Runner-Up Finish for Taddy at Madrid Indoor and IEWC

KTM Factory Enduro Team rider Taddy Blazusiak has finished second in the Indoor Enduro World Cup following two race wins at the third and final round of the series staged in Madrid, Spain. Trailing KTM team-mate Ivan Cervantes coming into the last round of the three-event championship, Taddy was hopeful of claiming the IEWC crown but knew that to do so he would need luck on his side.

As it turned out things didn’t start well for Taddy, despite being close to four seconds faster than any other rider in timed practice, as an early lead in the first final was short lived. Blasting into the lead following a convincing holeshot, Blazusiak was unable to turn his lap one advantage into a race winning performance as he suffered a clutch problem, which saw him gradually slip down the finishing order. Ending the race in seventh Taddy’s disappointment was clear as it meant that his hopes of claiming the IEWC title had all but ended.

Race two saw another strong start from Taddy and ended with the Pole finishing close to six seconds ahead of Cervantes. Untroubled during the race, Taddy claimed the result he should have secured in the first race. With Ivan finishing second the Spaniard secured the IEWC title.

The last final of the night was without question the best, and one in which Taddy battled Cervantes for two complete laps before coming out on top and claiming his second win of the night. With little to separate the two riders as they exited the first turn, for two complete laps there was little more than one bike length between them. With both riders enjoying time at the front of the race it was eventually Taddy that edged ahead to win the race and bring his participation in the Indoor Enduro World Cup to a victories end.

With his indoor enduro duties over for a while Taddy will now turn his attention to a number of extreme enduro events, starting with Hell’s Gate next weekend. Winner of the event in ’08, Taddy will be looking to retain his number one position at the Italian event.

Results – Madrid Indoor Enduro, overall
1. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 39 points; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM Factory Enduro Team) 34 points; 3. Dougie Lampkin (Beta) 22 points…

Results – Indoor Enduro World Cup, overall
1. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 117 points; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM Factory Enduro team) 99 points; 3. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 57 points…

Taddy Blazusiak: “First of all I would like to congratulate Ivan. He has ridden well at all rounds of the championship and although I am disappointed not to have won the IEWC championship I’m happy for him. When your goal is to win a championship it doesn’t matter how well you ride, if you don’t win it you are disappointed – and I’m disappointed. I’ve had some not so good races, especially at the first round in Barcelona, but in Madrid I felt I rode well. I was much faster than any other rider in qualifying, and I felt like I should have won all three races, not just two. I had a problem with my clutch in the first race, which put me out of contention for a good result. That was the championship gone then really. I started well but wasn’t able to get the acceleration I needed to get over some of the obstacles, and finished a long way behind. The second race went well. I started well, stayed at the front and won. The third race was great. I had a really good battle with Ivan and claimed the win, which was a nice way to end the championship. Yes, I am disappointed not to have won the IEWC series, but my performances were much stronger at the end of the series. I’ll be back next year to try and win.”