World Enduro Championship Series
Round 1 : Portugal
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
JONTY EDMONDS
KTM's Aro
and Salminen
strike first in
Portugal
LOUSA, PORTUGAL, MAR. 15-16
f'7 TM Racing teammates Samuli Aro
Wand Juha Salminen finished as the
winners of the opening round of the
2003 World Enduro Championship
Series, with 250cc Two-Stroke reigning World Champion Aro claiming the
overall event win on day one and
countryman Salminen topping day
two. But in the 125cc class it was
Gas Gas rider Petri Pohjamo who
claimed an early lead in the eighthliter World Championship by finishing
as runner-up to countryman Petteri
Silvan on day one and topping the
class on day two.
"I had a little problem with the
mud on day one," Pohjamo said. "I
got stuck twice and didn't really like
the enduro test because you needed
to have a lot of luck to put in a good
time. Day two was better though. I
didn't push so hard and was able to
day two as well, had he not got stuck
in a mud hole and been hampered
with arm pump.
"I struggled with arm pump early
on day one," Silvan said. "I found it
really difficult in the beginning, but as
I didn't get stuck on any of the tests, I
was able to improve as the day went
on. On Sunday, I pushed really hard
to make up for a mistake on the [new
man-made] extreme test, but I got
stuck in a mud hole, which cost me a
lot oftime."
Third after finishing fourth on day
one and then in second on day two,
UFO Corse Yamaha rider Paul
Edmondson was another rider to lose
time having gotten stuck during day
one, something that
put an end to
the former
W 0 rid
Champion's
hopes
of
winning
win."
Finishing just seven points behind
Pohjamo at the end of the event,
KTM's new signing Petteri Silvan
topped the class on day one
despite still suffering with an
injury to his right elbow, sustained while training in Spain
one month ago. Finishing just
under 12 seconds ahead of
Pohjamo on day one, the
reigning World Champion
could well have topped
28
APRIL 2. 2003'
cue
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n
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