Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128393
r KTM's Kurt Caselli, competing in the World Enduro hampionship was a learning experience . . . . . . he World Enduro Championship isn't normally where U.S. riders head when they get a break in their racing schedules, but Kurt Caselli isn't your normal off-road racer. Instead of taking it easy during the summer break like most off-roadeni in the United States do, Caselli packed his gear bag and headed to Europe, not to tour, mind you, but to test his off-reading skills against the best off-road racers in the world that follow the World Enduro Championship (WEC) - and, not to mention, to learn a few secrets from the Euros. Competing in the Czech Republic and France, as well as stopping off in Wales to compete in the third round of the European Enduro Championship, Caselli finished the three events with a mixed bag of results, including a third-place finish in the Enduro 2 class on the second day of the GP of the Czech Republic. We caught up with the 22-year-old at the recent French round of the World Championship and asked him why it was he decided to come and race in Europe, what he thought of the World Enduro Championship and if he has any plans to come back for more. First of all, what was it that motivated you to become the fi~ Californian rider to compete in the World Enduro Championship? Since the first ISDE [International Six Days Enduro] that I rode in, I've been interested in endures - I love the mix of trail riding and special tests. My first Six Days was in Spain. I didn't do so good, but I really enjoyed it and knew than that I'd always want to compete in the Six Days and, if I could, come to Europe and do some World Championship races. The Europeans ride really well and are really fast, especially in the flat tums. Shane Watts came over to the • U.S., he kicked everyone's ass, and now Juha [Salminen] is doing the same thing. They both have a very different riding style to the American riders and are incredibly fast. I want to try and Ieam more of that style of riding. So, as well as simply wanting to experience the WEe, you hoped to Ieam to ride like the Europeans? Yeah, definitely. I wanted to learn when to ride like a European rider and when to be aggressive like an American rider. That also motivated me to come over and race. You had a great ride at last year's ISDE, finishing as the highest-placed U.S. rider and finishing third In the E2 class. Is it true that you received offeB to race in Europe on a full-time basis in '05 from some teams? I heard that a couple of teams were interested in having me rider for them, but I didn't get any official offers. Alain Blanchard [the WEC Series promoter] asked me if I could come over and compete in some races. If I had of been asked, I definitely would have considered it. I'd love to race in Europe for a couple of years to Ieam before heading home. I hate riding just one discipline; I love riding all types of races. What would be really great for me would be if I could ride a bunch of races in the U.S. as well as riding in the WEe. It would be tough, and very expensive, but I'd love to do that. 56 AUGUST 31, 200S • CYCLE N