KTM’s Alfredo Gomez had reason to celebrate when he earned his first career FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship victory in front of his countrymen in Bilbao, Spain, Saturday night, March 4. KTM’s Jonny Walker was third while defending FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro World Champion Colton Haaker was third.
The third round of the four-round series presented another challenging course, and it proved to be competitive as Walker, Gomez and Haaker all took a turn in the lead during the opening Prestige race. Haaker soon dropped back after a few miscues, leaving Walker and Gomez to fight for the win. Gomez put up a heck of a fight, but Walker held on to claim his first Prestige race win of the year.
Husqvarna’s Pascal Rauchenecker got out front in Prestige Race 2, but Gomez passed him quickly and went on to score the race win followed by Haaker. In a tight battle for third place, Sherco rider Mario Roman claimed the spot ahead of Walker in the last few feet before the checkered flag.
The final Prestige was pressure-packed as it could still determine the overall winner. A race win by either Walker or Gomez would seal the deal. Haaker hoped to play the role of spoiler, but more mistakes dropped him out of contention when the race got underway, leaving Walker and Gomez to battle for the overall SuperEnduro win. In an intense, bar-to-bar battle, Gomez was able to sneak past Walker to claim the race win and the overall win. Walker finished second overall.
Although he was third overall, German round winner Haaker is still in excellent shape to defend his FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro world crown as he leads the series by 11 points with just the final round in Albi, France, remaining. The race is scheduled for March 18.
Bilbao, Spain
Results: March 4, 2017 (Round 3 of 4)
Overall
1. Alfredo Gomez-KTM/2-1-1
2. Jonny Walker-KTM/1-4-2
3. Colton Haaker-Hus/3-2-3
4. Mario Roman-She
5. Manuel Lettenbichler-KTM
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