Nambotin the Top KTM Rider in Portugal
OutdoorHub 05.13.12
KTM’s Enduro factory riders picked up another slew of podiums in this weekend’s Rounds 7 &8 of the Enduro World Championship at Torres Vedras in Portugal but the outstanding rider for the Orange team was undoubtedly Christophe Nambotin of France.
Nambotin has proved to be the dominant force in this year’s competition as the season reaches its half way mark as he continued his charge this weekend with another two victories. On Sunday he won all the tests in the hot and dusty conditions but admitted it had been a good but tough day. “I did win all the tests and I liked the extreme test but it was very difficult physically today,” the Frenchman commented. Nambotin also thanked teammate David Knight for his help on Saturday when he had trouble in the river crossing during the final liaison. “If it wasn’t for his help it may not have been possible to finish,” he said.
Sunday proved to be a better day for Antoine Meo in E1 who also came to Portugal with an unblemished score card for the first six rounds. Meo failed to finish on Saturday after hitting a rock in the Extreme test that was built into a disused quarry. This damaged the engine casing, the engine lost all the oil and he was forced to retire. Sunday was a happier day for Meo. “I made a big mistake yesterday but I am very happy today,” the French rider said after resuming his usual place on Sunday on the top of the podium. He said the team were right behind him and had worked very hard to make sure he could race on Sunday.
Meo’s E1 teammate Eero Remes picked up a strong second place on Saturday just five second behind the leader Rodrig Thain and followed it up as fourth fastest on Sunday. He went well throughout the three x 70 km laps, except in the Extreme test where he was 3 x seventh. Meo still holds a commanding lead in the E1 standings, 31 points ahead of second placed Thain. Eero Remes is currently third.
The KTM factory team also celebrated the return of the popular Johnny Aubert to the top of the E2 podium on Saturday. The Frenchman was fast again on Sunday, if not quite fast enough to take the first place away from rival Pierre-Alexandre Renet. He did well in most tests but also lost some time in the difficult Extreme Test. He had a difficult start to his season in the first four rounds in South America but his 1-2 for the weekend earned him enough points to move up to fourth in the standings and he now trails Juha Salminen in third by just one point.
After Saturday’s outing Aubert said he felt comfortable on his KTM 450 EXC and was pleased to return to dominance by leading the race from an early stage. KTM factory team boss Fabio Farioli also praised the efforts of Aubert’s E2 teammate Cristobal Guerrero who was fifth on Saturday in a field where the top five were very close. In fact the Spanish rider was deprived fourth place by just two hundredths of a second. Guerrero wrapped up his weekend with a podium third on Sunday.
KTM riders in the EJ class were also up with the best this weekend. On Saturday Rudi Moroni of Italy and Mario Roman of Spain finished 2-3 while Cristobal Guerrero’s younger brother Victor scored a podium third on Sunday. Giacomo Redondi wrapped up another two wins in the Enduro Youth Cup to remain unbeaten in the competition.
Of all the Orange factory riders it was only only Nambotin’s E3 teammate David Knight who failed to find his rhythm on the bike this weekend in Portugal. He finished with a 7-13 result in the two rounds and is now fourth in the standings. He now has a chance to regroup before the next two rounds in Italy on June 30-July 1, 2012.
