Cervantes takes first E3 race at Krompachy

KTM Enduro Factory Team's Ivan Cervantes showed he was the boss of the big Enduros on Saturday at the first of two E3 World Championship races at this Slovak ski resort.

Cervantes reigned supreme over the 55 km trail on a circuit covered three and a half times on Saturday for the Grand Prix of Slovakia. A huge downpour in the last hour also added another dimension to what was already a competitive and fast track.
 
After the tests, the Spanish KTM rider came home almost 13 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Sebastien Guillaume to be the undisputed winner and to add another 25 points onto his lead in the championship standings.

KTM Teammate Marko Tarkkala was not so fortunate. He crashed about half way through the race and eventually finished in fourth place.

A bang on the head during the crash gave him some discomfort but team boss Fabio Farioli said he was confident that Tarkkala, hell bent on closing the 35-point gap between himself and Cervantes, would be back in the saddle for Sunday's race. The two KTM riders are fighting out the title between them but there is still another 75 points up for grabs and their rivals are close. 
 
Results
1. Ivan Cervantes, Spain, KTM
2. Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
3. Bjorne Carlsson, Sweden, Husaberg
4. Marko Tarkkala, Finland, KTM
5. Marcus Kehr, Germany, KTM