Battling searing heat and an unrelenting course Antoine Meo, Juha Salminen and Christophe Nambotin were victorious in the three Senior classes. Jonathan Manzi claimed his second win in Enduro Junior as Giacomo Redondi topped the Enduro Youth Cup standings.
With exceptional hot weather and against a stunning backdrop, the EWC continued to deliver close racing in all classes as riders fought for final honours before returning back to Europe. Wit competitors pushed to their maximum in the dusty terrain, day two also took it’s toll on machinery. KTM’s Johnny Aubert was first to retire when a technical issue ruled him out. Enduro 1 rider Nicolas Deparrois (Kawasaki) also failed to finish.
Enduro 1
In Enduro 1, Frenchman Antoine Meo (KTM) continued to lead the way. Recording his second victory of the weekend and fourth of South America, Meo comfortably placed 58 seconds clear of Italy’s Simone Albergoni (HM Honda).
“Returning to Europe with four wins is the best start to the championship that I could have hoped for,” remarked MEO. “This was a very tough enduro so to come away with the win is another incredible result for me.”
With Meo out front, Albergoni, Eero Remes (KTM) and Spain’s Lorenzo Santolino (Husqvarna) battled intensely for a podium result. Remes held the advantage for second during the morning but Albergoni determinedly closed the gap on the Finnish rider. Pushing through the scorching heat he beat Remes to end the day second. With the Italian in second, Remes managed to fend off the challenge from Santolino to finish in third place.
Santolino put in one of his best performances of the year so far to finish fourth, six seconds behind the Finn. France’s Rodrig Thain (HM Honda), unable to join the battle taking place infront of him ended day two in fifth beating sixth place rider Italy’s Thomas Oldrati (KTM).
Enduro 2
After his disappointment on day one, Finland’s Juha Salminen (Husqvarna) bounced back in style to claim the Enduro 2 win on day two. Fighting a tough battle with Spain’s Cristobal Guerrero (KTM) and Ivan Cervantes (Gas Gas), Salminen once again return to the top of the podium in South America.
“This is a perfect way to end this GP,” confirmed Salminen. “Of course it was disappointing not to finish yesterday but sometimes these problems happen in racing and it can’t be helped. It’s great to win today after a tough fight with Ivan.”
Finishing second to Salminen, Guerrero won the final special test of the weekend overhaul his fellow countryman and beat Cervantes by three tenths of a second. With his third place result on day two, Cervantes now returns to Europe as the early points leader in Enduro 2.
Pierre-Alexandre Renet (Husaberg) matched his previous day’s result to finish in fourth place. Italy’s Alex Salvini (Husqvarna) improved on his eight place of day one to finish fifth while KTM’s Fabio Mossini finished in a very strong sixth place.
Enduro 3
France’s Christophe Nambotin (KTM) completed a perfect scorecard for his South American trip, as he remained unbeaten in Enduro 3. Third at the end of the first lap, Nambotin quickly found his way to the front of his class after the second Cross Test. Maintaining his lead for the rest of the day, the Frenchman recorded his fourth victory of 2012.
“I made a couple of mistakes this morning and had to push hard to recover from them,” recalled Nambotin. “Riding in the heat made it very physical and tiring but I’m very pleased to leave South America as the points leader in Enduro 3.”
Britain’s David Knight (KTM) once again finished second behind his KTM teammate as he narrowly beat Sweden’s Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg). With the two riders locked in a daylong battle for runner up, Knight just pipped Ljunggren by five tenths of a second at the end of the 12th and final special test.
Unable to maintain the pace of the top three, Estonia’s Aigar Leok (TM Racing) finished a distant fourth. Finland’s Marko Tarkkala (Beta) jumped two places to end his day in fifth while Spain’s Oriol Mena (Husaberg) completed the top six.
Enduro Junior
Leading the way in Enduro Junior, Jonathan Manzi (KTM) claimed his second victory of 2012 by winning day two in Argentina. Mathias Bellino (Husaberg), powerless to match the pace of the hard charging Italian finished in second place. Argentina’s Kevin Benavides (KTM) rewarded the support of his home crowd by finishing third.
Giacomo Redondi (KTM) enjoyed a perfect weekend in Argentina to claim his second victory in Enduro Youth Cup. Benjamin Herrera (TM) finished in second place with Stefano Caimi (KTM) in third.
The Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship continues with the GP of Euskadi in Muntibar, Spain on May 5/6.
Results
GP of Argentina – Day Two
Enduro 1
1. Antoine Meo (KTM) 1:01:50.00; 2. Simone Albergoni (HM Honda) 1:02:47.88; 3. Eero Remes (KTM) 1:02:53.64; 4. Lorenzo Santolino (Husqvarna) 1:02:59.87; 5. Rodrig Thain (HM Honda) 1:03:29.58; 6. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 1:03:58.75; 7. Marc Bourgeois (Yamaha) 1:04:11.69; 8. Jeremy Joly (Yamaha) 1:04:26.42; 9. Matti Seistola (Husqvarna) 1:05:16.10; 10. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 1:07:00.12…
Enduro 2
1. Juha Salminen (Husqvarna) 1:00:42.33; 2. Cristobal Guerrero (KTM) 1:01:06.05; 3. Ivan Cervantes (Gas Gas) 1:01:06.38; 4. Pierrer-Alexandre Renet (Husaberg) 1:02:20.71; 5. Alex Salvini (Husqvarna) 1:03:00.23; 6. Fabio Mossini (KTM) 1:03:07.79; 7. Oscar Balletti (Beta) 1:03:13.50; 8. Antoine Bassett (Yamaha) 1:03:56.68; 9. Franco Caimi (KTM) 1:04:40.38; 10. Julien Gauthier (Kawasaki) 1:05:31.42…
Enduro 3
1. Christophe Nambotin (KTM) 1:01:59.79; 2. David Knight (KTM) 1:02:38.80; 3. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 1:02:39.37; 4. Aigar Leok (TM) 1:04:10.04; 5. Marko Tarkkala (Beta) 1:04:18.58; 6. Oriol Mena (Husaberg) 1:04:33.16; 7. Marcu Kehr (KTM) 1:04:43.09; 8. Benoit Fortunato (Gas Gas) 1:05:02.63; 9. Christophe Robert (Husaberg) 1:05:17.13; 10. Manuel Monni (KTM) 1:05:19.98…
Enduro Junior
1. Jonathan Manzi (KTM) 1:03:52.80; 2. Mathias Bellino (Husaberg) 1:04:32.06; 3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 1:04:49.71; 4. Edoardo D’Ambrosio (KTM) 1:05:17.65; 5. Daniel McCanney (Gas Gas) 1:05:43.51; 6. Victor Guerrero (KTM) 1:05:44.91; 7. Karl Svensson (HM Honda) 1:06:58.78; 8. Rudi Moroni (KTM) 1:08:20.11; 9. Kevin Rohmer (Yamaha) 1:08:20.73; 10. Alex Rockwell (Husaberg) 1:08:43.61…
Enduro Youth Cup
1. Giacomo Redondi (KTM) 1:06:32.00; 2. Benjamin Herrera (TM) 1:09:57.00; 3. Stefano Caimi (Yamaha) 1:12:01.46; 4. Nicolas Kutulas (KTM) 1:15:44.87; 5. Luciano Benavides (Yamaha) 1:26:08.41
