rider status.
The question remains whether Husqvarnas Sebastien Guillaume, who took bronze in E3 last year, can match his performance. Due to injuries, Guillaume has already had to miss the first two games. However, there is no shortage of outsiders to take a possible podium place in the final standings. The young German Marcus Kehr wants to do better than his 5e instead of last year. For KTM factory rider Simone Albergoni It remains to be seen to what extent he finds his feet in the class that is new to him. An observation that also applies to last year's Junior World Champion Oriol Mena (Husaberg Factory).
Photos credit: BMW, Husqvarna, Jonty Edmunds
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