International Six Day Enduro - Day one report 2003

Australian Stefan Merriman sent out an emphatic message to his rivals when the 2003 International Six Days’ Enduro (ISDE) finally got underway in Fortaleza, Brazil, on November – catch me if you can.

The three-time world champion was an intimidating force on his Honda CRE250 two-stroke machine, easily outpointing Frenchman Arnaud Demeester (Yamaha) to win his intra-class battle, as well as doing enough to claim overall honours from enduro rookie – but seven-time world motocross champion -- Stefan Everts (Yamaha).

In a day where the mercury hovered above the 30-degree mark and the humidity was unrelenting, Merriman’s imperious ways saw him win three of the five, 5km-long special tests, with Everts and Italian 125cc rider Valtteri Salonen (KTM) victorious in the others.

Based on aggregate for the five tests – three motocross and two enduro – Merriman spent a tick over 26 minutes (26:03.29) plying his trade in the abundance of sand, with Everts, from Belgium, a further 3.57sec in arrears.

The two guns not only kicked off their individual campaigns with plenty of flair, but they also gave their respective countries a solid platform to work from as they continue to chase maiden ISDE World Trophy titles – and to unseat reigning champion Finland.

Merriman’s five Aussie Senior Trophy teammates – Damian Smith (Yamaha), Kirk Hutton (Yamaha), Stuart Bennett (KTM), national champion Brad Williscroft (KTM) and Ryan Bouquet were also solid contributors on day one, although only one of them scraped into the top 10 – Smith in the 125cc two-stroke class.

Smith, from Jilliby in NSW, who had the honour of kickstarting the ISDE off at 8.00am sharp, was ninth in the 125s, while Bouquet, riding in his first ISDE, would have finished eight in the 250cc four-stroke class if not for losing two minutes when he missed a turn. He eventually finished the 228km day one route in 14th.

Meanwhile, both Williscroft and Hutton joined Merriman in the 250cc two-stroke class, completing the journey in 20th and 34th respectively. Bennett – a late World Trophy call up after the withdrawal of Shane Watts -- was 22nd in the battle of the 400cc four-strokers, which was easily won by Everts.

At this early stage, Australia and Belgium are likely to slug it out for team honours with Finland, whose world championship-winning KTM troupe of Juha Salminen, Samuli Aro and Kari Tainen all finished inside the top three in their respective classes. Aro finished runner-up behind the Italian-based Merriman in this year’s world title.

In the four-rider Junior Trophy event, for protagonists 23 years or younger, Australia has already suffered a blow with Michael Oliver (KTM) breaking his wrist just after the opening special test.

However, as daily classification in the six-day is based on the results of the best three riders, Australia may escape Oliver’s DNF with minimal damage. But, if another rider retires down the track, the junior team will be penalised two hours for each consecutive day – a policy that also applies to their World Trophy brethren.

On that note, the three ‘leftovers’ – Anthony Roberts (Husqvarna), Jake Stapleton and Glenn Kearney (Yamaha) -- held up their end of the bargain, with Kearney the most impressive – fifth overall in the 250cc four-stroke class. Roberts was 18th in 125cc two-stroke, and Stapleton 32nd behind Merriman in 250cc two-stroke.

Australia won the Junior Trophy in 1995, when it was held in Poland – the host country for the 2004 ISDE.

Besides Merriman and Everts, the other individual class winners on day one were Helder Rodigues (KTM, 125cc two stroke); Sweden’s Peter Bergvall (Yamaha, 250cc four-stroke), and Mike Ahola (VOR, 500cc four-stroke).

On day two of the ISDE, the riders will embark on a 240km journey into mountain country – although they will still have to complete another two sections in the sand in the morning and afternoon.

Damian Smith - “Gee that sand is a real power drainer. The special stages on the sand changed a lot from the morning to the afternoon. At first, you could ride the tests like you were road racing – plenty of wide and sweeping lines. However, in the afternoon they had rutted up pretty bad, which made it more of a hard slog. The rest of the terrain was pretty straightforward – just a lot of stuff through villages.”

Anthony Roberts - “I got lost at one stage today. I couldn’t see an arrow painted on a tree – but from what I saw I wasn’t the only one. Other than that, there were few dramas, although I was lucky to stay up after I got some huge air on a jump in the special test. I landed right on the edge of the bunting, but lived to tell the tale.”

Glenn Kearney - “I crashed twice in the first test, so it wasn’t the best of starts to the event. I feel a bit fatigued after picking up gastro a few days, but I should be back to 100 per cent by tomorrow.”

Kirk Hutton - “I just tried to pace myself today, because it’s a long event, and I don’t want a repeat of last year when only a few of the Senior Trophy team managed to finish. I’ve never ridden on sand like this before, but it was great fun and trouble-free.”

Ryan Bouquet - “I’m not a happy man. I lost two minutes when I missed a turn, as some of the arrows are bloody hard to see. I then went hard to try and make up time – including jumping the queue at the start of a special test. I had the shits big time, and that didn’t help my riding any. I felt really average today.”

Jake Stapleton - “I crashed in two separate special tests, but other than that there is not too much to tell.”

Stefan Merriman - “The special tests were very hard – more a function of slower guys crashing in front of me than anything else. I also found the arrows a bit hard to see, but hopefully that won’t be factor for the rest of the event. I’m very happy though – I’m leading the 250cc two-stroke class and the overall, so I can’t ask for much more than that.”

Brad Williscroft - “I’d be very surprised if we all reproduced today’s special test times. There are already deep holes in the bottom of the drop-offs, mostly caused by slower riders digging them out.”

Michael Oliver - “I crashed just after the first special test, and went over the handlebars. I hit a concrete block that was sticking out of the ground. I just rolled over the first one, but it was a different story when I hit the second one. After the crash, the locals wouldn’t let me go, and proceeded to call an ambulance. I went to the hospital and had an x-ray, which showed up a fracture in my left wrist. I’m disappointed, but I’m still going to stay around and help the boys out.”