KTM factory rider Juha Salminen sent a strong signal to his rivals at the E2 Grand Prix of Poland this weekend when he won both rounds seven and eight for top of the rank 50 world championship points.
The Finn, who dominated the E1 competition last season, was in devastating form on the sand of the northern Polish venue delivering a result that thrilled his team manager Fabio Farioli and compensated for him missing out on points in Round Five in Spain.
Salminen going for victories
"It was a good day even if it was a long and hard race," Salminen said after nearly eight hours on his KTM machine on Saturday," adding that it was now necessary to go for the victory in all remaining races to keep his championship hopes alive.
Salminen fine-tuned his suspension settings and on Sunday in a race that was nearly two hours shorter than Saturday's marathon, he came home 41 seconds ahead of arch rival and championship leader Jonny Aubert of France. Now only 19 points separate the two riders in the standings with 200 points from eight remaining rounds still up for grabs.
It was also a solid weekend for KTM's Alessandro Belometti who finished on the podium in third place on Saturday and in fifth place on Sunday.
Results Round Seven
1. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM
2. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha
3. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM
4. Rodrig Thain, France, TM
5. Simmo Kirssi, Finland, BMW
Results Round Eight
1. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM
2. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha
3. Simmo Kirssi, Finland, BMW
4. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
5. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM
Standings
1. Jonny Aubert, France, Yamaha, 183 points
2. Juha Salminen, Finland, KTM, 164
3. Alessandro Belometti, Italy, KTM, 135
4. Rodrig Thain, France, TM, 110
5. Valtteri Salonen, Finland, Husaberg, 107
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- KTM-Sportmotorcycles, Mattighofen-
