16 | SEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
SOILSAMPLE
THE FIM HAS ramped up its fight with
the World Enduro Super Series (WESS)
by warning that any event which
competes with the official FIM Enduro
World Championship will not be
sanctioned by the FIM from next year.
The announcement is aimed directly
at WESS, with the FIM planning to
launch its own “Extreme Enduro World
Cup” in 2021.
By not sanctioning events which
compete with the EWC, the FIM
insurance that covers licence holders
in sanctioned events will not be
valid. According to the FIM, its talks
with KTM and WESS have not been
successful. “We have offered to bring
some of those races [WESS events]
into the Enduro World Championship
but, after a lot of effort and meetings,
it has not been possible to reach an
agreement.”
WESS doesn’t seem too worried
about the threat, with super series
events required to have their own
insurance and riders not required to
have an FIM licence. ErzbergRodeo
has never been sanctioned by the FIM.
“This has no implications for WESS
events,” marketing manager Anna-
Larissa Redinger told ADB. “Every
event taking part in the WESS has to
provide the necessary insurances as
required by the local authorities.
“[It is] an option which is open for
any event organizer and an easy-to-handle and affordable alternative.
“We are working on an insurance
solution for the 2020 series which
is easy to handle, affordable and
beneficial for everyone – event
organizers and riders. We do not want
to make things complicated, we want
the riders to ride and event organizers
to focus on the event.”
The threat seems intended to scare
off the organisers of FIM-sanctioned
events from joining the WESS, with
the FIM trying to lure them into the
Extreme Enduro World Cup. The FIM
wants this championship to be a
global extreme enduro series, unlike
WESS, with rumours that Australia
might be on the 2021 calendar.WESS is concerned that the FIM
could create a serious rift in the sport.
“It’s much more a concern for the
development of the sport than for the
WESS, as it might amplify a separation
within enduro sport instead of
getting it together,” Redinger said.
“Our initial idea was a championship
that incorporated all contemporary
forms of enduro competition with the
objective of finding who is the best
enduro rider – or as we say: ‘The
Ultimate Enduro Champion’.
“Isn’t it remarkable that hard
enduro, which until today has been
totally ignored by the FIM, now
suddenly will be honoured with an
independent championship?”WESS v. FIM
BATTLE HOTS UP
HOT OFF THE PRESS
THREATS AS EXTREME WORLD CUP PLAN UNVEILED
Heat
ison!