En Vogue
Published: 17th February 2007
Author: Words & photos by Jonty Edmunds
It was riders from Finland that every WEC team had to have just a few seasons ago...now it's former motocross racers everyone's after
This season's must-have WEC accessory is...a motocross rider! Following UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert's highly impressive debut season in the World Enduro Championship last year, MX riders are in demand like never before in the world's most prestigious enduro series. With a larger than usual influx of MX-men into this season's championship, several teams have thrown caution to the wind and opted not to sign proven enduro performers in the hope of trying to unearth the next Aubert.
Motocross riders entering into the WEC are nothing new. Traditionally, the world's best enduro riders have always come from either trials or motocross. Stefan Merriman, Juha Salminen, Paul Edmondson, Cyril Despres and David Knight all learned the art of balance and the importance of throttle control before learning how to go fast, while Samuli Aro, Gio Sala, Ivan Cervantes, Kari Tiainen and Aubert all honed their skills in the competitive world of motocross before refining their techniques for the WEC. Two motocross riders entering the WEC at the same time can be viewed as little more than coincidence, five teams signing motocross riders with no WEC experience this season is a definite trend.
According to Aubert himself, the reason why team managers are trying something - or, more specifically, someone - new is because they hope to strike it lucky and sign a rider that will take to enduro like the proverbial duck to water and produce results that are worth shouting about, results that an experienced enduro rider might not have been able to achieve. It has its risks but if it works a very bright spotlight is suddenly shone on the team or manufacturer in question.
The underlying reason why motocross riders are wanted at the moment is a simple case of supply and demand - there aren't enough riders to go around. Or at least not enough riders that genuinely have what it takes to win world titles. Demand outstrips supply in a big way. Sure, there are plenty of experienced WEC riders who will consistently produce solid results but riders that can win championships can realistically be counted in a matter of seconds. With a large percentage of the potential title winners KTM employees, the remaining few riders that have what it takes to win are spread increasingly thinly between the WEC's remaining teams.
With the likes of Fred Bolley, Patrick Caps, Rodrig Thain, Luigi Seguy and less famous Italian motocross riders Fabio Mossini and Luca Cherubini all set to compete in their first full WEC season this year, some riders will inevitably sink while others will remain afloat and swim towards a lasting enduro career. My guess is that more will sink without trace than won't. For some the WEC is their last chance saloon - a place where they can be a 'name' for a little longer before having to hang up their boots as professional racers. For others it is a place they genuinely want to be, happy to embrace the many new challenges that will come their way.
What many team managers have seemingly failed to realise though is that Aubert has a natural aptitude for enduro. While there is no doubting that he is aggressive (too aggressive for his own good at times), his right hand is linked to his brain which means that he can think - as well as muscle - his way around a special test. He is smooth, strong and fast in all conditions - he has what it takes to go the distance and to win. While following Aubert - and Cervantes before him and Aro before him - into the WEC might seem like the right thing to do this season for the likes of Bolley, Caps, Thain and Seguy they do so at a time when the WEC is at its least motocross friendly.
Not so long ago enduro events were little more than a collection of motocross tests linked together by simple and often featureless trails. Not anymore. Enduros are once again enduros - events that challenge man and machine where a little pushing and shoving is required and where before you can finish first, first you have to ensure that you can finish. Enduro tests and extreme tests ultimately now decide the winners and losers and often prove difficult for motocross riders to master.
Whether this season's WEC newcomers have what it takes to do well only time will tell. But one thing is clear - performing well in the European Enduro Championship does little to enhance your chances of getting signed by a WEC team. If you are - or have been - a 'named' motocross rider and are looking for a new challenge it seems that the WEC is the place to be. During '07 at least...