Solid start to 2012 EWC season
David Knight has made a promising start to his Enduro 3 World Championship campaign, finishing fourth and second respectively at the GP of Chile. Getting his weekend off to a strong start, Knight ended the Friday evening Super Test a strong second in class. However, due to his low starting position on day one – the result of his injury ruined 2011 season – the three-time Enduro World Champion would have to start the event close to the rear of the Enduro 3 class.
Struggling to feel completely comfortable with the dry and extremely dust conditions in
Talca, Knight was forced to constantly fight against the chocking dust. Trying to make the
best of a difficult situation, he eventually ended the opening day in fourth. Frustratingly,
David finished only four seconds short of second overall in the Enduro 3 class.
Knowing that his pace was fast enough to reach the podium, Knight started day two
determined to improve on his fourth place result. With organisers allowing more time
between riders, and with modifications made to the enduro test, David was able to get
a clearer run through each test, which allowed him to ride as he wanted to. Finding a
comfortable rhythm the KTM rider consistently placed within range of race leader and
teammate Christophe Nambotin, ending the day as runner-up.
David Knight: ‘Day one was hard work. The conditions were extremely dry and dusty,
which made it almost impossible at times for me to see clearly. My start position
caused most of my problems, as I had to start each of the tests deep in the pack. I was
pushing for the runner-up position leading into the final motocross test until I caught a
slower rider and became blinded by his dust. In the end I finished fourth and ended up
missing out on second place by less than four seconds.’
‘Day two proved to be a lot better. I managed to close the gap to Christophe and beat
him in some of the tests to finish in second. I was pleased with that considering he
had a clear track by being the first rider into each of the tests. We worked a lot on the
setup of the bike during the weekend and it really helped with my riding. My speed
was good and I felt that I was beginning to ride like I know I should. With a better
starting position next week in Argentina I hope I can continue to improve my results. ‘ (source: Global Motorsport Communications)
LINK: KTM News – E1: Back-to-back wins for KTM’s Antoine Meo
LINK: KTM News – E2: Cristobal Guerrero KTM’s strongest E2 rider in Chile
LINK: KTM News – E3: Twin victories for Nambotin