After disappointing results at the previous FIM Enduro World Championship round in Sweden, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Mathias Bellino of France dominated round six of the series, the AMV GP of Euskadi in Gordexola, Spain, July 2-3.
Bellino was all but unstoppable as he rode to the EnduroGP and Enduro 2 wins, topping two Italian riders, Beta’s Alex Salvini and TM’s Manuel Monni, on the overall podium.
“It’s great to get back to riding well and to return to the top of the podium,” Bellino said. “After the races in Scandinavia I really worked hard to improve in several areas, and I feel like I rode well this weekend. Even if it was dry it was still a tough race, but very different conditions compared to Finland and Sweden. I really felt good on my bike. I took some great championship points and generally had a really good weekend.”
Bellino was fast and fluid on a rainy Day One, finishing 25 seconds ahead of his closest challenger to land his first win since the opening day of the series in Morocco. Bellino also won the Enduro 2 class, followed by Salvini and World Championship points leader Matt Phillips, who finished third.
“I felt good during the day and really enjoyed the motocross and extreme tests,” Bellino said. “Luckily the rain didn’t make things too slippery so I was able to push hard. I hope day two will go well like day one has.”
KTM’s Nathan Watson had a good opening day in Enduro 1, winning seven of the day’s special tests to claim the class win by 38 seconds over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Danny McCanney and TM’s Eero Remes. McCanney won the final special test of the day and finished 13 seconds ahead of Remes.
Monni pulled off his first win of the season in an intense Enduro 3 battle. KTM-mounted Jeremy Joly came close to claiming the day during his return to the series, but a huge crash on the final motocross test dropped him to fourth place. Meanwhile, Beta’s Steve Holcombe plummeted to last place in the order after suffering technical issues with his bike and incurring a 12-minute time penalty as his team made the necessary repairs.
Bellino was again the rider to beat on Day Two despite tighter competition in drier conditions, finishing just under 30 seconds ahead of Yamaha-mounted countryman Loic Larrieu. Watson was third.
“Winning the super test and then each of the two days, it feels like it’s been a perfect weekend,” Bellino said. “Now I’m looking forward to the Italian GP, where I hope I can continue this form.”
As the fastest rider on the course all day Bellino also topped the Enduro 2 results ahead Larrieu while Salvini put in another strong performance to round out the E2 class podium. Watson also repeated as the E1 winner over McCanney, with Pascal Rauchenecker third.
But it was a bad day for Remes. After challengintg Watson for the win throughout the day, the Finnish rider met with disaster when bike issues forced him out of the race during the final special test, hurting him in the World Championship standings as well.
Monni’s run during Day Two was hampered by a 30-second penalty that dropped him from first to second in the E3 class, handing the win to Holcombe. Beta’s Johnny Aubert completed the E3 podium.
The next stop for the series will be the GP Acerbis Italie in Fabriano, Italy, July 16-17.
2016 FIM Enduro World Championship
AMV GP of Euskadi
Gordexola, Spain
Results: July 2-3, 2016 (Round 6 of 8)
Day One
EnduroGP
1. Mathias Bellino-Hus/1:06:47.54
2. Alex Salvini-Beta/1:07:12.87
3. Manuel Monni-TM/1:07:14.29
4. Nathan Watson-KTM/1:07:19.73
5. Matthew Phillips-She/1:07:27.48
Enduro 1
1. Nathan Watson-KTM/1:07:19.73
2. Daniel McCanney-Hus/1:07:58.30
3. Eero Remes-TM/1:08:12.03
4. Victor Guerrero-KTM/1:08:34.47
5. Rudy Moroni-KTM/1:09:33.18
Enduro 2
1. Mathias Bellino-Hus1:06:47.54
2. Alex Salvini-Bet/1:07:12.87
3. Matthew Phillips-She/1:07:27.48
4. Oriol Mena-Hon/1:07:27.91
5. Loic Larrieu-Yam/1:07:38.63
Enduro 3
1. Manuel Monni-TM/1:07:14.29
2. Johnny Aubert-Bet/1:07:37.29
3. Jaume Betriu-KTM/1:07:46.05
4. Jeremy Joly-KTM/1:08:02.44
5. Antoine Basset-KTM/1:08:16.85
Day 2
EnduroGP
1. Mathias Bellino-Hus/1:04:55.26
2. Loic Larrieu-Yam/1:05:21.80
3. Nathan Watson-KTM/1:05:27.21
4. Alex Salvini-Bet/1:05:28.74
5. Matthew Phillips-She/1:05:40.40
Enduro 1
1. Nathan Watson-KTM/1:05:27.21
2. Daniel McCanney-Hus/1:05:52.69
3. Pascal Rauchenecker-Hus/1:06:11.53
4. Victor Guerrero-KTM/1:07:09.69
5. Ivan Cervantes-KTM/1:07:42.26
Enduro 2
1. Mathias Bellino-Hus/1:04:55.26
2. Loic Larrieu-Yam/1:05:21.80
3. Alex Salvini-Bet/1:05:28.74
4. Matthew Phillips-She/1:05:40.40
5. Taylor Robert-KTM/1:05:49.69
Enduro 3
1. Steve Holcombe-Bet/1:05:41.17
2. Manuel Monni-TM/1:05:45.94
3. Johnny Aubert-Bet/1:06:08.64
4. Luis Correia-Bet/1:06:22.98
5. Jaume Betriu-KTM/1:06:33.17
2016 FIM Enduro World Championship Series Points Standings (after 6 of 8 rounds)
EnduroGP
1. Matthew Phillips-181
2. Eero Remes-153
3. Steve Holcombe-148
4. Mathias Bellino-146
5. Nathan Watson-142
Enduro 1
1. Eero Remes-212
2. Nathan Watson-207
3. Daniel McCanney-145
4. Ivan Cervantes-123
5. Pascal Rauchenecker-117
Enduro 2
1. Matthew Phillips-217
2. Mathias Bellino-184
3. Taylor Robert-166
4. Loic Larrieu165
5. Alex Salvini-152
Enduro 3
1. Steve Holcombe-204
2. Johnny Aubert-195
3. Antoine Basset-173
4. Manuel Monni-163
5. Jaume Betriu-132
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