Day one wins for Pela Renet and Joakim Ljunggren added to day two runner-up results from Thomas Oldrati, Mario Roman and Jamie McCanney ensure a highly successful opening EWC GP for the Husaberg Factory Racing TeamIt was hot, dry and very dusty yet ended with the Husaberg Factory Racing Team claiming their best ever results at the opening round of the Enduro World Championship. Thanks to the performances of defending Enduro 2 World Champion Pela Renet and 2012 Enduro 3 class runner-up in Joakim Ljunggren Husaberg had plenty to be pleased with at the close of the GP of Chile.For Renet a day one victory was the perfect way to start his title defence. Quickly finding his rhythm on the slippery Chilean terrain, the Frenchman battled Johnny Aubert for much of the day, eventually breaking clear of his countryman to claim an important, and hard fought, win."Winning day one was a really good start to the championship," explained Pela from the podium. "I immediately settled into a fast pace and was able to push very hard. I had a good battle with Aubert for most of the day. He was faster than me on the cross test but I had the edge on him in the enduro test and was able to take the win."Frustratingly for Renet the second day's competition didn't go as well as the first. With a costly early mistake forcing him to play catch-up, Pela was unable to get to grips with the event's special tests as he had on day one. Despite a spirited effort to get back into a podium finishing position he ended up placing fourth. "Day two started off badly. I crashed early on and lost a lot of time. I didn't feel comfortable on the track and was making a lot of mistakes. On the second lap I began to settle into the race and improved my times but it wasn't enough. In the end, I finished fourth but only one-second behind third."Also competing in the Enduro 2 class for Husaberg was Spain's Oriol Mena. Making his debut in the Enduro 2 class the firmer Enduro Junior World Champion placed sixth on both days. "Finishing sixth overall on both days has been a good start to the season for me," remarked Mena. "On day one I was closer to the podium but with so many fast riders in E2 it's tough. On day two I made some silly mistakes. I was surprised with my times – they were very competitive – and now I'm confident that I can race up front. I've learned a lot and hope to build on this result for the next race."Delivering arguably the best result of his career to date Joakim Ljunggren claimed his first EWC victory since winning his home GP in Sweden five years ago. Keeping up the pressure on early class leader Christophe Nambotin, Joakim's hard work paid off during the closing stages of the day as a mistake by the Frenchman handed Ljunggren a win he was more than pleased to accept."Coming into this race I was really focused on getting a good result but to be honest I didn't expect to win. I trained hard all winter to be ready for the GP of Chile. On day one my times were good all day and I was close to Nambotin. I kept the pressure on him and when he made some mistakes I capitalised on that to win. It's been a long time since I last won – since the GP of Sweden in 2008 – so it was nice to be on the top step of the podium again."Day two also saw a strong performance from Ljunggren. Ending the day second and just 18 seconds behind winner Nambotin, Joakim claimed three test wins and delivered strong performances on all tests. "Day two was also a good day. I started fast but had a couple of small problems and came back to end the day as runner-up. Ending the opening round of the season as joint championship leader has made this a perfect GP."In the Enduro 1 class Italian Thomas Oldrati endured a very mixed weekend. Failing to perform anywhere near his best on day one he placed a lowly ninth, but bounced back in spectacular style to claim a solid runner-up result on day two. Ending the second day just over six seconds behind eventual winner Antoine Meo, Thomas delivered speed and consistency and came close to claiming a winning result."On day one I struggled to get a good feeling with the bike. The terrain was hard and dry so we changed some settings with the suspension and things were much better for day two," explained Oldrati. "In the morning I started very strong and was able to take the lead after the second special test. It was nice to fight for the victory with Meo but unfortunately he was just faster than me in the last extreme test and I finished second. But I'm very happy with the result – it's been a great start to the championship."The opening round of the 2013 EWC series also saw encouraging results from Husaberg's Enduro Junior class riders. Mario Roman placed 10th on day one having shown the speed to claim third, but on day two he secured the runner-up result. "I'm really pleased with my speed this weekend – it's great to end it on the podium. Unfortunately on day one I had a small problem with my bike and lost out on a possible third position. Day two was much better. I tried hard on the first lap. On the second lap I made a couple of mistakes but I was able to recover strongly and finish second overall – it's been a good way to start the year."Class newcomer Loic Larrieu also delivered impressive results in what was not only his first EWC race, but also his first ever enduro. "It's been a hard weekend but I'm pleased with the outcome of my first EWC race," commented Loic. "Starting at the back of the class was tough as I had to pass a lot of riders on the special tests so I'm pleased to have ended the weekend fourth on both days. I found the enduro test to be the most difficult but I learned as the weekend progressed and began to improve my speed on it."In the Enduro Youth Cup class Jamie McCanney made a successful return to competition following shoulder surgery during the winter to place as runner-up in on both days. "I'm satisfied with how I rode this weekend and ending both days on the podium in second is a great start to the season. I'd only ridden for about four hours before coming to Chile. I didn't know what to expect. Last year I ended it in hospital so this year I was determined just to finish. I felt like I had more speed but my main goal was to score some solid points. Aside from a couple of crashes with slower riders my weekend went to plan. With a bit more bike time I know I can start to push for race wins again."
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