Five weeks between rounds 1 and 2, four weeks between rounds 2 and 3, everyone has time to prepare carefully the first rounds of the Championship! Even if it’s never easy for the riders to find the good rhythm for their physical and mental preparation, some mechanics and technicians appreciate to have time to work and develop their bikes between the first rounds. Aprilia and Terramodena in the S2 class but also Husqvarna with his new SMR 630 all took this opportunity to improve their material and will introduce some novelties this weekend.
There is no main surprise in the S1 World Championship classification, with the three factory KTM and the two official Husqvarna in the top five positions. Runner-up in both superfinals in Spa and Arad, Boris Chambon is leading the championship but till waiting his first win as he finishes all races (heats or superfinal) on the podium but never on the highest step. His teammates Ivan Lazzarini (Spa) and Thierry Van Den Bosch (Arad) share the superfinals, but due to a disappointing first round for Thierry and a bad superfinal in Arad for Ivan none was able to lead the serie after the first two rounds. During the break between Arad and Sosnova Ivan won his two heats during the European Supermoto of Nations in l’Alpe d’Huez and offers the overall win to the Italian team (Lazzarini, Verderosa, Beltrami), while Thierry flew to the US and compete the X Games. He was unlucky with a crash at the start, and let Eddy Seel defending the World Championship honors; Eddy did a great race on a 450 Husqvarna, finishing second behind American Ben Bostrom. He will be for sure, after a frustrating weekend in Arad, the main rival of the KTM riders with his team-mate Gerald Delepine, fifth in the serie. Massimo Beltrami (fourth in Spa) and Valter Bartolini (third in Arad) are respectively leading the Husaberg and VOR assaults but needs more consistency to keep the contact with the leaders. Fred Fiorentino (Husaberg), Fabrice Guyot (VOR) and Max Manzo (Aprilia) all expect some strong results in Sosnova, in order to come back in the top ten of the Championship.
The S2 class, as well as the S1, saw two different winners in the first two rounds. Italian Davide Gozzini (Husqvarna) was unbeatable in Spa, and five weeks later nobody was able to follow Jerôme Giraudo (Aprilia) in Arad… Giraudo offered to the new Aprilia an incredible “hat-trick” in Romania, and will use new parts this weekend on the Italian prototype. Both Jerome and his teammate Fred Bolley (who lost the second spot in Arad due to a technical problem) want to confirm this first success, but will find again a strong opposition. Gozzini and Fabrice Lecoanet (KTM), who crashes too much in Arad seems to be their main rivals with Massimo Verderosa and Simone Girolami on their private Honda. The Italians proved again that a private rider can reach a podium in the S2 class, and actually led factory riders Fabio Balducci (on his TM) or Attilio Pignotti (VOR) in the standings.
The second round of the European Championship will also be in action this weekend in Sosnova, with the practice sessions on friday and the races on saturday.
2003 podium in Sosnova: Eddy Seel (Husqvarna) first, Ivan Lazzarini (Husaberg) second and Boris Chambon (KTM) third
Info and results on the official website of the championship: www.supermotoS1.com
Info MediaPress, Photographer: J. Barte
