Round five of the World Enduro Super Series travels to Poland and the home country of one of Enduro’s most prolific racers – Taddy Blazusiak. As Poland’s largest off-road race, 1000 competitors will attend this year’s Red Bull 111 Megawatt that’s set to offer a complete test of Enduro during the two-day event.
Now in its fifth edition, Red Bull 111 Megawatt is regarded as Blazusiak’s signature event and mixes Cross-Country racing with a selection of man-made Hard Enduro sections inside Europe’s largest coal mine. It’s a format which the six-time World Champion believes embodies the true spirit of WESS.
“I’m so excited to see Red Bull 111 Megawatt be a part of this year’s World Enduro Super Series, it holds all the elements that the championship represents,” tells Blazusiak. “Firstly, Saturday’s qualification features two unique special tests for the 1000 riders entered. We’ve got a very long and super-fast sandy motocross test for everyone to stretch the throttle cable on. They then face a shorter, but intense, Endurocross test. With both tests ridden twice, they will have to commit 100 per cent to qualify through to Sunday’s main event.”
With the fastest 500 riders seeded through to the Final Race, a 30-kilometre long course has been laid out to feature the most exciting elements of the Belchatow PGE coal mine. Blasting off the start line at exactly 1.11pm in honour of hometown hero Blazusiak’s racing number 111, a multitude of seriously steep climbs and gigantic sandy moguls are mixed in with fast and flowing Cross-Country trails. With three laps planned it’s a punishing test of physical fitness and race craft as Taddy explains…
“What I love about Red Bull 111 Megawatt’s Final Race is that it mixes Hard Enduro with Cross-Country. You’ve got the difficult sections to master but the racing is so intense. With so many of the world’s best Enduro riders going bar-to-bar it’s three laps pushing to the limits. Also, because the nature of the coal mine is so vast and expansive, it makes it difficult for a rider to pull away because the course is very difficult to master. As a result the racing is always incredibly close.”
The race has quickly grown to become the largest Enduro in Poland with 1000 competitors entered. Naturally, as one of the world’s most successful Enduro riders, Blazusiak will have a wealth of home support on his side as he bids for the top step of the podium at round five. And as the very first winner of Red Bull 111 Megawatt back in 2014, he’s hungry to taste a home win again.
“Winning at home is an amazing feeling, I still remember my Red Bull 111 Megawatt victory vividly,” recalls Taddy. “Poland is extremely passionate about Enduro and there’s an immense sense of pride when you beat the world’s best Enduro riders in your backyard. I know the racing is going to be close this year, but with the backing of my home supporters I’ll be giving it everything I have to finish on the top step of the podium.” (source: world enduro super series)
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LINK: World Enduro Super Series
photos (c) WESS