KTM’s Blazusiak Wins 2012 AMA EnduroCross Championship

20. November 2012

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Taddy Blazusiak of Poland was crowned the 2012 AMA EnduroCross Championship after sweeping both mains in the Las Vegas double-header finale held at the Orleans Arena on Saturday night.

Blazusiak turned the fastest lap in the afternoon hot laps to earn first gate pick in his heat. He was placed in the third heat where he took the holeshot and led every lap to easily transfer into the main event. His teammate, Factory FMF/KTM rider Mike Brown, finished 2nd in his heat to also earn a top gate pick in the first main event.

When the gate dropped for the first main event it was Blazusiak and Brown out front early. The KTM riders led the pack for the first two laps before Brown made a mistake and dropped to third. Then Blazusiak got stuck in the treacherous rocks section in the third lap letting Cody Webb rake the lead. The two riders swapped the lead for the next four laps but with two to go, Taddy pulled a small gap and took the win and having gone into the final competition needing only three more points to secure his 2012 AMA EnduroCross Championship, already had it in the bag. KTM teammate Mike Brown joined him on the podium with a third place finish.

Blazusiak shot off the start gate in the second main event to come around the first corner tied for the lead. He quickly moved his KTM out front and led the way around the first lap.

Out front, Blazusiak again had a bobble in the rocks that allowed Webb to close the gap. Webb did his best to challenge the champion but Taddy did not buckle and remained in the lead. The two riders proceeded to duke it out until the end, delivering a thrilling display of riding that had the crowd on the edge of their seats as the race came down to the final rock section. Blazusiak found a clear line and smoothly raced through the rocks to go on to win the second main event of the night. Brown was able to successfully climb from his poor start into the top five to finish fifth overall on the night and bumped him up into overall fourth in the championship.

“It was great to have Taddy return to defend his championship this year. We are happy he was able to clinch another championship. He and the team have worked very hard for this championship and it is a great ending to the year to take the number one plate again,” stated Team Manager Antti Kallonen.

Speaking of KTM’s Polish rider, EnduroCross promoter Eric Peronnard was quoted on the official EnduroCross website recently saying: “Taddy Blazusiak is without any question the best EnduroCross rider in the world.”

Overall Main Event 1:
1, Taddy Blazusiak – KTM
2, Cody Webb
3, Mike Brown – KTM
4, Geoff Aaron
5, Justin Soule
6, Colton Haaker
7, Cory Graffunder
8, Kyle Redmond
9, Max Gerston
10, Jamie Lanza
11, Kevin Rookstool
12, Taylor Robert

Overall Main Event 2:
1, Taddy Blazusiak – KTM
2, Cody Webb
3, Kyle Redmond
4, Geoff Aaron
5, Mike Brown – KTM
6, Justin Soule
7, Cory Graffunder
8, Taylor Robert
9, Max Gerston
10, Kevin Rookstool
11, Colton Haaker
12, Jamie Lanza

Overall Championship Standings:
1, Taddy Blazusiak – 249 (2012 EnduroCross Champion)
2, Cody Webb – 179
3, Taylor Robert – 154
4, Mike Brown – 151
5, Cory Graffunder – 133

18/11 2012

KTM's Maria Forsberg is 2012 AMA Women’s EnduroCross Champion

Factory FMF/KTM rider Maria Forsberg on Saturday night added yet another award to here incredible 2012 season when she was crowned the 2012 AMA Women’s EnduroCross Champion after taking the win in the most exciting race of the season in front of the sold out crowd at The Orleans Arena.

Forsberg was second off the start in the main event but suffered a crash in the tire section on the first lap that dropped her to fifth allowing fellow KTM rider Rachel Gutish to slip past into the lead. She led for a lap until Forsberg and KTM rider Louise Forsley began to push forward. Both girls were able to pass Gutish at the halfway point and began a tremendous battle for the lead. The crowd was on their feet as the riders went into the final lap wheel on wheel.

The dreaded rock section was an obstacle that the women only had to ride on the final lap and it proved to be the deciding factor. Forsley entered the rock section first but crashed early on. Forsberg came in on the outside and tried to get around Forsley. After struggling on the outside line she moved to an inside line but that took her bike straight into Forsley’s. The two girls quickly untangled their bikes and then it was a race to see who could get back into the race first. It was Forsberg who prevailed and climbed out of the rocks, through the fire pit and over the final tire to take the win. Forsley was able to finish second and Gutish third to complete a KTM podium sweep of both the final event and the 2012 championship.

Forsberg’s win at the Las Vegas round secured her the 2012 title. She commented, “It feels so great to get this title. I have had an amazing season. To win an X-Games gold medal, go undefeated in the GNCC series and then come out and win this championship has just been amazing. It has truly been an incredible year.”

Results
1, Maria Forsberg, KTM
2, Louise Forsley, KTM
5, Rachel Gutish, KTM
4, Chantelle Bykerk, KTM
5, Shelby Turner, KTM

Overall Point Standings:
1, Maria Forsberg – 141
2, Louise Forsley – 126
3, Chantelle Bykerk – 97

0 Benutzern gefällt dies.Gefällt mir

Kommentare