That’s a wrap! Back racing on his EC 300, and back in the thick of the hard enduro action, Taddy Blazusiak has battled it out to secure an eventual 14th place result at a fun-filled final round of the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. Not the championship-ending performance the Polish legend had hoped for, but Taddy nevertheless made it through the epic German event and is good to go for SuperEnduro 2022!
Taddy Blazusiak: “It’s good to get the championship finished and to be here racing at Getzen. The last few months have been tough for me with the injury to my shoulder and although I haven’t had much time on the bike, I’m glad I was able to come here to Germany and race. Today was ok, this morning went well, and I qualified safely but then I struggled a little this afternoon as things got really slippery out on track. I came in to swap my rear wheel early on and that cost me some time, but I felt better after that. Then, towards the end of the race, I crashed pretty badly. Luckily, I was ok, but the bike wasn’t too good, I flattened the front pipe, and I wasn’t able to continue. It was a good experience and amazing to be a part of this new world championship – the whole year has been great with some really cool races. Congratulations to Billy, he deserved it. I’ll look ahead to the indoors now and focus my training to be ready for the first round in December.”
The final GetzenChamp race in Germany proved to be an eventful one for Taddy. Claiming a hard-fought 14th place result, his race was frustratingly cut short following a crash on a rocky uphill that resulted in a well-flattened front pipe! Thankfully the race was near its close and Taddy’s hard work earlier in the 80-minute race enabled him to claim a well-deserved finish.
GASGAS Factory Racing’s supported junior rider Michael Walkner enjoyed a strong day of racing in Germany, despite riding in the final with a suspected broken thumb! Qualifying ninth before fighting his way through to an impressive seventh place in the afternoon’s main GetzenChamp race, in riding injured, Michael delivered one of the performances of the event. Showing impressive consistency throughout 2021, Walkner ultimately placed seventh in the final FIM Hard Enduro World Championship standings – a solid result for the young Austrian, whose speed and experience continues to grow.
The next race for Taddy Blazusiak and GASGAS Factory Racing will be round one of the 2022 SuperEnduro World Championship, held in Lodz, Poland on December 4, 2021.
Results: GetzenRodeo 2021
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 1:29:20.433 11 laps
2. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 1:30:16.852
3. Mario Roman (Sherco) 1:32:05.524
7. Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 1:30:46.348 8 laps
14. Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS) 1:16:34.115 5 laps
Standings: 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, after round 8
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 104 points
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 104 pts
3. Wade Young (Sherco) 83 pts
7. Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 46 pts
9. Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS) 29 pts