Alfredo Gomez has delivered the Bel Ray Husqvarna Enduro Team’s best result at round three of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Marking the start of the second half of the series following the Christmas break, the first ever SuperEnduro event to be held outside of Europe delivered close racing and Husqvarna’s first major race win of the 2014.

Performing well in each of the three Prestige class finals Gomez’ third place overall result was unquestionably well-deserved. Getting his night off to a strong start the Spaniard finished fourth in the opening final, and as one of only four riders to completed nine laps.

Things improved massively for Alfredo in the reversed start order, final two. Husqvarna’s Joakim Ljunggren lead the race early on before Britain’s David Knight held station out front, but in the final corner of the race Gomez put a pass on Knight that saw him move into the lead and with it took the race win – his first of the 2014 SuperEnduro championship. Suffering with fatigue during the closing stages of the third and last final, Alfredo finished fourth and with it earned his first overall SuperEnduro podium since early 2013.

The most consistent rider competing in Belo Horizonte was Joakim Ljunggren, who finished with a 5/5/5 scorecard. Finding the Brazilian dirt extremely unpredictable, Joakim’s best race was the night’s second final, which he lead for several laps. Making the most of the reversed start order, the tall Swede rode away from his rivals during laps one and two, eventually finishing just three seconds behind Britain’s Jonny Walker. Ending his night with a third fifth place result, Joakim placed in the exact same position in the overall Prestige class final standings.

The third member of the Bel Ray Husqvarna Enduro Team to compete in Brazil was Frenchman Mathias Bellino. Looking to continue the good form he showed at the second round of the series in Poland, Bellino found the slippery conditions difficult to master, going on to finishing eighth, seventh, and eighth respectively in the night’s three finals. Bellino finished eighth overall.

All three team riders will now compete in round four of the SuperEnduro World Championship in Mexico, January 25^th.

Alfredo Gomez:“It’s been a great night for me. To finish third is fantastic. I felt really good in the first and second finals, but I started to feel tired during the final laps of the third race. I lead the first race for three laps, which was a new and strange experience for me. I was fastest in pre-event training, I just need to carry that speed into the Hot Lap so that I get a better qualifying position for the starts. I was fourth in the Super Pole – I’m a trials rider so I need three or four laps before I find my real speed. It’s been an amazing event with many, many people coming to watch. The track was very slippery in places, but that was good for me.”

Joakim Ljunggren:“It was a bit of a mixed night for me. It was a difficult track to really feel good on. The second race was my best because I was leading for some laps from the start. I made some mistakes and lost positions in the last corner, which was disappointing, but generally it’s been good. I guess I was consistent with three fifth place results. I’m looking forward to the race in Mexico now.”

Mathias Bellino:“The track was pretty difficult for me. I felt good most of the time but I made too many mistakes. I got the fifth best time in the Hot Lap session, so that wasn’t good for the start, which was really important. The track was good but the water made many areas very slippery. After Poland I was really looking forward to a good result, but the slippery conditions were difficult for me.”

SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 3, Brazil

Prestige class

Final 1
1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM); 2. David Knight (Sherco); 3. Jonny Walker (KTM); 4. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna); 5. Joakim Ljunggren (Husqvarna); 6. Danni Gibert (Gas Gas); 7. Kyle Redmond (KTM); 8. Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna); 9. Kevin Rookstool (KTM); 10. Ricky Dietrich (KTM)…

Final 2
1. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna), 2. David Knight (Sherco), 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM), 4. Jonny Walker (KTM), 5. Joakim Ljunggren (Husqvarna), 6. Danni Gibert (Gas Gas), 7. Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna), 8. Kevin Rookstool (KTM), 9. Benoit Fortunato (Yamaha), 10. Kyle Redmond (KTM)…

Final 3
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM), 2. David Knight (Sherco), 3. Jonny Walker (KTM), 4. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna), 5. Joakim Ljunggren (Husqvarna), 6. Kyle Redmond (KTM), 7. Danni Gibert (Gas Gas), 8. Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna), 9. Kevin Rookstool (KTM), 10. Benoit Fortunato (Yamaha)…

Prestige class – overall results
1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 58 points, 2. David Knight (Sherco) 53, 3. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 46, 4. Jonny Walker (KTM) 44, 5. Joakim Ljunggren (Husqvarna) 33, 6. Dani Gibert (Gas Gas) 29, 7. Kyle Redmond (KTM) 25, 8. Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna) 25, 9. Kevin Rookstool (KTM) 22, 10. Benoit Fortunato (Yamaha) 18…