ERKKI POUTANEN
(www.keskiuusimaa.fi/enduro)
Juha Salminen, 24, a member of the organising club Vantaan Moottorikerho, secured the overall Enduro World Championship of 2001 on Saturday. Salminen took his 18th class victory in succession in the World Championship series, he changed to 250 cc 2-stoke class from 125 cc class this season. Saturday’s
2nd position in the overall competition ensured the Championship to him before the three last World Championship days left this year. Today, third position in the 250 cc 2-stroke category is enough to ensure him also the individual tittle.
The fastest rider in the overall competition in Vantaa’s miserable conditions was Mika Ahola. He rose from the fourth position of the overall competition to second. Ahola won Salminen during the race approx. 4 seconds. In the individual 500 cc 4-stroke Ahola beat Anders Eriksson with 14 seconds and narrowed Eriksson’s 11 points lead to 6 points.
The weather in the race was a nightmare for the routemaster Esa Jääskeläinen. A big part of the 1.5 years preparation work was wasted when Seutula extra enduro test was cancelled. In the first round it was used as a normal part of the cirquit without time-keeping. The test and a part of the cirquit before the Seutula test were in terrible condition already after the first round due to the constant rainfall.
The Lavanko cross test endured the rainfall reasonably well. Even Petikko’s cross test was ridable. The cirquit was, as usual in a World Championship competition, demanding. Maybe even too demanding in Vantaa, most complaining was heard about the end of the course from Lavanko to the finish in Tikkurila. In the beginning of the trail was a swampy area were bikes were stuck. Even without this obstacle the last part of the cirquit was too tight. While the race was still on 5 minutes more was added to the scheduled time. For some competitors this information came when they had already finished the race. Many riders were forced to do some speeding in the streets of Vantaa city, and still be too late.
There is no doubt about who is the best enduro rider in the world today. Juha Salminen’s 20 more points to the total added up to 171 points when his main rival Stefan Merriman of Australia, riding 400 cc 4-stroke, had problems with his engine and was left 9th in Vantaa. Salminen’s distance added up to 76 points to second, now Mika Ahola, and dropped Merriman to third position in the overall standings. When there is only 75 points left to gain in the series, Juha Salminen could now celebrate his second overall Enduro World Championship.
Anders Eriksson riding 400 cc 4-stroke rose, with his third position in the overall competition, close to Merriman with only one point difference.
“ I screwed up in the morning and Samuli (Aro) in the afternoon” says Salminen who once again won the individual 250 cc 2-stroke class. Juha fell in the second round of Lavanko cross test and Samuli Aro gained a small advantage. “ It didn’t take much time to get up from the ground but when you start from zero again , seconds fly away”. Salminen is always after winning but, says that loosing to Aro would not have hurt him that much.
“It would not be such a shame to loose to another Finn, for Samuli I might even have allowed the victory”, muses Salminen.
Salminen’s distance to David Knight is now 60 points. By being third on Sunday he will ensure his third individual Enduro World Championship in succession. The two earlier came from 125 cc class. Last year Juha Salminen made history by winning all 10 competitions during the series. Will he take all also this year?
Mika Ahola is working on a surprise in the 500 cc 4-stroke class. Mika has most day winns in the class this year ( three, others have only one) and without trouble with spark plug cap in Solvakia, he would have the leading position in the class. “To the Team Manager any colour medal would be enough, but I will only settle for championship” says Ahola cheerfully.
Ahola left last year both team ( TM ) and class (250 cc 2-stroke). The move was a success and the championship would be all honey for the new VOR-team. So would it also be for Ahola who only has silver and bronze in his collections yet. There were doubts about his hard driving style being suited for 4-strokes, but he has proved the doubts wrong. “There were a couple of nearby situations but the transfer courses were the most difficult ones. Especially on the way from Petikko, on asphalt, I felt freezing” says Ahola who took his first overall number one spot.
Petteri Silvan and Petri Pohjamo had their own way in the 125cc class. The couple took their fifth first and second positions in the eight race of the season. “No bigger problems. Riding felt good, I only made some minor mistakes. The tightness of this last transfer course was not good PR for Enduro though. We had to ride to fast on public roads”, Silvan criticises. The scheduled time to the last time control was too tight for most riders and added up in the end service of bikes.