Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak has won the Xtreme category of the 2018 Bassella Race 1 held in Spain, northwest of Barcelona. Taddy’s team-mate Jonny Walker rode to an excellent second place at the popular two-day event. 2017 E2 World Champion Josep Garcia placed fifth on his extreme race debut.
The Bassella Race 1 is one of Spain’s biggest enduros and traditionally kicks off the outdoor season for many competitors. Held over two days, the event is made up of several categories including extreme, enduro as well as youth and classic races. Popular with fans and competitors alike, over 1,500 riders entered the races with thousands of spectators attending the event.
Taddy Blazusiak got his outdoor season off to the perfect start. Returning to competition for 2018, primarily to contest the new World Enduro Super Series, Taddy’s performance at Bassella was almost flawless.
On the Saturday of the event, the extreme race was split up into two parts. Blazusiak finished runner-up in the first race before going one better in the second race of the day. On Sunday, Blazusiak rode the perfect race. Keeping his cool, despite being pressured by Jonny Walker and Alfredo Gomez, he crossed the line just 12 seconds ahead of team-mate Walker.
Enjoying his first outdoor event of the year, Taddy was overjoyed with the result.
Taddy Blazusiak: “I’m so pumped to get the win here at Bassella. The event is awesome and the fans here are incredible too. On Saturday things went really well, I just took my time to get into a good rhythm and my pace improved as the day went on. On Sunday, things turned a little muddy after the rain overnight. It made riding a lot trickier but I loved every minute of it. I had a great battle with Jonny and Alfredo for the whole race but managed to stay in front at the line. It feels amazing to be racing outdoors again and to take the win makes it even sweeter.”
Jonny Walker pushed Taddy for the entire weekend. Finishing a close third in Saturday’s race, he improved to take the runner-up position on Sunday having fought Blazusiak every step of the way.
Jonny Walker: “That was a great race for me. As my first outdoor race of 2018, I couldn't have asked for more. I rode really well all weekend and to finish second is a real bonus. I rode the event to get more outdoor miles under my belt, but the whole weekend was really good fun. The Spanish fans were great and it’s nice to get such good support from everyone. My confidence is really high now for the next indoor in Malaga, in just under two-weeks’ time.”
2017 Enduro2 World Champion Josep Garcia joined Blazusiak and Walker. The young Spaniard rode superbly, finishing fifth on Sunday and ahead of some of the hard enduro regulars. With his 2018 season offering a range of disciplines, Garcia was very happy with his first extreme race.
Josep Garcia: “I’m super happy about my performance. To be able to mix it with the renowned extreme riders feels great. I have been trying to get as much time on the two-stroke as possible recently and really enjoyed riding Bassella on the TPI bike. The result gives me a real boost so I’ll keep working on my technique for the start of the WESS in May.”
Results – Bassella Race 1 Xtreme 2018, Spain
Day One
1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 47 points
2. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 45 pts
3. Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 40 pts
4. Wade Young (RSA), Sherco, 38 pts
5. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 30 pts
Day Two
1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 2:12:02.254
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 2:12:14.775 +12.521
3. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 2:12:25.045 +22.791
4. Wade Young (RSA), Sherco, 2:12:42.212 +39.958
5. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 2:14:50.645 +2:48.391
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Foto: Fotoesport.com
