Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has topped an all-KTM top-five at round six of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series. Jonny Walker placed third, with teammates Taddy Blazusiak and Josep Garcia fourth and fifth respectively. KTM-supported WESS championship leader Manuel Lettenbichler increased his advantage at the top of the provisional overall standings by finishing as runner-up.
The sixth stop of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series saw competitors head to England and the historic Hawkstone Park circuit in Shropshire. The two-day event comprised a qualifying sprint enduro on Saturday that decided the start positions for Sunday’s gruelling two-and-a-half-hour cross-country.
Runner-up to teammate Josep Garcia at the 2018 event, Nathan Watson came into round six of WESS with one goal – to finish on the top step of the podium. The sprint enduro went well for the young Brit who trailed Garcia by just under 10 seconds on the combined enduro tests before putting in a dominant ride on the four motocross tests to win overall by close-to nine seconds.
With the bad weather that had been forecast for Sunday mostly staying away, the track remained reasonably dry. The previous day’s sprint enduro, combined with a youth race in the morning, left the cross-country course both rough and physically demanding. From pole position, Watson got off to a steady start, safely inside the top five after the first few corners. Completely at home on the sandy, technical track, he soon put his KTM 450 EXC-F into the lead and never looked back. Controlling the race from the front, Nathan crossed the finish line after 14 tough laps, close to three minutes ahead of second-placed Lettenbichler.
Nathan Watson: “I’m super-happy to win today. I felt a lot of pressure coming into this weekend because it seems everyone expected me to win. Obviously, I got second here last year, so was extra-motivated this weekend. I won the sprint enduro yesterday, which gave me some confidence, but then I got a bad start today – I risked starting in gear and it didn’t pay off unfortunately. I made some aggressive passes early on and managed to get out in front. I felt so comfortable from then on to be honest, the bike was great and I was just able to ride fast and smooth and control the race from the front.”
Manuel Lettenbichler: “I came into this round with no expectations at all, but the plan was to collect as many points as possible for the overall standings. I thought if I could do a little better than last year and get inside the top-five it would be amazing because there are so many fast guys out there. I got a really good start and managed to find a good rhythm, so the whole race went really well – I surprised myself a little. Although my result here gives me quite a confidence boost going into the next round, it’s going to be really different racing in Spain. I’ll give it my best as always and if we can get a good result it will be a boost heading to Getzenrodeo.”
Jonny Walker: “It’s great to get a podium at my home race. I led the race for a little bit too, which was good. I knew the guys would be fast so it was always going to be tough to be right up there. I made a really good start and set about chasing down the leader, he had a crash which put me in front and from then on I just tried to get into a good rhythm rather than push too hard early on because I knew it was going to be a really tough race. I’m looking forward to Solsona now, we’ve got a two-week break to rest a little then hopefully come back strong in Spain and challenge for the podium again.”
Results – World Enduro Super Series, Round 6 – Hawkstone Park Cross-Country
1. Nathan Watson (KTM – GB)
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER)
3. Jonny Walker (KTM – GB)
4. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL)
5. Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP)
6. Alex Snow (Gas Gas – GB)
7. Will Hoare (KTM – GB)
8. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP)
9. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB)
10. Suff Sella (KTM – ISR)
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round seven in Spain for the BR2 Enduro Solsona on October 4-6.
STORY: WESS – Josep Garcia Aiming For A Home Win At BR2 Enduro Solsona
STORY: Jarvis & Gomez Head To Hawkstone For WESS Round Six
STORY: Close Battles And Unprecedented Growth For WESS In 2019
LINK: World Enduro Super Series
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