SOURCE: ENDUROGP.ORGThe Scandinavian tour, infamous for its arduous tests and tricky conditions, once again lived up to expectations! The Grand Prix of Finland and Sweden brought two hard Enduro Tests, where the riders had to deal with ruts, roots, stone, sandy soil and rain... these tests gave us four days of crazy racing and intense battles!
mabotAfter ‘doing the double’ in Sweden, and enjoying a solid GP of Finland (2nd/3rd), Steve HOLCOMBE (GB - Beta) proved that his week of pre-event training in Scandinavia was worthwhile… the smiling Brit takes provisional first place ahead of Eero REMES (SF - TM) - but by a very small margin of just 1 point!
REMES, who was on fire in Finland (1st/2nd), was forced to give a little ground to rivals in Enköping (3rd/4th), while Matthew PHILLIPS (AUS - Sherco) demonstrated, as always, his strong consistency during the Finnish-Swedish tour (3rd/1st/4th/2nd). These results allow Phillips to stay in touch with the two leaders.
Factory KTM rider Nathan WATSON (GB) showed good form during these two weekends (4th/4th/2nd/3rd) and moves within striking distance of his team-mate, Taylor ROBERT (USA - KTM), as the Arizonian struggled slightly on unfamiliar ground (8th/5th/7th/6th).
Another rider in trouble on the tricky terrain, Mathias BELLINO (F - Husqvarna) saw his more experienced compatriot AUBERT (F - Beta) move ahead of him, snatching 6th place. The factory Husqvarna rider will need to find his form on the Enduro test in Spain if he wants to stay in with a chance of wearing the “Mika Ahola Brave One" belt around his waist!
Finally, a special mention to the Junior trio of Giacomo REDONDI (I - Honda), Henric STIGELL (SF - TM) and Albin ELOWSON (S - Husqvarna) who impressed on Scandinavian soil, taking a great points haul between them…
This Finnish - Swedish tour has put on a great show and shaken up the standings! With a three-way race (HOLCOMBE - REMES - PHILLIPS) for the prestigious and coveted award, the last three Grand Prix of the season will be especially tense. But the leading trio will also need to be ready to defend against WATSON, ROBERT and AUBERT who are on the attack and waiting to take as many points as possible!
Provisional Classification: 1. Steve HOLCOMBE 154pts ; 2. Eero REMES 153pts ; 3. Matthew PHILLIPS 147pts ; 4. Taylor ROBERT 112pts; 5. Nathan WATSON 110pts; 6. Johnny AUBERT 94pts; 7. Mathias BELLINO 93pts; 8. Alex SALVINI 80pts; 9. Antoine BASSET 79pts; 10. Loïc LARRIEU 68pts…
