Fuente: © Yamaha Racing
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YAMAHA: Enduro 2: Aubert on his strong championship effort so far...

/noticias.info/ Former motocross star Johnny Aubert has made a hefty splash since his arrival in WEC three seasons ago. The Frenchman starred at the 2007 ISDE and was a title protagonist practically from the word ‘go’. Up against one of the legends of Enduro – Juha Salminen – the 28 year old is currently keeping the Fin at bay by leading the E2 series by 19 points at the midway point of the season. Here he chats about his 2008 and a 100% podium record so far....

During the first half of the ’08 WEC season you’ve had some great results, which have put you at the top of the E2 world championship standings. Are you pleased with the way the season has gone so far?

Yes, without a doubt. My goal is to win the Enduro 2 world championship this season, which isn’t going to be easy, but so far things have gone well. I came home from the first race in Sweden in third behind two Scandinavian riders, which was a good start. Then in Portugal I won my first day of the championship and moved into second. And then in Spain I had a great race and won both days and moved into the lead of the E2 championship. I was a little bit fortunate because my closest championship rival Juha Salminen had some problems, but I have also had problems in past seasons.

What are your thoughts about the performances of your class rivals?

Apart from Joakim Ljunggren winning the first round of the championship it has been a fight between myself and Salminen. Joakim doesn’t seem to be fast everywhere. Antoine Meo is also fast but has had some problems and some crashes. I was expecting a battle with Juha and so far I have enjoyed racing against him. I regard Juha as the best enduro rider in the world so to be competing against him, and beating him, well, it’s great. I know that he won’t give up trying to win the E2 world championship. It’s not easy beating Juha, but that’s what I have to try and do.

In Spain you claimed a double E2 class win but in Poland you finished second on both days, in similar dry and dusty conditions. Did you have any problems in Poland?

No, I didn’t have any problems but for some reason I just didn’t feel myself. I liked the special tests and my bike worked well but I wasn’t quite fast enough. Being second on both days wasn’t a bad result, but I was a little bit disappointed.

Although things didn’t go quite to plan in Poland, have you enjoyed the first half of the season?

I didn’t really enjoy round one in Sweden. It is a very strange race. It’s not easy to get the bike working well there, and to feel confident with the spiked tyres, and the time you have to spend preparing for that one race is too much really. In Portugal I was fast and I liked the race. It was tough, quite wet, but it was good. The GP of Spain was the perfect race for me. I’ve finished on the podium on both days of every GP and I need to keep this up.

How does the WR450F you’re riding this season differ from the bike you rode last year?

It’s more or less the same as I rode last year. It was a great bike last year and it’s a great bike this year! I have made some small changes to the suspension settings I’m using, but no big alterations. We are also using a slightly different silencer, because the regulations changed for ’08. But the bike is very much the same to ride this year as it was in ’07.

What is the best thing about your WR450F?

For me, the whole bike is great. I’ve never had such a good feeling with a bike, never in my whole career. It’s hard to explain but I just feel really comfortable and, to be honest, I have felt confident on the bike from the first time I rode it. Due to this and because I like the power and the way the suspension and chassis works, I don’t have to make many changes from race to race. It really is a great bike.

Is there a specific terrain that the bike allows you to excel on?

Like all great enduro bikes my WR450F works well on all conditions; it has to if I am going to be competitive for the whole championship. When you race in snow, mud, rocks, dust and have motocross, extreme and enduro tests you have to have a bike that is good everywhere, and that’s what I have. The Enduro 2 class is very competitive, and so far this season I have been fast in all conditions. I’m not the best extreme test rider in the World Enduro Championship but I have a bike that makes things easier for me.

Heading into the second half of the season you have a 19-point lead in the E2 class. Does that change the way you will approach the remaining events?

I must keep pushing to try and win more. Salminen will keep pushing and pushing so I have to do the same. There are still eight days of racing before the end of the championship, with 25 points available for each day. I’m less than one day ahead and with enduro something small can easily happen. 19 points is a lot, but at the same time not a lot as it can quickly be lost. I just have to keep going.

If you do win the Enduro 2 world championship what will it mean to you?

It will be a ‘dream come true’. I wanted to be a motocross world champion when I was younger but that didn’t happen. Now I am focused on trying to become an enduro world champion. It will mean a lot to me if I can become world champion this year. To do that I have to beat Salminen, who is the best. If I don’t win I will just have to keep trying.

Finally, will you be competing in the International Six Days Enduro in Greece for the French Trophy Team?

No, I have decided not to compete. Last year the ISDE in Chile was a great race for me, which I won. But this year the six days isn’t after the world championship – it is between rounds six and seven. I really want to win the E2 world championship this year so I don’t want to take any risks. Competing in the ISDE takes a lot of effort, I want to put all of my effort into the world championship. notas_de_prensa_archivo