Race Report: SloEnduro 2023 Round 2, Ilirska Bistrica

Words: SloEnduro

SloEnduro Borovci 2023: A hard day for the favourites and another record in participation.
Two more riders at the start of round 2 in Ilirska Bistrica by Borovci MTB club compared to the 1st round in Ajdovščina. Some really tight racing at the top.

If we just look at the number of riders at the start of the race on Sunday, the SloEnduro Borovci last weekend in Ilirska Bistrica had two more riders than SloEnduro Kamplc in Ajdovščina three weeks earlier: 268. At Kamplc we probably give out some more number plates on Saturday but also lost some riders for the tough conditions in training. Whichever, thank you for another great turnout! We had riders from 9 countries.

Friday's heavy rainfall caused the cancellation of special stage 5 which would have been impossible to ride in training. But we still manage to keep the number of stages at five and the climbing at about 1000 vertical meters since the third special stage Močerad (Salamander) was used twice.

Battle for the top in men's race
With two SloEnduro titles in the last two seasons and a convincing win at this year's round 1 in Ajdovščina Miha Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh) without a doubt came to Ilirska Bistrica as a favourite for the win. It's never easy even if you have confirmed that you are the fastest but this time Smrdel's win was especially hard.

No less than five different riders won on five stages of the day. In the end after about 15 minutes of racing the first five were separated by 4.77 of a second (and two stage winners were not even close to top five) and the top three finished 1.53 apart. The most exciting race in recent SloEnduro history!


Smrdel started with 7th time on SS1, continued with a 6th and 5th... He was in fifth place almost 8 seconds behind after the third stage. The Austrian Simeon Sachse (Altis The Bike Team) won the first stage but slid all the way to 14th by the end of the race. Slovenian Nejc Huth (Energijateam.com), second place from SS1, won SS2 and took the overall lead. German junior Lasse Eschler (Giant Swiss Enduro Team) won SS3 from Slovenian downhiller Luka Berginc (DGK Pohorje – Spank Team Maribor) and his compatriot Laurin Voth (Propain Factory Enduro) and took the overall lead.

In the fourth stage Smrdel showed his first top performance, won in front of David Ivartnik (Golovec trails) and Huth and took the overall lead by 0.06 in front of Eschler! Ivartnik, twice a second place finisher in Ilirska Bistrica, was in third .65 behind.


So the winner had to be decided at last stage, the »battle on the Salamander« which was ridden for the second time in the day, and much faster than the first time too. Berginc was the fastest on the stage and climbed to 10th overall after a very slow start. He was followed by Huth, Smrdel and Ivartnik. Eschler only finished 10th on the stage so the winner of 2023 SloEnduro Borovci was known: Smrdel 1st, Huth 2nd and Ivartnik 3rd. Fourth placed Eschler and 5th placed Jernej Kavčič (MBK Črni Vrh) joined them on stage for the overall presentation.


Of course after two wins Miha is also leading the SloEnduro standings, Huth is second, Jerkič and Ivartnik are even in third and Kristijan Medvešček (ŠKTD Avče) is just 10 points behind them in fifth.

Women: Simona is back


18 year old Slovakian rider Simona Kuchyňková (okoeverywhere racing) returned to SloEnduro after her win in Ajdovščina. She is quite a challenge for the 2022 SloEnduro champion Tina Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh). Tina was breathing down Simona's neck all day long, won one of the stages and finished 19 seconds behind her in second place. Austrian Alexandra Eckert (Bikeclub Giant Stattegg) finished third.



In long course categories

So the fastest junior this time was a SloEnduro rookie, the German Lasse Eschler, followed by his Giant Swiss Enduro Team teammate Lars Bungen from Switzerland. Slovenian Miha Jerkič (KK Črn trn) had to settle for a third in the category and 11th overall among men on the long course.


In masters categories these were the winners: Marko Fink (KD Zverinice) in master 1, 28th overall, Primož Štrancar (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) in master 2, 22nd overall, while Martin Brus (Kamplc Racing Team) was the lone master 3 rider this time. Žiga Šemrov (ŠKD Super potencial) was the fastest amateur category rider.

Tina Smrdel and Nejc Huth took home the Spar SuperStage awards for best times on Ahac stage.

French rider Alex Chapignac (Cranksetter) won the e-bike category.

Short course, 750 vertical meters

Once again an incredible field of 44 riders in male U17 category. Anže Kofjač (KK Završnica) was the first time winner in front of his teammate Vid Berlot in second and Ian Laharnar (Kamplc Racing Team) in third.

Another win for Nežka Libnik (Bosch Black Hole Enduro Team) in female U17 category. Italian Davide Zinutti (ASD Jam's Bike Team Buja) won the U15 boys and Maria Vyhlidalova (Medvedica) of Slovakia the U15 girls.

Austrian Patrick Buchegger won in the promotional 4Fun category (RC Kreuzer Racing).

The youngest

Tjaž Stres (Kamplc Racing Team) won in the field of twenty Under 13 boys while Eva Podvornik (DGK Pohorje – Spank Team) was again the only U13 girl on start.

Results

Series Ranking 2/7

Full Results and Series Ranking on www.sloenduro.com

Coming up next...

On May 13 and 14 we'll be at round three of the SloEnduro season: the SloEnduro Perkmandeljc at the new series venue in Mežica. But some may know the terrain above the town in Nort-Eastern Slovenia right at the Austrian border since it was used in Black Hole Enduro/EWS races.

Propositions out any day now and registration follows on series website!

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