Posted: Wednesday, 15th March, 2006 : 10:13 AM - - 6,268 Reads

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Not content with factoring in a North American (Canada and the USA) visit for the first time in 16 years, the championship promoter has also thrown its weight behind the inaugural Winter Enduro, in conditions which will be totally foreign to the Australian party at Ostersund: four-time world champion Stefan Merriman (Yamaha YZ450F) and 21-year-old Jake Stapleton (TM EN250).

"I am not sure what to expect from this Winter Enduro," said Merriman, who only re-signed with Yamaha after a planned collaboration with Husqvarna collapsed at the last minute. "They have modified the rules to enable the race to be run, and the bikes will all have spike tyres.

"It has been minus 15 degrees here this week - and if it goes below that on race day, they'll have to cancel the race.

"I've had absolutely no experience in these conditions, like most of the non-Scandinavians in the WEC. The Finns and the Swedes are really the only ones who have experience in this style of riding.

"It is not just the riding - it's the climate, the terrain and understanding what is required in terms of special equipment to deal with these circumstances. In my opinion, they should have run an international event of this type before making it a point-scoring world championship round, so everyone can understand what is involved. Anyway we will see what happens."

In addition to spiked tyres, other standard equipment at Ostersund - which has previously hosted rounds of the world biathlon title - will include purpose-built gloves, boots adorned with small skis, and foot pegs covered with tape to prevent ice and snow build-up. Ostersund is located in the heart of Sweden.

Merriman is currently ranked No. 2 in the blue-ribbon E2 (250cc 2T vs. 450cc 4T) class after a 2005 season peppered with highs (11 wins from 22 races) and lows (ruptured spleen, ligament damage in his left knee, and a disqualification). With Merriman's woes proving too much, the title was eventually won by his long-time adversary, Finland's Samuli Aro (KTM).

Now, after an off-season spent back home in his native New Zealand, 32-year-old Merriman is back in peak condition, and emboldened by his early-season form on the Italian-entered Yamaha.

"I am fit and in good condition," said Merriman. "I managed to win the first round of Italian Championships in Sicily a few weeks ago, and there were plenty of ruts - my weakness. So I was pleased.

"I am riding the new aluminium-framed YZ450F in 2006, modified for enduro. It is a great bike with a very powerful engine - and it handles brilliantly.

"It will be difficult in Sweden, but I am really looking forward to this year's title. I think it is a good idea to branch outside of Europe and make it a truly international world championship. Hopefully it will bring us all a step closer to having WEC rounds in New Zealand and Australia."

Merriman has ridden in 12 world enduro races in Sweden, for five wins and seven podiums.

At Ostersund, eight of last year's top 10 E2 punters will make a return to familiar territory, including Aro, who is gunning for three titles in a row after also claiming the E3 (500cc 2T vs 650cc 4T) spoils in 2004. The Finn will undoubtedly be more suited to the Ostersund surroundings than Merriman, before the championship returns to a more palatable setting in Portugal on May 6-7.

Other slick E2 operators will include Aprilia-backed Italian Alessandro Botturi, Fabien Planet (KTM), Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg), Andrea Beconi (Beta) and young Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero (Gas Gas), who won last year's inaugural Junior title ahead of Stapleton.

Two former world champions are also making the switch from E1 to E2 in 2006: Briton Paul Edmondson (Honda) and Petteri Silvan (KTM). Redoubtable American Kurt Caselli (KTM) will also be an E2 operator.

In addition to Merriman, Australians Glenn Kearney (Suzuki) and Anthony 'AJ' Roberts (Yamaha) also appear on the list of 46 nominated E2 riders in 2006, but neither will be competing at Ostersund. Kearney, who is based in America, is set to compete in the North American leg of the WEC only, while Roberts will begin his defence of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Series at Gulgong (NSW).

However, Roberts, who was 22nd in last year's world E2 title, will enter the WEC barracks in Portugal, as there are no more WEC-Off Road date clashes after this weekend.

In E1 (125cc 2T vs. 250cc 4T), Spain's Ivan Cervantes (KTM) is the top gun, although he won't be expected to breeze through the championship like he did in 2005. To that end, Marc Germain (Yamaha); Italians Alessandro Belometti (KTM) and Simone Albergoni (Honda); and Poland's Bartosz Oblucki (Husqvarna) will all be determined to hit the ground running in Ostersund, after Cervantes won the first eight races in 2005 – and carved out an impregnable buffer in the process.

2005 was a stellar year for KTM, after winning all three major WEC classes – none more emphatic than David Knight's E3 carve-up. The Briton won 21 of the 22 races, and capped the year off with outright victory in the International Six Days' Enduro.

With master duo Aro and Merriman still in E2, only a litany of errors by Knight – or injury – will pave the way for Marko Tarkkala (KTM) or Sebastien Guillaume (Gas Gas) to win their first world titles.

In Junior, Stapleton will begin proceedings as the clear favourite with the departure of Guerrero and Daryl Bolter, who was third in 2005. This year, Oriol Mena (Gas Gas) and Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) are expected to step up to the plate to challenge Stapleton, although the conditions at Ostersund may prove fertile for an opening round upset.

Stapleton became just the third Australian to win a world enduro race in 2005, behind Victorian Shane Watts and Merriman. The New South Welshman started off 2006 with a fine second place behind Knight in the British enduro opener in late February.

Main Photo: Stefan Merriman
Credit: Yamaha

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