IN
THE
WIND
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COLD START FOR ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
F
inland hosted the opening
round of the FIM Enduro
World Championship over the
March 25-26 weekend, and
it was a cold and snowy one,
which might explain why Finnish
riders did so well at the En-
duro GP of Finland. TM's Eero
Remes, in Enduro 2 (250cc and
below, two- and four-stroke),
and Husqvarna's Antti Hellsten,
in EnduroGP (250cc and above,
two- and four-stroke) were the
double winners.
Husqvarna's Marko Tarkkala
and Beta's Steve Holcombe
traded second-place finishes
in EnduroGP, while Husqvar-
na's Henric Stigell and KTM's
Josep Garcia did the same in
Enduro 2. CN
2017 SWM U.S. MOTOTRIALS SERIES TO BEGIN IN TEXAS
T
he start of SWM U.S. Nation-
al MotoTrials Series will get
underway in Amarillo, Texas, April
1-2. Amarillo will host the first two
rounds of the eight-round nation-
al championship. Former number
three in the world Marc Freixa of
Spain and eight-time U.S. champ
Pat Smage are expected to go
head-to-head in a showdown for
the 2017 title.
Sparks flew during last year's
championship chase, with Freixa
winning six of eight rounds
ahead of Smage. However,
Smage (Sherco USA) will be
looking for redemption follow-
ing an off-season full of intense
practice and training.
Pushing Freixa and Smage
this year will be a bevy of young
guns looking to spoil both riders'
championship hopes. Waiting
in the wings are newly signed
GasGas rider Bryan Roper of
Arizona; Sherco USA's Andrew
Putt of Pennsylvania; Florida's
Karl Davis Jr., who will, once
again, be riding for Scorpa USA,
and the number-five rider in last
year's championship, Florida's
Alex Niederer, riding a GasGas.
Pennsylvania's Logan Bolopue
(Sherco), Washington's Daniel
Blanc-Gonnet, New Mexico's
Sam Fastle, Scorpa USA's
Quinn Wentzel, and other top
riders will also be competing for
a shot at a podium position at
any of eight rounds scheduled
for the year.
The SWM US National Moto-
Trials Series isn't just for the elite
riders. There are also classes for
all age groups, from youth riders
to senior classes, ranging from
two-year-olds to 75 and over.
A special Youth Trials for ages
two to 13 will be held at all eight
rounds, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
on Friday and Saturday. There
are no entry fees for the youth
classes.
The opening round trials will
be located at the Mauldin Cattle
Ranch, 24 miles south of Claude,
Texas, on Highway 207 at 3360
Hwy 270, Wayside, Texas.
Click here for more informa-
tion. CN
Day One Finland Highlights
Day Two Finland Highlights
