On The Pegs November 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 11 | Page 82

On The Pegs
P 84
JOSEP GARCIA
On The Pegs
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep
Garcia dominated the Hawkstone Park
Cross-Country – round six of the 2018
World Enduro Super Series. Nathan Wat-
son claimed his first WESS podium of
the year in second with Taddy Blazusiak
putting in an excellent performance to
finish fourth.
Round six of the World Enduro Super
Series saw riders head to the iconic
Hawkstone Park circuit in Shropshire,
Great Britain. The weekend comprised
of a Sprint Enduro on Saturday to deter-
mine start positions for Sunday’s main
event – a two-and-a-half-hour Cross-
Country race. With the stereotypical Brit-
ish weather bringing a mixture of rain
and sunshine to the area, the soft, loamy
sand of the famous Hawkstone moto-
cross track became extremely muddy in
places while conditions remained drier
in the sheltered woodlands.
Saturday’s Sprint Enduro was com-
prised of one enduro test and one mo-
tocross test, both ridden three times.
Josep Garcia, back onboard the KTM
250 EXC-F that carried him to the 2017
Enduro 2 World Championship, was
unstoppable on the demanding British
terrain. Topping the time sheets on both
tests, Garcia claimed pole position for
Sunday’s main event. Second fastest was
Nathan Watson with Taddy Blazusiak fin-
ishing fifth, just behind KTM-mounted
Jaume Betriu in fourth.
Sunday dawned wet, but soon cleared
to leave a dry and bright day. However,
the overnight rain left a notably chal-
Vol. 3 Issue 11 - November 2018
P 85
lenging course. The tougher conditions,
added to the high number of competi-
tors, ensured the afternoon’s event was
a serious test of endurance.
Garcia, setting off from pole position,
never looked back. The young Spaniard
stretched out a comfortable advantage
over the second-placed rider and was
able to then manage his advantage to
the finish line. Showing his world cham-
pionship winning pace, Josep took the
chequered flag at the end of the gruel-
ling race with a one-minute-30-second
advantage over teammate Watson. The
win at Hawkstone Park elevates Garcia
to third overall in the provisional WESS
standings
“I am really happy to win my first event
in the WESS. I felt really good in the race
– I set off first and stayed in front the
whole time. My team were great, they
let me know how much of an advantage
I had and so I was able to gauge the gap
back to Nathan,” said Garcia. “I did have
a couple of crashes, one where I was
lapping a slower rider - unfortunately he
stopped and I hit him and went over the
bars. Luckily, I was mostly ok and didn’t
hurt myself. It’s been an awesome week-
end – fastest on both days. It’s given me
added motivation for hopefully another
good result at the next round.”
For Nathan Watson the race started
well but the young Brit was forced to pit
early due to an issue with his goggles.
The time lost dropped him back to third,
but the KTM 350 EXC-F mounted rider
was able to fight his way back to the