VOL. 52 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 27, 2015 P27
WALKER TAKES ALÈS TRÊM
EXTREME ENDURO
A
lès Trêm a new extreme en-
duro in southern France was
the site of KTM-rider Johnny
Walker's first big win of 2015.
The first edition of the event
provided a good shakedown op-
portunity for riders preparing for
Hell's Gate (February 15), and
attracted extreme enduro's best,
like Graham Jarvis and Andreas
Lettenbichler. The competition
was at its most fierce between
Walker and Jarvis, who gapped
the field in a game of cat and
mouse throughout Saturday's
main event. Walker and Jarvis
traded the lead several times un-
til Jarvis got hung up in the final
quarry, leaving Walker to take the
first Alès Trêm win.
Walker started the weekend
on a winning note by taking the
top spot in the Friday night En-
durocross prologue, earning
him the top starting position for
Saturday's race. Jarvis finished
a distant sixth, which left him to
start over a minute behind Walker
on Saturday morning. Jarvis im-
mediately set to work making up
ground on Walker, who pushed
hard with the early lead.
"I tried to build a gap but by fol-
lowing fresh tracks it was difficult
to break away," Walker said. "I
crashed twice and missed a turn
once on the first lap and that al-
lowed both Jarvis and Lettenbi-
chler to catch me up."
Jarvis took over the lead on
the second lap, but made a mis-
take of his own, allowing Walker
to get back out front. Jarvis posi-
tioned his Bel-Ray Husqvarna in
the lead once again on the third
and final lap, but Walker wasn't
far off, and soon got the oppor-
tunity he was looking for.
"I sort of guessed Graham
would make a break for it on
the third lap so I went with him,"
Walker said. "We were riding
right on the limit – there wasn't
much between us. But com-
ing down a hill into the quarry
I found a better line and got in
front. After that I just gave it ev-
erything I had to win."
"It's been a good event but to
be honest I'm a little disappoint-
ed I didn't win," Jarvis lamented.
"I made a mistake on the final
quarry section and the victory
got away from me there. I got on
the wrong line descending into
the quarry and he got past. After
that I just couldn't fight back and
had to settle for second."
Walker finished the three-lap
race in four hours and 15 minutes.
Jarvis followed two minutes later
and Lettenbichler rounded out
the podium in third. Husqvarna's
Pierre Pallut and Beta-mounted
Alexandre Queyreyre filled out
the top-five on the day.
"I couldn't ask for better, real-
ly," Walker said. "To get a win in
Friday's prologue and then back
it up with the main event win on
Saturday was just perfect. It was
really an enjoyable event."
Jean Turner
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
FUTURE
7
MEDIA
Red Bull KTM's
Johnny Walker
makes his way
through the rough
terrain of southern
France en route
to winning the
Alès Trêm extreme
enduro.
