Mixed weekend for Honda riders at fifth round of Enduro Italian Championship

It was a mixed weekend for Honda riders at the fifth round of the Enduro Italian Championship, held in Crespano del Grappa (near Treviso), with victories, podiums and injuries.

Thomas Oldrati (Honda Racing RedMoto World Enduro Team) went into the weekend as leader of the 250 4T class and dominated the event. Over the course of the weekend Oldrati claimed five best times, four second places, one third and two sixth place finishes. This was enough to see him climb to the top step of the podium and retain his leadership of the overall standings.

It was a tough race for his team mate Christophe Charlier, who was affected by physical problems. Unfortunately, after the start he was forced to withdraw to avoid the onset of complications.

Both of Honda RedMoto Lunigiana Team’s riders were suffering from physical problems due to the aftermath of various crashes in the previous races.

Davide Soreca was suffering with his right knee that had been operated on at the beginning of the year, and has not yet fully recovered from, but was determined to get some important points in the 450 class standings. He managed to finish third with his Honda-RedMoto CRF300RX Enduro, which could have been a better position had it not been for the three minutes lost when the chain came off.

Davide Guarneri faced a tough day after not competing in the GP of Italy due to severe back pain, but managed to finish sixth in the 250 4T class.

It was mathematically possible for Alex Salvini and S2 Motorsport Sembenini Honda-RedMoto to wrap up the championship title this weekend, with one event still to go, but an unlucky weekend sees it go to the final round in October.

Salvini managed to pop his shoulder out after a bad crash in the last part of the Enduro test, forcing him to withdraw from the event. Luckily, with more than a month before the next event, the Italian now has the opportunity to totally recover and be back to 100% before tackling the next race.

Honda’s Enduro riders now have an extended break before their next event: the Czech Republic GP in Uhlirske Janovice (13-15 September).

Thomas Oldrati

“What a race! I’m happy because working hard rewards and my results are the proof. I pushed from the first lap, slowing down only at the end of the day because I had a good advantage to manage. It was a great race and I would like to thank the whole team for the great job. I dedicate this success to my friend, Lorenzo, who unfortunately passed away a few days ago in a motorcycle accident.”

Christophe Charlier

“After the podium at the GP of Italy I was ready to get another good result. Unfortunately, it was a tough day: I felt a lot the heat and my body couldn’t stand it, forcing me to stop.”

Matteo Boffelli

“Amazing win for Thomas. We are so happy: he proved to be competitive from the first special test to the last one. I’m very pleased with his progress! Unfortunately, Christophe was not well in the last few days and despite the start he preferred to stop. Now we have a few weeks of stop preparing for the end of the season.”

Davide Guarneri

“I came to this race after I missed the GP of Italy in Rovettam. I’m vey sorry I did not to take part to the race, both from the competitive point of view and for all the fans who came to cheer, but my physical condition was at the limit. It was important for me to be here in Crespano del Grappa: I showed my commitment and I raced despite the strong pains.”

Davide Soreca

“I succeeded in getting the third step of the podium but I’m not satisfied because my performance was once again penalised by my knee. Unfortunately, despite the operation at the beginning of the year, the recovery is still not complete and I suffer a lot in race.”

Gianni Belloni

“A very tough weekend. Both our riders arrived with physical problems: Soreca to his knee, while Guarneri to his back. There wasn’t much to do but we raced in defence. Now we have a long break ahead of us and I hope they both recover.”

Alex Salvini

“I had a chance to go on holiday with the title: I was almost there! I was having a good race, then in the last special I crashed and I popped my shoulder out. It was a shame because I worked hard on my shoulder and now I’m back at the starting point. Fortunately, now we have several weeks of stop and I’ll have time to recover and come back in the best shape.”

Gino Sembenini

“We’ve been unlucky! Alex trained hard on his shoulder after the injury in Greece. In the GP of Italy he made a masterpiece and in this race he was doing the same. We were so close to win the Italian title when he crashed and he popped his shoulder out again. It’s a shame, but he has the whole summer break to recover and get back in shape.”