The sixteenth edition of Bassella Race1, the most crowded Enduro race in Spain, with more than 1,200 participants including PRO and amateur riders, held in Bassella (Lleida), will be remembered for the extremely muddy and slippery ground conditions caused by the rain that fell throughout the week and even on Saturday night itself, leaving the circuit and the route truly challenging.
On Saturday morning, while the riders completed the reconnaissance lap, a large number of spectators approached the Rieju Factory Team tents located in the paddock to see the work of the support crews and the display of the different models.
Podium for Guillem Inglés among the Lightweight Trail bikes
Early in the afternoon, during the first races and specifically among the spectacular Trail category, Guillem Inglés stood out. Riding the new Aventura Rally 307, he placed himself within the top eight during the opening laps. Guillem quickly gained positions, despite having less power than the larger bikes, benefiting instead from superior handling and agility on the muddy track. Near the end, Inglés hit the gear lever hard, which prevented him from continuing to push, but despite this, he managed to finish in an excellent third place on the podium among the Lightweight Trail bikes.
Xtreme Race: Francesc Moret 5th and Eric Miquel 12th
The highlight of the afternoon came with the various Xtreme Race heats, featuring several of the best world-class riders in the discipline. On this occasion, the riders had to overcome different qualifying races, with only the best reaching the final. In the first semifinals, both Francesc Moret, Dominik Olszowy and Eric Miquel placed their MR 300i in the leading positions. However, in the following round, Olszowy slipped shortly after the start in a very delicate section with wet stones and got stuck in the mud, losing a lot of time and missing out on the final.
Then came the SuperPole, where Francesc Moret, returning to the Rieju team this season, finished in a very good third place, while Eric Miquel was sixth among the PRO riders. Once these qualifiers were completed, the final delivered a very intense battle, with Francesc Moret, showing his technique, achieving fifth position and placing himself among the best world-class Enduro and Hard Enduro riders. Eric Miquel, for his part, completed the race in twelfth position.
August Castellà, second in Trail Friends at BR1 with the Rally 307
As if there wasn’t enough mud, heavy rain returned to the area during Saturday night, so on Sunday, in the BR1 Cross-Country race, the demanding conditions increased even further, with large muddy pools throughout the entire route. Once again, the mass start with 500 riders at the same time was very “chaotic,” and many riders got stuck on the first climb. Despite this, August Castellà managed to open a gap among the numerous participants, pushing hard and surprising everyone by overtaking many enduro bikes, completing two laps of a total of 60 kilometers. He finally crossed the finish line in an excellent second position in his category.
Francesc Moret:
“Saturday was a good experience in the Xtreme. In the odd-numbered heats I finished third, which was great as I qualified for the SuperPole, where only the top ten compete, finishing fourth. I felt very comfortable; I just needed to improve the rear suspension setup. In the final, I got a very good start, but in the first corner Teodor crashed and took me down with him, causing me to lose my position, so I had to fight back. Despite making a few mistakes, I was finally able to finish fifth after doing the last two laps very well. I’m very happy with the final result in my debut with Rieju at home, and with good feelings to keep improving, as I am still in the adaptation phase with the motorcycle.”
