Colton Haaker grabs second overall in Argentina
By Team TMX on 22nd Feb 16
Delivering his best result of the series to date, Colton Haaker placed his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 250 on the second step of the overall podium, battling throughout the night with Jonny Walker and Cody Webb. Despite a challenging second final Haakers team-mate Mario Roman ended the night in seventh overall.
Placing second, second and third in the night's three finals in Argentina Colton Haaker delivered his best results of the 2016 SuperEnduro series to date. Faster and most importantly more consistent than at any earlier round of the championship, the US racer enjoyed three strong performances.
Battling with eventual overall winner Jonny Walker during the first final, Colton eventually placed as runner-up. The night's second final saw Haaker make a number of small but costly mistakes, which resulted in another second place result. In the third and closing final anther fall prevented him from fighting for the race win, eventually placing third for a well-deserved second overall.
For Spaniard Mario Roman round three of the 2016 SuperEnduro series was a good one with the youngster showing improved speed throughout the night. Frustratingly, poor starts hampered Mario's performances. Seventh in the first and third finals, Roman's best result came in the night's second final where he placed a strong sixth
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Colton Haaker and Mario Roman will next be in action at round four of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on February 27.
Colton Haaker: "We made a step in the right direction here in Argentina. I had some great battles on the track with Jonny (Walker) and Cody (Webb) so getting second overall is definitely good. In the first race I was really close to Jonny. I lead race two for quite some time but made mistakes, stalled my bike twice and ended up crashing. That's where Jonny passed me. Then in the last race I was catching Cody and had another strange crash where my footpeg got caught in an inside corner. Overall I can't complain. I proved I'm more than capable of getting the win. Argentina was definitely a step closer to where I want to be. I just want to take the good with the bad and move forward. I'm really looking to next Saturday's event in Brazil. I'm hoping to be able carry this momentum and fight for the overall victory again.”
Mario Roman: "Lately I've been focusing on my SuperEnduro training and this paid off in Argentina. I'm really happy I showed the speed is there. I had the fifth best time in SuperPole and proved my race pace was good enough to be challenging for the podium. The problem was my starts. It's not possible to stay close to the front of the pack if you don't get good starts. In race one I followed Cody (Webb) and Alfredo (Gomez) for the whole duration of the race. I felt good but it was impossible to pass as everybody had the same rhythm. In race two I got stuck in the wood section and had to re-join the race from last. I pushed hard in the third race and had a good battle with Ty (Tremaine). I'm satisfied I got to race with the top guys and improved my speed, but at the same time I know I can do a lot better.”
Results – FIM SuperEnduro World Championship Round 3, Argentina
Overall Classification
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 59pts; 2. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna) 50pts; 3. Cody Webb (KTM) 46pts; 4. Alfredo Gomez (KTM) 39pts; 5. Taylor Robert (KTM) 35pts... 7. Mario Roman (Husqvarna) 28pts
Final 1
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 9 laps; 2. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna); 3. Ty Tremaine (KTM); 4. Taylor Robert (KTM); 5. Alfredo Gomez (KTM)... 7. Mario Roman (Husqvarna)
Final 2
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 9 laps; 2. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna); 3. Alfredo Gomez (KTM); 4. Cody Webb (KTM); 5. Taylor Robert (KTM); 6. Mario Roman (Husqvarna)
Final 3
1. Cody Webb (KTM) 9 laps; 2. Jonny Walker (KTM); 3. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna); 4. Alfredo Gomez (KTM); 5. Taylor Robert (KTM)... 7. Mario Roman (Husqvarna)
Championship Standings (After Round 3)
Prestige Class
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 159pts; 2. Cody Webb (KTM) 148pts; 3. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna) 134pts; 4. Alfredo Gomez (KTM) 109pts; 5. Taylor Robert (KTM) 105pts... 8. Mario Roman (Husqvarna) 77pts
