23/02/03
Second place in the 250cc 2 stroke class after Spain
By Lexy Thorogood
A little bit of rain overnight, and the tests had not changed much. nor did the results change much on Day 2 in Spain. Aro and Salminen set a pace that was difficult to catch. Merriman admitted defeat to the KTM duo who had been training and preparing in Spain prior to the start of the season. Merriman had to be satified with fourth overall, after Spanish motocrosser, Ivan Cervantes put in some solid tests times almost beating Aro and took third overall.
Pic. 1 Merriman took the fourth place trophy in the overall standings on Day 2
About the second day in Salamanca, Merriman said,
"I haven't been doing a whole lot of hard terrain riding as I have been concentrating on improving in the soft conditions and it shows. Last weekend in the soft I was winning, and this week in the hard I obviously need a bit more practise. I tried hard today to keep up to Aro and Salminen. They have been doing a lot of training in the hard Spanish conditions and it shows. "
Day 2 World Enduro Championships - Salamanca, Spain
Overall Classification
| Place | Rider | Bike | Total Time |
| 1st | Juha Salminen (FIN) | KTM 520 | 43:12.37 |
| 2nd | Samuli Aro (FIN) | KTM 250 | 43:17.30 |
| 3rd | Ivan Cervantes (SPA) | KTM 520 | 43:32.04 |
| 4th | Stefan Merriman (AUS) | HONDA CRE 250 | 43:36.43 |
| 5th | Roman Michalik (CZE) | VOR 450 | 43:42.41 |
| 6th | Anders Eriksson (SWE) | HUSQVARNA 450 | 43:49.51 |
| 7th | Bjorne Carlsson (SWE) | HUSABERG 500 | 44:00.14 |
| 8th | David Knight (GBR) | YAMAHA 500 | 44:10.05 |
| 9th | Jani Laaksonen (FIN) | GAS GAS 250 | 44:10.71 |
| 10th | Peter Bergvall (SWE) | YAMAHA 250 4S | 44:10.96 |
Pic. 2 Merriman fourth overall on Day 2
It appears the third round of the World Enduro Championships, scheduled for next weekend in Morocco will be boycotted by all the major teams due to safety fears. The organisers however are determined to run the event, and have said the event will go ahead regardless. The threat of terrorist attacks against westerners is high due to the ongoing war in Iraq and the riders do not feel secure in going there. A petition has been signed by all the major teams, to say they are not attending. The next round will be the fourth round in Kalavrita, Greece in April.
Now the overall point standings are as follows....
1. Juha SALMINEN 90 points, 2. Samuli ARO 83pts. 3. Stefan MERRIMAN 60 pts.
In the 250cc 2 stroke class...
1. Samuli ARO 95pts. 2. Stefan MERRIMAN 85pts. 2. Jani LAAKSONEN 61pts.