Coming into the season finale in the Bizkaia Arena, Bilbao, there were three riders all mathematically capable of becoming 2019 Maxxis FIM World SuperEnduro Champion.
The show lived up to all expectations, and rewarded fans with thrilling drama from start to finish.
California's
Colton Haaker took the 3rd World Champion title of his career, although the factory Husqvarna rider had to wait for the last race until he could grab the title which he felt belonged to him.
The road to the crown was full of pitfalls. From the first race, the American found himself in difficulty, hitting one of the first obstacles on the Basque track. Making mistake after mistake, Haaker appeared to have crumbled under the pressure. However, he was handed a life line when this first race was red-flagged due to track conditions.
Whilst the organisers tried to repair the damage caused by the passage of so many bikes, Colton had time to try and gather his thoughts and calm down. However, in the race one restart he failed to keep up with his compatriot, Cody Webb who seemed unbeatable out of the gate - winning ahead of
Taddy Blazusiak and Haaker. After this dramatic opening race just 6 points separated Haaker from Webb.
The second race was to play a significant role in the outcome of the evening, especially with its traditional 'reverse grid' start. Colton Haaker wasn't hanging around and he took the lead after 3 laps, he then managed to control the chasing pack for the entire race. Meanwhile, Cody Webb made a small mistake which saw him lose contact with the Husqvarna rider. With this latest victory Haaker took a tiny three point advantage over his biggest rival, Webb. 3rd in the second race of the night was SuperEnduro showman, Taddy Blazusiak, who was forced to accept that a 7th World SuperEnduro title had now slipped from his grasp. It was going to be between Haaker and Webb to fight it out for the 2019 crown.
