Mika Ahola, Honda Honda-HM-Zanardo team, CRF450R - Photo courtesy Honda Pro Racing
Race Report - Enduro Round 2 in Vale De Cambra, Portugal (April 11, 2011)
Mika Ahola answers return of Knight with a win on Day 2 in Portugal
From the first round of the championship in Spain last weekend, the colourful and vibrant World Enduro paddock moved to Portugal and the town of Vale De Cambra in the district of Aveiro, about 300 km north from Lisbon.
Mika Ahola, who competes in E3 class with the HM-Honda CRE F500R, finished Saturday with a miniscule gap from winner of Day 1, David Knight. It was not expected that Knight would return so quickly, following the hip injury he received in Spain but Return he did and Ahola was forced to take on the challenge of the reigning E3 World Champion.
The battle was incredible throughout the whole day, where the trio made up of Christophe Nambotin, David Knight and Mika Ahola led a top speed race from the very first timed sections, a battle that would eventually see Ahola pipped to post by a gap of only 4 seconds.
On Day 2, the Ahola, Knight, Nambotin trio would once again resume the battle as throughout the whole day the three riders competed in furious combat. Despite some stomach troubles (not related to any racing incidents), Mika Ahola showed his true class during the 9 timed sections, finishing with an exceptional lap which saw him take the victory by a margin of over 20 seconds. It was an answer back to closest rival David Knight and left it honours even for the event.
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 Mika Ahola, Honda-HM-Zanardo:
“This course is a little easier than in Spain and less difficult that the Grand Prix that we have been previously used to in Portugal.
The Cross text Special is lovely and fast. On the other hand, the Enduro Test is rather slow and necessarily suited to my bike, where as the extreme natural Special is very technical”
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