Enduro in Italy is a very passionate sport, as could be seen in the town of Bettola, which attracted many spectators who did not want to miss the best riders in the world in this fourth round of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship, a race that brought a lot of excitement already on Friday in the SuperTest.
The Italian GP also scored for the Women's class, where there was an intense battle for victory. Mireia Badia, already showed her intentions in the SuperTest, where she finished with the second best time in her class, followed by Rosie Rowett who completed this first podium of the GP as third.
On Saturday, the high temperatures and a demanding and dry terrain, marked a very tough race. Badia was fighting with her main American rival, who was in second place for most of the day, but on the last lap, Mireia increased her pace and without making any mistakes, the Rieju rider managed to finish on top of the podium, while Rosie Rowett, a little further back, finished in fourth position.
On Sunday, the arrival of the heavy rain that fell the night before, left some very muddy and slippery special stages, making the race very complicated, with an organisation that had to make changes to the route. Despite this, the two Rieju Factory Team riders overcame all adversity to finish Badia again in first position, followed by Rowett, who improved her riding and achieved a very good second place on the podium.
With these magnificent results, the Rieju Factory Team clearly dominates the provisional overall standings of the FIM Women's World Championship, with Mireia Badia leading with a total of 112 points and Rosie Rowett second with 85 points.
Surprise for Dominik Olszowy on his EnduroGP debut
In the Enduro 3 class, Polish rider Dominik Olszowy, making his EnduroGP debut, surprised the field with the third fastest time in Friday's SuperTest. During the first day of racing, Olszowy, who quickly adapted to a demanding day of enduro, finished in a superb fifth position in one of the most closely contested classes, while his teammate Loïc Larrieu, some crashes made him lose a lot of time, finishing eleventh.
On Sunday, despite the complex conditions of the slippery terrain, Olszowy again, very regular, finished in fifth position and the French Loïc Larrieu, who despite overcoming another rough day, improved his performance to finish in eighth place in E3.
Mireia Badia:
"The weekend went well, as I was able to win both days of racing. On Saturday we encountered a very dry terrain, with very high temperatures, in a competition that lasted more than eight hours, so it was very long and hard. On Sunday the race was very different, taking into account that we did two laps, as it was very complicated by the mud, both the special stages and the rally. In the end I was happy, I took home the victory and more points for the championship. I would like to thank the Rieju Factory Team for their hard work".
Dominik Olszowy:
"Another great weekend with good racing. I am very happy with my performance during the EnduroGP in Italy. It was a good experience to compete with the best riders in the world. I felt comfortable on my Rieju 300 MR fighting for the top positions, especially in the extreme and enduro specials. The Cross special wasn't my favourite, but that didn't stop us from fighting with very fast riders.
I am very grateful to all my team and all the sponsors involved in making this happen and of course to all the fans for their great support! Both those who came to greet me in Italy and those who cheered me on from afar. We keep pushing!"
Loïc Larrieu:
"On Friday I was able to do a very good Supertest, no mistakes, very happy. On Saturday I made too many mistakes, on the first special stage I fell and I couldn't get up, I lost the rhythm and 45 seconds, too much time, so I finished 11th. Sunday was more or less ok, with less mistakes; in one area I had no traction and I crashed, I needed to push the bike and I lost a few seconds. On the last lap it was raining a lot, I did my best, but when I landed in a jump I lost control of the wheel due to aquaplaning and I tried to finish as best I could, finally 7th. Thanks to all the team for their work, especially on Sunday when it was soaking wet and very complicated.
