Blazusiak finishes 3rd at 2012 EnduroCross opener
KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Taddy Blazusiak endured an incident filled night inside the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, at the opening round of the 2012 AMA EnduroCross series, eventually securing a spot on the podium in third position.
Looking to continue where he left off in 2011 with a winning performance, come the main event Blazusiak immediately found himself in trouble in the first corner of the main event. After struggling to get to grips with the slow and technical course during practice, Blazusiak missed out on a direct transfer to the main event and instead had to qualify through his semi final. With a low gate pick, the defending champion was pushed wide entering the first corner of the main event and collided with trackside logs. Getting his front wheel stuck between two of the logs the KTM rider lost almost 20 seconds as he restarted the race.
Remounting dead last, Taddy set about charging his way through the field. Picking off riders with each passing lap Blazusiak set the fastest lap of the race while working his way through traffic. Eventually finishing the 12-lap final in third place, Blazusiak’s strong recovery saw him place just five seconds behind the race winner.
Taddy Blazusiak: “It was an eventful night to say the least and unfortunately didn’t quite go how I planned. But generally I’m pleased with the outcome. Initially I found the course to be a bit of an issue – it was quite slow and technical. It didn’t really suit my style and I ended up missing out on a direct transfer to the main. After a couple of changes to the bike I felt more comfortable on the track and easily made it into the main through the semi’s, which gave the fifth gate pick for the main event.
“I knew it would be tough to get a good start from the outside of the gate but I managed to get a good jump and almost had a strong start. Until I got pushed wide and crashed into the logs lining the side of the track that is. My front wheel got wedged between them and it took almost 20 seconds to get going again. By that time I was half a lap behind. I charged as hard as I could and was able to work my way up to third by the end of the race.
“Although the result isn’t what I hoped for I’m still pleased with the result. My riding was good in the final and I posted the fastest lap of the race while working my way through traffic. I have a couple of weeks to prepare for the next round of the championship where hopefully I can improve on this result.” (source: global motorsport communications)
Results – Geico AMA EnduroCross 2012, Round 1
1. Colton Haaker (Kawasaki)
2. Justin Soule (Kawasaki)
3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM Enduro Factory Team)
4. Cody Webb (Beta)
5. Taylor Robert (Kawasaki)
6. Mike Brown (KTM)