Opinion - Columns - Jonty Edmunds
Staying Power!
Published: 18th October 2007
Author: Jonty Edmunds
Perseverance is the name of the game if you want to be a world champion as Mika Ahola proved this season after 10 years of trying
For some riders winning almost seems easy. Forgetting about the hours of training, practising and preparation that goes into claiming a world title, for a fortunate few clocking up world championship after world championship almost becomes a habit. First one, then a second, possibly a third and a fourth while for a select group fifth, sixth and even seventh world titles help them become legends. For others careers are highlighted by one or two championship. For many great riders careers end having never enjoyed the sweet taste of success.One rider that seemed destined never to win a world championship was Finn Mika Ahola. Coming just about as close as is humanly possible to winning without actually doing so in ’02, Mika’s finished one place away from becoming #1 no fewer than five times.
But this season things changed. Mika, after showing the world that he wasn’t finished as a professional woods rider during ’06 following two disappointing seasons in ’05 and ’04, not only found his form but found the best form of his career. Although starting the season thinking that he’d have a hard job beating defending class champion Samuli Aro and Frenchman Johnny Aubert, he emerged from the first half of the season in the championship driving seat. From that point on Mika never looked back and in mid-September he became the ’07 E2 world champion.
In winning his first world championship title at the age of 33, some 10 years after claiming his first WEC day win and realising that he had what it took to be one of the world’s best, Mika proved that maybe there is some truth in the old adage that the best things really do come to those that wait.
Mika admits that having finished as runner-up five times in the space of 10 years he himself wasn’t sure if he would ever win. But rather than throwing in the towel and giving up on his championship aspirations Mika vowed to keep on trying. Winning a world championship on merit might not be possible any longer - or so he thought - ‘but as long as I’m still racing anything can happen and one day, just maybe, I might get lucky and win a title by default’ was Mika’s take on what could happen at some point in time.
What Mika did this season was exactly the opposite of winning the title by default. Through consistency and continued strong results he won his first championship title by being the fastest. Where in past seasons things have gone astray for the three-time ISDE winner this season he went from strength-to-strength while his closest rivals suffered bad luck and misfortune.
From the first round of the season Mika signalled his intentions. Claiming a 1-2 result in Sweden, Mika went on to score 2-3 in Spain followed by 2-2 results in Portugal. Then he claimed his first double podium topping result in longer than he can remember as he dominated the mid-season GP of Italy.
Winning both days at the first of this year’s two North American rounds, Mika was no longer simply one of three riders that stood an equal chance of the title but the rider all others had to beat. Having not been the rider to beat for five long years Mika knew the ’07 E2 title was his for the taking. Would he mess up under the weight of expectancy? Would an unforced error result in him finishing as bridesmaid once again? Or would Mika put his 10 years of experience to good use and finally clinch the world championship he deserved so much? While so many hoped that he would finally claim what he had worked so hard for since arriving on the world championship stage, doubts as to whether Mika actually would win still remained.
Mika didn’t make any mistakes, rode with conviction during the penultimate round of the series and arrived at the final event of the championship comfortably ahead in the Enduro 2 class battle. Within sight of making his career-long dream of becoming world champion a reality, Mika did exactly what he needed to do on day one of the final round of the series – he kept himself out of trouble and his machine in one piece and picked up more than enough of the points he needed.
In doing so Mika finally achieved his goal of becoming a World Enduro Champion. Believing in himself when at times few others thought he was capable of delivering a title, he finally came good and showed that he was right to keep on trying. Mika Ahola can finally call himself a world champion and few riders deserve that accolade more than the flying Finn.
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