Six-time FIM SuperEnduro World Champion and five-time AMA EnduroCross Champion Taddy Blazusiak announced that the opening round of the 2016-17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship would be his final event before retiring, and the Polish rider put in a heroic final ride to score the round win in front of 13,000 of his countrymen at Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland, December 10.
“No words can describe how happy I am,” Blazusiak said. “It’s crazy how things have panned out for me these past few months. I worked really hard to get back after my injury in EnduroCross and then decided to skip the last round to get my thumb good again. It paid off, and I was able to push 100% in Poland. It’s such an amazing feeling racing in front of my home fans, so I gave it all I had on the track.”
Blazusiak blitzed to the front in the first of the three Prestige races, but reigning FIM World SuperEnduro Champion and newly crowned AMA EnduroCross Champion Colton Haaker was determined to get his World title defense off on the right foot, and he passed Blazusiak to cross the finish line first. However, race officials determined that Haaker had made a pass during a yellow flag, and he was docked 10 seconds, which officially gave the race win to Blazusiak.
Blazusiak then scored another win in Prestige race two despite suffering one minor crash, setting himself up for the overall win after Haaker finished third, behind KTM’s Alfredo Gomez. Haaker pulled out all the stops in the third and final Prestige race, taking the win, but Blazusiak cruised along in second place, more than enough to claim the overall win in the final SuperEnduro race of his illustrious career.
“This sport means everything to me,” Blazusiak said. “It has given me so much. To win here in my hometown is amazing, it’s hard to put into words. I’m going to miss racing, I love it.”
Haaker was still content to finish second in the opening round of the SuperEnduro series, getting his title defense off to a strong start.
“It was a solid night for me,” Haaker said. “My riding was good, and I felt I was the fastest guy throughout the night. I believe I showed the overall victory was well within my reach. In the first race I trailed Taddy for three laps before deciding to make my move for the lead. It just happened that I made my pass under yellow flags, so I ended up getting a 10-second penalty to finish second. In the second final the reverse start kind of got me. I came from way back to finish third. Then in the last race Taddy got me in the start, so I followed him for a couple of laps before making my move for the lead. After that I kept checking out, and despite a small fall, I managed to get the win. The track in Poland was one of the hardest we’ve ever raced. For me it’s super important that I started the series on the right foot, and I’m looking forward to the next round in Germany.”
“I came here straight from extreme enduro and didn’t train for SuperEnduro,” Gomez said. “I had no expectations, and maybe that worked in my favor. I’m surprised and happy to be third. I’m looking forward to Germany now. Congratulations to Taddy–he’s the king!”
American rider Mike Brown finished fifth overall. The 2016/17 Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round two in Riesa, Germany on January 7.
2016-17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship
Tauron Arena
Krakow, Poland
Results: December 12, 2017 (Round 1 of 4)
Overall
1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 58 points (1-1-2)
2. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 54 (2-3-1)
3. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), KTM, 45 (4-2-3)
4. Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 44 (3-4-4)
5. Mike Brown (USA), Husqvarna, 31 (6-5-5)
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