Yamaha dominates in Slovakia
By TMX Archives on 6th Sep 06
Motocross
UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Stefan Merriman and Johnny Aubert claimed a Yamaha one-two in the Enduro 2 class on day one of the GP of Slovakia as the Australian and Frenchman placed in first and second positions respectively separated by an eventual 33 seconds.
With Finns Samuli Aro and Mika Ahola making it a four-way fight it was reigning class champion Aro who eventually joined Merriman and Aubert on the podium in third but the day was all about the two UFO Corse Yamaha team riders Merriman and Aubert. With Merriman having the upper hand from the start the former world champion produced his best form of the season and during the second half of the day opened up what would become an unbeatable lead.
On day two the same two riders placed at the head of the Enduro 2 class, but unlike on day one it was Aubert who topped the E2 class results. Winning six of the day's special tests in the E2 class and enjoying the rougher conditions Aubert placed 18 seconds ahead of his team-mate Stefan Merriman to prove himself once again in his first season of World Enduro Championship competition. With the Yamaha mounted duo finishing in first and second Finn Aro again placed in third.
Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: Second, Day 2: First
"It's been a great weekend for me. I am so pleased with my result, especially as the next round of the world championship is my home race in France. Day one went well but Stefan was just too fast so it wasn't possible to fight with him for the win. Day two was perfect for me. From the first enduro test I felt really good and was as fast as Stefan. I knew that I could win the day then so I pushed as hard as I could. The race was a little more technical, the tests were rougher and rutted. I seem to go better on the second day. I am really happy with my result."
Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: First, Day 2: Second "I've had a really good weekend. The event itself was really enjoyable, the special tests were typically Slovakian and thankfully it didn't rain. It's been a more traditional world enduro event. Day one went really well. I felt good right from the start of the day and didn't make any mistakes, which enabled me to win. On day two I wasn't quite quick enough to beat my team-mate Johnny Aubert but I was still happy with the way I rode. On Sunday I rode pretty much the same as I did on day one but Johnny went faster. Of course I would have liked to have won on both days but finishing in first and second is much better than my results at the last GP in the USA."
| Temp: 20 | Crowd: 12750 | Weather: Sunny |
| 2006 Enduro 2 Slovakia 03/09/2006 |
| Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time |
| 1 | Stefan Merriman | Yamaha | AUS | 41'19.050 |
| 2 | Johnny Aubert | Yamaha | FRA | 0'33.090 |
| 3 | Samuli Aro | KTM | FIN | 0'37.780 |
| 4 | Mika Ahola | Honda | FIN | 0'38.770 |
| 5 | Fabien Planet | KTM | FRA | 1'14.430 |
| 6 | Cristobal Guerrero | GasGas | ESP | 1'27.120 |
| 7 | Jari Juha Mattila | Honda | FIN | 1'54.310 |
| 8 | Xavier Galindo | KTM | ESP | 2'12.790 |
| 9 | Valtteri Salonen | HusaBerg | FIN | 2'28.100 |
| 10 | Thierry Klutz | Sherco | BEL | 2'28.300 |
| 11 | Stefan Svitko | KTM | SVK | 2'55.290 |
| 12 | Alessandro Botturi | Aprilia | ITA | 3'4.560 |
| 13 | Christophe Nambotin | Husqvarna | FRA | 3'5.440 |
| 14 | Nicolas Paganon | Husqvarna | FRA | 3'6.730 |
| 15 | Andrea Beconi | Beta | ITA | 3'10.520 |
| 17 | Fabrizio Dini | Yamaha | ITA | 3'36.400 |
| Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time |
| 1 | Johnny Aubert | Yamaha | FRA | 48'34.360 |
| 2 | Stefan Merriman | Yamaha | AUS | 0'18.130 |
| 3 | Samuli Aro | KTM | FIN | 0'37.430 |
| 4 | Mika Ahola | Honda | FIN | 0'43.620 |
| 5 | Cristobal Guerrero | GasGas | ESP | 1'39.850 |
| 6 | Fabien Planet | KTM | FRA | 1'40.650 |
| 7 | Alessandro Botturi | Aprilia | ITA | 1'48.370 |
| 8 | Valtteri Salonen | HusaBerg | FIN | 2'1.730 |
| 9 | Christophe Nambotin | Husqvarna | FRA | 2'18.870 |
| 10 | Fabrizio Dini | Yamaha | ITA | 2'22.990 |
| 11 | Jari Juha Mattila | Honda | FIN | 2'24.220 |
| 12 | Nicolas Paganon | Husqvarna | FRA | 2'26.290 |
| 13 | Xavier Galindo | KTM | ESP | 2'37.440 |
| 14 | Thierry Klutz | Sherco | BEL | 3'13.830 |
| 15 | Andrea Beconi | Beta | ITA | 3'16.570 |
| Rider Standings | 03/09/2006 |
| Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Points |
| 1. | Samuli Aro | KTM | FIN | 315 |
| 2. | Mika Ahola | Honda | FIN | 283 |
| 3. | Stefan Merriman | Yamaha | AUS | 278 |
| 4. | Johnny Aubert | Yamaha | FRA | 277 |
| 5. | Fabien Planet | KTM | FRA | 202 |
| 6. | Cristobal Guerrero | GasGas | ESP | 195 |
| 7. | Xavier Galindo | KTM | ESP | 185 |
| 8. | Valtteri Salonen | HusaBerg | FIN | 134 |
| 9. | Fabrizio Dini | Yamaha | ITA | 124 |
| 10. | Nicolas Paganon | Husqvarna | FRA | 123 |
| 11. | Alessandro Botturi | Aprilia | ITA | 117 |
| 12. | Euan McConnell | TM | GBR | 84 |
| 13. | Andrea Beconi | Beta | ITA | 75 |
| 14. | Paul Edmondson | Honda | GBR | 74 |
| 15. | Kurt Caselli | KTM | USA | 66 |
| Manufacturer Standings | 03/09/2006 |
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1. | Yamaha | 316 |
| 2. | KTM | 315 |
| 3. | Honda | 283 |
| 4. | GasGas | 195 |
| 5. | Husqvarna | 135 |
| 6. | HusaBerg | 134 |
| 7. | Aprilia | 117 |
| 8. | Beta | 89 |
| 9. | TM | 84 |
| 10. | Suzuki | 52 |
| 11. | Sherco | 50 |
| 12. | Kawasaki | 16 |
