Enduro GOAT!
Published: 12th April 2007
Author: Jonty Edmunds
Back in the WEC - and competing in the BEC - Juha Salminen looks set to continue his eight-year domination of off-road sport.
Juha Salminen is enduro's Greatest Of All Time! Now I know that comments like this are bold statements to say the least and that picking one rider to receive such an accolade ahead of others from previous generations is difficult and uncertain. But I have little doubt that Juha is the greatest enduro rider we are ever likely to see. Don't get me wrong - riders like David Knight and Stephane Peterhansel are, in their own way, better than Juha (one's the world's best extreme event rider and the other's the world's most successful Dakar entrant) but when it comes to enduro Juha is king.
Having watched the laidback Finn claim each of his six WEC titles, seen him win numerous indoor enduro events, rejoiced when he posted some impressive results during his MXGP 'guest appearances' in '03 and then witnessed his domination of consecutive US GNCC championships in '05 and '06 before going on to claim his first overall ISDE win, I have little doubt that he is the best there is and ever will be. Juha, as far as I'm concerned, sits comfortably alongside Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael in the GOAT club. The only difference between the other two riders and Juha is that 'Yahoo' isn't finished winning on a motorcycle yet.
As a rider that subscribes to the 'it's nice to be important but much more important to be nice' theory, Juha is not only one of the fastest off-road motorcycle riders on the planet but also one of the nicest and most professional. Caring not for fame nor wanting to be dazzled by any bright spotlights that could rightfully be shined upon him, Juha's typically Finnish and this cool, calm and collected approach to his racing is, in part, what has helped his achieve so much.
Winning numerous titles is pretty much the only thing needed to qualify a rider as a GOAT with the way in which these titles are won counting only as further proof of a rider's 'greatness'. Like Everts, Carmichael, Schumacher and Rossi even, Juha's list of title winning achievements is impressive to say the least. Always seeking new challenges, Juha has won titles aboard 125cc and 250cc two-strokes and on 400cc, 450cc and 500cc four-stroke machinery - something few riders have come close to achieving.
Unbeaten during six consecutive years in the WEC, Juha opted to head to the States to take up a new challenge. Sure, winning in the US after claiming a world title in Europe had been done before - by Aussie Shane Watts - but what Juha achieved was far more impressive. After winning all there was to win in Europe he headed to the US and dominated the '05 GNCC series with style. He then opted to remain in the US to give his rivals the chance for revenge and dominated the series to make it two-from-two in the States and bring his title tally to eight - six WEC and two US GNCC titles.
Part of what makes Juha such a great competitor is his ability to deal with seemingly anything. Be it pressure, a mechanical problem, wondering why his roll-off system still isn't working one hour into a GNCC race having forgotten that he'd put one first-corner tear-off over the top of them - nothing flusters him when he's on a bike. Being able to remain cool - even when a world title depends on the final special test of the final round as it did in Sweden in '02 - is what makes Juha a truly unique competitor.
But like many great champions Juha has learned that winning a championship doesn't always mean winning every race. Juha wrapped up last season's US GNCC early. Mission accomplished. US racers well and truly beaten...again. But aware that he was heading back to Europe and the WEC after first competing in the New Zealand ISDE, Juha opted to start preparing for his newest challenge - that of competing aboard a 250cc four-stroke for the first time ever - rather than simply continuing to win races aboard a bike he knew well.
Trading in his trusty 250cc two-stroke, Juha started racing aboard a 250cc thumper. And guess what? Juha got beaten. But he didn't care. His job was done and the title his. Getting as much race practice on a machine new to him was now much, much more important. With Juha caring little about the 'I think they might have beaten him even if he weren't on a thumper' comments that followed his late season defeats, Juha had the last laugh when he added an overall ISDE title to his US GNCC crown to make '06 one hell of a season. All of which proves that Juha truly is the greatest of all time.
And the best thing is he's not finished with winning yet. Looking very much the rider to beat in this year's E1 world championship, Juha will also compete in the Metzeler ACU Solo British Enduro Championship. Not because he has to. Not because doing so is massively financially rewarding. But because he wants to in order to try something new and keep himself 'fresh'. And with Juha competing in the BEC later this season it means that - unlike with Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael - there's still time to watch one of the world's greatest motorcycle riders in action. A chance not to be missed.