7/09/02 Italian Enduro Championships - Terni, Rome |
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This round of the Italian Championships started in a small village called Piediluco, just outside the city of Terni. There was only two special tests for the weekend. The first cross test was on a flat paddock used for crops, which had soft, clay-like mud. Consistent rain prior to the event ensured a slippery track on race day, packing out into deep ruts. The second enduro test was situated in the mountains and consisted of fast narrow downhills, followed by slippery rocky uphills. The test was primarily single track and was quite long (about 7 minutes). On Saturday, the first riders in the cross test devoured all the grass on the track, setting much faster times than the rest of the field. Merriman was 9 seconds down after the first test, Bazzuri and Albergoni lead the field. A brilliant time in the enduro test, moved Merriman into second position, ahead of rivals Ahola and Aro. However Merriman couldn't match the speed of Albergoni's 125 and finished the day in second overall. On Sunday the track remained slippery in the morning and dried out as the day progressed, favoring the riders starting later in the field (ie. four strokes). Ahola set the pace for the day in the enduro test, meanwhile ex-motocrosser, Alex Zanni was the fastest in the cross test. Adjusting to the new 125 Merriman finished in fourth position behind Ahola, Aro and Zanni respectively. Stefan will begin testing this week to prepare for the ISDE in two weeks. The results were as follows Sixth round - Overall results Seventh Round - Overall results The current point standings in the Italian Enduro
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