Preview: 2006 FIM International Six Days Enduro
By TMX Archives on 10th Nov 06
New Zealand (Taupo) 14 -19 November (07.11.2006)The start of the 81st International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is now just days away. Taking place in New Zealand for the first time in the history of the prestigious team event the competition known as the Olympics of the motorcycling will once again see the world's best enduro riders battle it out for Individual, Trophy and Junior Trophy team glory.
Following on from their remarkable successes in the '06 World Enduro Championship KTM are preparing themselves to continue their great season and despite the fact that KTM's defending overall ISDE winner and Enduro 3 world champion David Knight won't be competing in Taupo, due to being in Las Vegas to defend his AMA Endurocross indoor enduro title, two-time US GNCC champion Juha Salminen will return to international enduro competition for the first time since '04 where he will compete alongside KTM's Enduro 1 world champion Ivan Cervantes and Enduro 2 world champion Samuli Aro.
With GNCC champion Juha Salminen back in the Finnish Trophy team where he will compete alongside KTM mounted Enduro 2 world champion Samuli Aro and Enduro 3 class star Marko Tarkkala Finland start the event as favourites to win the senior Trophy team competition but they will face stiff competition from both France and Spain with Italy hoping to repeat their '05 victory.
With 18 of the 22 competing countries entered into the Trophy and Junior Trophy category fielding KTM mounted riders all but a handful of the top teams in the competition include at least one KTM mounted rider within their respective Trophy and Junior Trophy squads. Some countries, like South Africa, have opted to mount all of their riders exclusively on KTM. The USA Junior Trophy team, a team that on paper looks to stand a very strong chance of topping the Junior Trophy competition, sees three of their four riders – Kurt Caselli, David Pearson and Russell Bobbitt, mounted on KTM machinery. Spain's Junior Trophy team also has three riders mounted on KTM machinery.
The Spanish Trophy team will be lead by two KTM mounted riders - Enduro 1 world champion Ivan Cervantes and experienced WEC competitor Xevi Galindo. Each and every one of Canada's Trophy and Junior Trophy team riders will be competing on KTM machinery while all but one of the Venezuelan Trophy and Junior Trophy team will race aboard KTM machinery. Central European team Belgium will see all of its Club team riders mounted on KTM while Germany's entire Junior Trophy team will also compete aboard KTM. Other notable KTM mounted riders include French Trophy team competitor Fabien Planet and former five-time world champion Giovanni Sala competing for Italy 4 Club team.
Out of the record number of 635 riders entered into the 81st ISDE 258 are mounted on KTM machinery. With a greater mix of factory backed riders and Club team competitors than any other manufacturer reigning Enduro 1 and Enduro 2 world champions Ivan Cervantes and Samuli Aro along with US GNCC champion Juha Salminen will lead the assault from KTM's factory backed riders with no fewer than 28 of the E1 Trophy and Junior Trophy team riders mounted on KTM. In the E2 Trophy and Junior Trophy class 22 competitors will be riding KTM with 24 of the Enduro 3 Trophy and Junior Trophy team competitors choosing KTM.
In the club team section of the event KTM also leads the way with 51 of the Enduro 1 class riders mounted on KTM, 87 KTM mounted riders entered into the Enduro 2 class and 46 riders choosing KTM machinery for their assault on the New Zealand event in the Enduro 3 class.
Australia – Trophy
Damian Smith (Husqvarna) E1; 2. Glenn Kearney (Suzuki) E2; Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) E2; Anthony Roberts (Yamaha) E1; Bradley Williscroft (KTM) E3; Jake Stapleton (TM) E2
Australia – Junior Trophy
Christopher Hollis (Yamaha) E1; Blake Hore (Yamaha) E2; Joshua Strang (Kawasaki) E2; Darren Lloyd (TM) E3
Belgium – Trophy team
Joel Smets (Suzuki) E2; Thierry Klutz (Sherco) E2; Jean-Francois Goblet (Gas Gas) E3; Marc Fraikin (KTM) E1; Pierre Saeys (KTM) E2; Frank Lorge (KTM) E1
Canada – Trophy Team
Patrick Beaule (KTM) E1; Shane Cuthberston (KTM) E1; Klade Glasgow (KTM) E2; Ian McKill (KTM) E2; Jamie Skinner (KTM) E1; Kelly Graffunder (KTM) E3
Canada – Junior Trophy
Marlon Baker (KTM) E2; Cory Graffunder (KTM) E2; Geoff Nelson (KTM) E2; Derrick Sproule (KTM) E3
Chile – Trophy
Ricardo Leon (Honda) E1; Nicolas Urrutia (Yamaha) E1; Vincente Israel (Honda) E2; Francisco Ramdohr (Honda) E3; Gabriel Benoit (Honda) E2; Josue Smith (Honda) E2
Chile – Junior Trophy
Benjamn Israel (Honda) E2; Vincent Huidobro (Honda) E1; Konrad Burchardt (Honda) E2; Daniel Gouet (Honda) E1
France – Trophy
Emmanuel Albepart (Honda) E2; Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) E2; David Fretigne (Yamaha) E1; Marc Germain (Yamaha) E1; Seb Guillaume (Gas Gas) E3; Fabien Planet (KTM) E3
France – Junior Trophy
Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) E1; Julien Dubac (KTM) E1; Julien Gauthier (Honda) E1; Christophe Nambotin (Husqvarna) E3
Finland - Trophy
Mika Ahola (Honda) E2; Samuli Aro (KTM) E2; Jari Mattila (Honda) E2; Petri Pohjamo (TM) E1; Juha Salminen (KTM) E1; Marko Tarkkala (KTM) E3
Finland - Junior Trophy
Roni Nikander (KTM) E1; Eero Remes (Honda) E1; Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) E3; Patrick Wikman (KTM) E1
Germany – Trophy
Andre Decker (KTM) E3; Dirk Peter (KTM) E1; Stefan Geyer (Suzuki) E2; Udo Grellmann (Beta) E3; Ralf Dennenmoser (Beta) E3; Mark Risse (Gas Gas) E2
Germany – Junior Trophy
Mike Hartman (KTM) E1; Andreas Beier (KTM) E1; Bert Meyer (KTM) E3; Marcus Kehr (KTM) E3
Greece – Trophy
Adamos Prassos (KTM) E1; Panayiotis Maniatis (Husqvarna) E2; Dimitris Kokkinos (KTM) E3; Vasileios Orfanos (Aprilia) E2; Stamatis Mantas (Husqvarna) E2; Dimitris Athanasoulpoulos (Husaberg) E2
Great Britain – Trophy
Richard Hay (KTM) E1; Edward Jones (KTM) E1; Chris Hockey (Husqvarna) E2; Dylan Jones (Yamaha) E1; Andrew Edwards (KTM) E1; Euan McConnell (TM) E3
Great Britain – Junior Trophy
Simon Wakely (Honda) E2; Daryl Bolter (Husqvarna) E2; Tom Sagar (Honda) E2; Jason Thomas (Honda) E1
Mexico – Trophy
Alejandro Aldana (KTM) E3; Frederico Goeters (KTM) E1; Alberto Quijano (Husqvarna) E1; Jaime Garcia (KTM) E3; Jean Paul Cortes (Yamaha) E2; Jose Luis Rubio (Husqvarna) E1
Mexico – Junior Trophy
Arturo Arino (KTM) E3; Roberto Swaine (Husqvarna) E2; Farid Assmar (Husqvarna) E2; Luis Mata (Husqvarna) E2
Japan – Trophy
Kenji Suzuki (Yamaha) E1; Hiroli Fujiwara (Yamaha) E1; Iwao Hakata (Gas Gas) E3; Masahito Takahashi (Yamaha) E1; Yutaro Uchiyama (Yamaha) E1; Tomoyasu Ikeda (Husqvarna) E2
Hungary – Trophy
Tamas Boras (KTM) E1; Janos Desi (Honda) E2; Peter Katai (KTM) E2; Ivan Banga (KTM) E3; Norbert Kovacs (KTM) E2
Aros Varga (KTM) E3
Italy – Trophy
Simone Albergoni (Honda) E1; Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) E1; Roberto Bazzurri Husqvarna) E2; Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) E2; Alessio Paoli (TM) E3; Alessandro Zanni (Aprilia) E3
Italy – Junior Trophy
Thomas Oldrati (Husqvarna) E1; Carlo Conforti (Honda) E2; Oscar Balletti (Honda) E2; Vanni Cominoto (Kawasaki) E1
Ireland – Trophy
Adrian Lappin (TM) E2; Vinnie Fitzsimon (Honda) E1; Chris Mathews (KTM) E2; Philip Powderly (TM) E1; Raymond Tolan (Yamaha) E1; Gordon Clarke (TM) E3
Netherlands – Trophy team
Amel Advokaat (Suzuki) E2; Erik Davids (KTM) E3; Erwin Plenkkenpol (KTM) E3; Ralph Hubers (Yamaha) E1; Mark Wassink (KTM) E1; Michel Visser (Yamaha) E2
Netherlands – Junior Trophy
Hans Vogels (Yamaha) E2; Erald Lammertink (Yamaha) E1; Mike Kock (Honda) E2; Jirry Van Veen (Yamaha) E1
USA - Trophy
Ron Schmelzle (Yamaha) E1; Fred Hoess (Gas Gas) E2; Aaron Kopp (KTM) E1; Paul Neff (KTM) E3; Eric Bailey (Gas Gas) E3; Jimmy Jarrett (Suzuki) E2
USA - Junior Trophy
Kurt Caselli (KTM) E2; Ricky Dietrich (Kawasaki) E1; David Pearson (KTM) E3; Russell Bobbitt (KTM) E2
Sweden - Trophy
Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) E3; Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) E2; Andreas Toresson (Husaberg) E2; Daniel Persson (Husaberg) E3; Fredrik Georgsson (KTM) E1; Niklas Gustafsson (KTM) E1
Sweden - Junior Trophy
Jonas Karlsson (KTM) E2; Sebastian Adielsson (Honda) E1; Richard Wressel (Husaberg) E2; Charlie Tiresson (Gas Gas) E2
Spain - Trophy
Ivan Cervantes (KTM) E1; Xacob Agra (Yamaha) E2; Arnau Vilanova (Yamaha) E2; Oriol Mena Gas Gas E3; Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas) E3; Xavier Galindo (KTM) E3
Spain – Junior Trophy
Guillem Pares (Gas Gas) E1; Armand Monleon (KTM) E2; Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) E2; Lucas Puerto (KTM) E3
Slovakia – Trophy Team
Jaroslav Katrinak (KTM) E2; Stefan Svitco (KTM) E3; Ivan Jakes (Gas Gas) E3; Radek Matoska (KTM) E2; Robert Kapajcik (Yamaha) E1; Zlatko Novosad (Gas Gas)
Poland – Trophy Team
Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) E3; Michal Szuster (Yamaha) E1; Lukasz Kurawski (Honda) E1; Marek Przybysz (Honda) E2; Marek Swiderski (Honda) E2; Pawel Swiderski (Honda) E3
Venezuela – Trophy team
Pedro Gonzalez (KTM) E3; Fernando Macia (Yamaha) E1; Raul Cutillas (KTM) E2; Rafael Eraso (KTM) E2; Rcarso Gimon (KTM) E2; Ricardo Schiappa (KTM) E2
Venezuela – Junior Trophy
Dario Castellano (KTM) E2; Christoan Birarda (KTM) E1; Fabian Birarda (KTM) E3; Juan Luis Vargas (KTM)
New Zealand – Trophy
Paul Whibley (Honda) E2; Shayne King (Honda) E2; Darryl King (Yamaha) E1; Lachlan Columb (Suzuki) E2; Cameron Negas (Yamaha) E2; Chris Birch (KTM) E3
New Zealand – Junior Trophy
Michael Phillips (Kawasaki) E2; Jason Davis (KTM) E1; Karl Power (Husaberg) E2; Adrian Smith (Honda) E2