Taddy Blazusiak is just one race away from once again winning the SuperEnduro World Championship
On Saturday, March 9, the final round of the 2013 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship takes place inside the Parc des Expositions stadium in Tours, France. The first ever SuperEnduro event to run in France, KTM’s Taddy Blazusiak is poised to successfully defend his title. RedBull.com recently caught up with the Endurocross star…
It’s been a difficult season for you so far – injured in Poland and then recovering from surgery in Spain. Are you surprised to be 29 points ahead going into the final event?
TB: “Definitely. When I got hurt before Poland I initially though my championship had ended before it had even began. I’d no strength in my shoulder but I knew I had to at least try and race in Poland, try and salvage some points. Winning there was incredible – it was something I just didn’t expect. After that result I felt like it was possible to race for the title.”
Do you play it safe and just do all you can to win the title, or will you try and claim a third consecutive overall event win?
TB: “I’ve got a 29-point lead over David Knight who’s in second place, so I’m in a good position to secure the title. Obviously winning the championship will be my main goal but I want to win races so I’ll still be giving it 100 per cent. I’d love to win all three races in Tours – it’s something I haven’t done yet this year, but I’ll take things one race at a time and won’t do anything to risk not winning the championship.”
The level of competition this season has been incredibly strong with some amazingly close racing. Are you surprised by how hard you’ve had to fight for the win?
TB: “With guys like Jonny Walker (KTM), David Knight (Honda) and Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) contesting the entire season I knew the competition was going to be tough. I knew it wouldn’t be a sure thing to win. Walker and Knight have won races and even though I feel like I’ve got an edge on them I still can’t afford to make any mistake.”
The SuperEnduro series runs a reversed start order for the second final at each event. Are you a fan of the reversed start order idea?
TB: “I’m all for putting on a good show for the spectators but when you qualify first it’s a bit frustrating to have to start last, and on the second row. I’d definitely prefer if we didn’t have that rule but I suppose it’s the same for everybody. I still haven’t managed to win a race from the second row yet this year so in France that’s something I’ll have to try and fix.”
The event in Tours will be the first ever SuperEnduro in France, but the track is being built by the guys who build the US Endurocross circuits. Will that change anything?
TB: “I’m always excited to race somewhere new. It’s the first time the SuperEnduro series has been to France so there will be a lot to look forward to. The dirt will be different to race on than Poland and Spain and I’m sure there’ll be some new obstacles to deal with, but the track design should be really good. Having watched races like the Bercy Supercross in Paris I know the French crowd are really enthusiastic, so the atmosphere inside the stadium should be electric. I can’t wait to get racing there…”