Returning to the town of Valverde Del Camino in southern Spain that hosted the Spanish GP of the 2010 Enduro World Championship, the Moto Club Valverdeno successfully ran the first two-day event of the 2012 Spanish Enduro Championship. With event organisers revisiting the special tests used during the previous EWC that included the infamous extreme test hill climb, the third round of the series would prove to be both a challenging and testing race for all.

Husqvarna's Lorenzo Santolino secured a double win in Enduro 1  ©Enduro21.com

Fresh from his successful Enduro World Championship season opener in South America, Husqvarna’s Lorenzo Santolino was the clear winner in Enduro 1. Facing an early challenge from KTM’s Victor Guerrero, Santolino increased his lead throughout the day to win by almost 50 seconds. With Guerrero dropping out after the fourth special test, Goncalves Reis (Gas Gas) inherited second while Arnau Sola (Yamaha) finished third.

Once again Santolino proved to be the rider to beat on day two. Placing 52 seconds clear of runner up Mario Roman (KTM), the Husqvarna rider also finished fourth in the overall classification. Making a successful return to racing following a difficult knee injury, Roman finished second. Unable to repeat his result from day one, Reis ended his day in third.

Gas Gas' Ivan Cervantes was fastest on day one ©Enduro21.com

In Enduro 2 it was the duo of Cervantes (Gas Gas) and Guerrero (KTM) that shared victory in Valverde Del Camino. Topping six of the eight special tests, Cervantes comfortably won day one while also winning the overall classification. Finishing less than 24 seconds behind the Gas Gas rider, Guerrero ended his day as runner up. Behind the leading two, KTM’s Marc Sola beat Luis Correia (Yamaha) by two seconds to claim third.

On day two it was the turn of Guerrero to set the pace. Catching Cervantes napping during the opening two tests, he quickly opened up a 30-second lead. With the leading two riders matching each other’s pace for the remainder of the day, Guerrero eventually won both Enduro 2 and the overall classification. Unable to recover from his early morning mistakes, Cervantes finished 26 seconds behind the KTM rider. Improving from fifth on day one, KTM’s Armand Monleon pipped Sola by one second to snatch third.

Husaberg's Joakim Ljunggren continued his run of good form with two wins in Enduro 3

Sweden’s Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) matched his winning result from round two with a double victory at round three in Enduro 3. Fending off a tight challenge from Aaron Bernardez, Ljunggren secured victory on day one by eight seconds. With Bernardez finishing as runner up behind the Husaberg rider, Gas Gas’ Jordi Figueras ended his day in third.

Again Ljunggren was the Enduro 3 class leader on day two. Fastest on the first special test, he steadily grew his lead throughout the day to place 38 seconds clear of runner up Oriol Mena (Husaberg). With Mena finishing second, Juan Perez de la Torre (KTM) bettered his day one result of fourth to claim third.

The Spanish Enduro Championship continues with round four in Bassella, Lleida on April 29.

Results:

Spanish Enduro Championship Round 3

Day One

Enduro 1: 1. Lorenzo Santolino (Husqvarna) 51:56.690; 2. Goncalves Reis (Gas Gas) 52:46.370; 3. Arnau Sola (Yamaha) 52:59.150; 4. Mario Roman (KTM) 53:38.180; 5. Joan Jou Zueras (Sherco) 55:41.710…

Enduro 2: 1. Ivan Cervantes (Gas Gas) 50:17.380; 2. Cristobal Guerrero (KTM) 50:41.360; 3. Marc Sola (KTM) 52:54.980; 4. Luis Correia (Yamaha) 52:56.740; 5. Armand Monleon (KTM) 53:52.900…

Enduro 3: 1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 51:08.550; 2. Aaron Bernardez (???) 51:16.680; 3. Jordi Figueras (Gas Gas) 52:54.30; 4. Juan Perez de la Torre (KTM) 53:17.400; 5. Juan Pedrero Garcia (KTM) 54:24.460…

Day Two

Enduro 1: 1. Lorenzo Santolino (Husqvarna) 51:18.520; 2. Mario Roman (KTM) 52:10.600; 3. Goncalves Reis (Gas Gas) 52:25.570; 4. Arnau Sola (Yamaha) 53:12.330; 5. Joesp Rallo (Gas Gas) 55:52.690…

Enduro 2: 1. Cristobal Guerrero (KTM) 49:50.330; 2. Ivan Cervantes (Gas Gas) 50:16.650; 3. Armand Monleon (KTM) 52:34.650; 4. Marc Sola (KTM) 52:35.380; 5. Luis Correia (Yamaha) 53:38.970…

Enduro 3: 1. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 51:12.090; 2. Oriol Mena (Husaberg) 51:50.210; 3. Juan Perez de la Torre (KTM) 52:16.420; 4. Jordi Figueras (Gas Gas) 52:41.110; 5. Juan Pedrero Garcia (KTM) 53:03.540…