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International Cross Country Finals.

The last race in this year´s cross country season confronted all participants with new challenges.. In Volary, Czech Republic, the cross country promoter BABOONS had set up a circuit of approximately 4 kilometres which could hardly have been more varied.

The BMW Motorrad Team Feil and HP2 rider Simo Kirssi were surprised to find that the circuit consisted of a supermoto track, an indoor supercross facility and a classic off-road terrain section, each in approximately equal thirds.

The correct choice of tyre was crucial here. After a perfect start, Kirssi came away in second place and shortly afterwards was one of the first to turn into the tarred supermoto track. Here, the young Finn stretched the HP2 Enduro to its limits in practically every situation. With extreme banking and spectacular drifts he was able to consolidate his second place up until the subsequent off-road section of the course. "Yes, it really was a new situation for me. But it´s great fun to burn through the bends on the HP2," said Kirssi in the interview after the race.

On the classic cross country section, Simo Kirssi left nothing to chance either. Fast leaps, hairpin turns and "washboard" tracks made heavy demands of man and machine. Then came the entry into the hall. With one table after another, there was a thorough remixing of the field through to the end of the lap. In these sections, Kirssi´s enormous stamina paid off. The HP2, not actually designed for the demands of a supercross circuit, had no problems whatsoever. With the machine´s powerful torque, the flying Finn was even able to fly over large tables with a very limited run-up. Due to his spectacular performance, Kirssi quickly became the spectators´ favourite as the laps went by. He engaged in particularly breathtaking duels with his friend and arch-rival Thomas Günther on the 450 Husaberg, with one or the other alternately coming out top.

Simo achieved his lap time virtually to the second on every round and was able to hold his second place consistently. Not until the last quarter of the race did he reduce throttle somewhat and briefly stop in the pits for a technical check before taking home his overall second place with supreme ease.

As Simo said after the race: "I´ve now been riding the HP2 Enduro for a year in all racing conditions and on all kinds of race tracks here in Europe. But every time I still feel the bike has a lot more potential than what I am currently able to get out of it. In the winter we´ll have more time for training and working on improving details, then we can really look forward to the new season."

Incidentally, Simo Kirssi´s excellent placing in Volary puts him in a sensational overall second place in the European cross country rankings. Congratulations!