Eighth place finish for Smets at WEC GP of Italy

Competing aboard BMW’s new 450cc sports enduro bike BMW Motorrad Motorsport development rider Joel Smets claimed a well deserved eighth place finish in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class at the fourth round of the ’07 World Enduro Championship staged in Borno, Italy.

With the two-day event proving to be the toughest race of the eight round championship held so far this year a demanding
mountainous course, ever changing weather conditions and spectacular and challenging special stages ensured that all competitors, and their machines, were made to work extremely hard.

Continuing the development of the 450cc sports enduro bike by returning to the competitive environment of the World Enduro Championship for the second time this year the team’s second rider Sascha Eckert also scored world championship points by placing in 18th, despite suffering with the flu. Despite their encouraging results on day one both riders disappointingly failed to finish day two. Bad luck stuck Joel when his chain derailed shortly before the mid-way point of the day while Sascha was forced to withdraw due to a problem with his bike’s fuel pump.

With the entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport team encouraged with the way the new 450cc sorts enduro bike performed during its first official outing at the second round of the World Enduro Championship series in Spain, in Italy the continued development of the bike was again the team’s priority.
With numer us developmental changes having been made to both Joel’s and Sascha’s bikes in the weeks leading up to the Italian race both riders were extremely pleased with the way their machines performed during the opening day.
With Joel not sure how he would perform on the rock littered enduro test and technically demanding extreme test the former five-time world champion quickly adapted to the challenges of only his second ever WEC event and settled into a top 10 position in the E2 class. Performing consistently throughout the day, and placing as high as fifth on one of the special tests, Joel performed better than even he imagined he would and thoroughly enjoyed himself, despite the tough conditions. Importantly he also helped the team gather further important data and information relevant to the bike’s development.

Frustratingly for Sascha Eckert suffering with the flu ensured that the event was always going to be difficult for him but despite feeling far from 100 per cent he still managed to finish in 18th position and score world championship points as he did in Spain.

Disappointingly for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team day two saw both riders fail to finish. Both looking forward to the challenge of competing following extensive heavy overnight rain Sascha was the first two withdraw following a problem with his bike’s fuel pump. For Joel the second day came to a close four special tests into the event when his chain derailed, forcing him to retire.

Having now participated in both the Spanish and Italian rounds of the ’07 World Enduro Championship the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team will make their third and final outing in the series at the eight and last race of the year in France in mid September.

Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager:
“Joel’s result on Saturday was really impressive, it really showed that the potential of the new concept is very good. During the first day Joel put in some great special test times, despite worrying a little about how he would perform on the rocky enduro test. Although it was disappointing not to see both bikes finish day two I am extremely pleased with the way both riders dealt with the challenging conditions and how the team as a whole has performed. With each race we learn more and more and we’re already looking forward to competing in Italy in September.”

Joel Smets:
“Day one went really well, I honestly surprised myself by finishing eight because there were so many stones and rocks in the enduro test. When I walked the test I thought that I would have a hard time surviving let alone racing. But I adapted quickly to it and had so much fun all day. I know I’m not fighting  with the top guys but I was pleased with my speed and, more importantly, the bike was working well and the changes that we implemented after Spain were also working
well. I was really pleased with the bike, my riding and the day in general.
The second day was hard - I think all riders will agree with that. It’s disappointing not to have finished the second day because of something as simple as a derailed chain but I enjoyed the event and the team learned a lot, which is important. What we have seen and learned in the two world championship races we’ve entered proves that competing in selected high level events to develop the bike is absolutely the right thing to do.”

Sascha Eckert:
“I wasn’t happy with my result on day one but I had been ill the week before the race and I didn’t feel well all weekend. That made a difficult race even harder. But I tried to ride as hard as I could. I guess you could say I had a consistent
day but I wasn’t able to push anywhere near as hard as I wanted to. The second day started ok for me. The first test was incredibly slippery after the overnight rain but I made no mistakes. After that I had a problem with my bike. About five kilometres before the paddock the bike stopped and I couldn’t start it. I tried to work out what the problem was but it was only when I had returned to the paddock that we found out that there was a problem with the fuel pump. By the time it was fixed I was more than 15 minutes late, which meant I couldn’t continue.”

2007 World Enduro Championship Rnd 4 Grand Prix of Italy – Day 1, Saturday

Enduro 2 class
1. Mika Ahola (Honda) 51:52.73; 2. Samuli Aro (KTM) 52:40.91; 3. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 52:54.15; 4. Fabien Planet (KTM) 52:55.31; 5. Andrea Belotti (KTM) 53:55.31; 6. Nicolas Deparrois (Husqvarna) 54:02.29; 7. Jari Mattila (Beta) 54:24.74; 8. Joel Smets (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 54:35.01; 9. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 54:39.36; 10. Fausto Scovolo (Gas Gas) 55:02.52; 11. Rodrig Thain (Suzuki) 55:08.29; 12. Patrick Caps (Gas Gas) 55:10.91; 13. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia) 55:43.74; 14. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 56:02.79; 15. Giuliani Falgari (Kawasaki) 56:13.19; 16. Carmelo Mazzoleni (Kawasaki) 58:33.59; 17. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 58:45.31; 18. Sascha Eckert (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 59:36.43; 19. Dimitris Tsakatsonic (KTM) 1.02:35.58; 20. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia) 1.07:40.50