Crossroads!
Published: 20th December 2007
Author: Words and photo by Jonty Edmunds
With BMW on-board, the WEC refusing to cross the Atlantic and KTM signing Taddy Blazusiak on an indoor-only basis, 2008 could herald the start of major changes in the sport of enduro
As sporting seasons go ’07 was a pretty good one as far as enduro and off-road racing is concerned. Seemingly only yesterday followers of the World Enduro Championship series were debating what kind of form Juha Salminen would bring back to the WEC after his two-year domination of the US GNCC championship while at the same time asking what the world’s premier enduro series would be like without Manxman David Knight. Now, with only a few daylight-starved weeks remaining until we officially wave goodbye to ’07, the anticipation, questioning, hype and uncertainty surrounding ’08 have already begun. But this much we do know…
Husaberg, the yellow and blue brand owned by KTM, will take a committed and meaningful step forward in ’08. Stealing every other off-road manufacturers’ thunder at the recent EICMA motorcycle show in Milan where they recently unveiled their radically new SOHC four-stroke motor with its forward facing cylinder, Husaberg will start ’08 with much to smile about. A manufacturer that have been part of the WEC as long as the championship has been in existence, Husaberg have struggled to shed their ‘agricultural’ reputation. Loved by those that love them - and not given a second glance by those that don’t - ’08 might just be the year that people start to take Husaberg a whole lot more seriously.
The ninth year of this shiny new century of ours will also be an important one for BMW. Having taken their first tentative steps into the competitive world of the WEC this season, in ’08 the Munich-based company will step up to the mark with a season-long commitment that will likely be the first of many. A company that have never done anything by half measures, while the new BMW team will lack the experience of some of the more established WEC squads - and despite campaigning machinery that has yet to prove itself at the highest level - BMW will have a serious impact on the international scene in ’08. Will they win a world title? Unlikely. Will they be ready to win a world title in ’09 come the end of next season? Highly likely.
So what of the WEC itself? Well, with the two North American events removed from the calendar the ‘Euro only’ series won’t be the global tour the FIM once announced they wanted it to be. With events in Poland and Wales replacing races in Canada and the States the eight-round championship will likely be three things – competitive, compact and pretty damn demanding as extreme tests will once again feature prominently in all events.
Guessing which riders will top each of the three senior and one junior class is anything but easy. But naming the half-dozen riders that will feature prominently at the head of the results isn’t. Juha Salminen, Mika Ahola, Ivan Cervantes, Johnny Aubert, Samuli Aro, Simone Albergoni, Marko Tarkkala and Cristobal Guerrero will undoubtedly claim the lion’s share of podium places while the emergence of ‘the next big thing’ isn’t expected any time soon.
The season just gone saw the emergence of a rider that will undoubtedly play a huge part in the future of the increasingly popular indoor and extreme enduro scene – Taddy Blazusiak. Certainly nothing new, as indoor and extreme events have been growing in popularity over the past four to five years, the fact that KTM have taken the bold step of signing a rider solely for the purpose of competing in indoor and extreme races - rather than just having the hugely talented Mr Knight already at their disposal - shows that enduro sport has reached an important junction. One that could well shape, or in part shape, the future of the WEC.
With a six-event indoor series confirmed for the States for ’08 and with the smart money being on the FIM upgrading the winter ’07/’08 Indoor Enduro World Cup into an Indoor Enduro World Championship for ’08/’09, it may not be long before some riders - either those unable to find the right WEC deal or those who simply perform better indoors - stop chasing the world championship dream and start competing in events that reward them financially and are a whole lot easier to prepare for. Will indoor events generate interest in enduro sport that will spill over and boost the outdoor game? Or will the continued growth in popularity in indoor enduro events drive a rift between the roof-on/roof-off branches of the sport?
For the short term the coming months will provide some of the year’s closest and likely most exciting racing action as Knighter, the ’07 AMA Endurocross and GNCC champion, returns to the European indoor circuit in his bid to win a third championship this year – the Indoor Enduro World Cup. Go get ’em DK…