PR Courtesy of: Tom Hobbs/Honda Racing
Mika Ahola and Honda World Champions for the fourth consecutive time!
“Like a fine wine, Mika Ahola gets better with age” is a quote from the FIM World Enduro Championship website. I could not think of a better way to describe the exploits of the 36 year old Finn who sealed his fourth successive FIM EWC World Championship and fourth in a row with Honda and the formidable Honda- HM-Zanardo Team at the Grand Prix of France, Noiretable.
.jpg)
Mika Ahola took his CRF450R to victory on the first day of a wet Grand Prix of France. He was in imperious form across the wet terrain to defeat main rival Ivan Cervantes and claim the E2 category for the second time and add the latest accolade to the two previous E1 titles. Ahola has been one of the very best riders in the Enduro World Championship during the second half of the last decade and renewal of the number one plate after another reverential display in central France cements his status as one of the true greats of the sport.
.jpg)
Ahola had to negotiate slippery conditions on Saturday and even made a mistake in the Enduro test that increased the tension. With Cervantes not able to reach the Honda rider’s level in the second half of the competition that involved three cautious and demanding 70km laps, Ahola bided his time for a podium slot and was fortuitous when Fabien Planet suffered a mechanical problem in the final stages and the party could begin for the Italian squad thanks to their tenth winner’s trophy of the campaign.
With the championship in the bag Ahola elected to take it easy through Sunday and his absence from the top of the leader-board was the only blip on his 100% podium record across eight rounds and sixteen days of action.
“What a fantastic day for Mika, the team and also for Honda with four titles in a row,” commented Honda Motor Europe Off-road Racing Manager Roger Harvey. “It has been a long and hard season for the team to keep up that excellent record of results and it shows how competitive the battle with Ivan Cervantes actually was as the title fight went down to the final round despite the fact that Mika had not finished off the podium for seven grand prix. Full credit for the guys with their achievements on a new bike for 2010 and we are thrilled with their success.”
An in-depth interview with the new EWC E2 Champion will follow in a separate release shortly.