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BMW Motorrad Motorsport – European Cross Country Championship – Final, Marisfeld – Race.
Mon Oct 12 15:40:00 CEST 2009 Press Release
Simo Kirssi claims European Cross Country title! BMW factory rider Simo Kirssi has successfully defended his title. The Finn celebrated a convincing and emotional win at the European Cross Country final at Marisfeld, to add yet another championship to his tally.
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Simo Kirssi claims European Cross Country title!
Munich. BMW factory rider Simo Kirssi has
successfully defended his title. The Finn celebrated a convincing and
emotional win at the European Cross Country final at Marisfeld, to add
yet another championship to his tally.
The Cross Country series stepped into new territory in order to
determine the 2009 European champion. Riders from seven countries
gathered at the perfectly prepared location in Thuringia and were met
with difficult conditions due to ongoing rain. The whole six-kilometer
track turned into a quagmire. Especially the uphills became super-tricky.
Simo Kirssi didn´t mind the circumstances. The 30-year-old
had just flown in from Portugal where he was busy preparing for the
International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), yet didn´t let the lack of
on-site presence get in his way. Kirssi powered his BMW 450 X to the
front early, only to let Frenchman Nicolas Deparrois by briefly to
learn the track. The defending champ had arrived that late at
Marisfeld, he couldn´t even check out the circuit before the
start. Kirssi got on the gas as soon as he felt comfortable and was
never headed again. He won the 90-minute race (shortened because of
the conditions) from a distant Antoine Letellier and Deparrois.
The whole BMW Motorrad Motorsport was over the moon as their
rider took the chequered flag. The victory marked BMW´s first
international Cross Country title in 2009. A huge banner welcomed the
"European Cross Country Champion Simo Kirssi". BMW´s
sport chief Berti Hauser was among the first to congratulate his rider.
Having to deal with plenty of pressure after being unlucky in
the domestic series, Kirssi was visibly delighted to win both the race
and title. "I´m pumped to win the European title
again," he said. "Especially as we were so terribly unlucky
at the German Cross Country final two weeks ago. It was a difficult
race, it was slippery and I had no time to get accustomed. I hurried
from the airport to come here and had to put on my race gear literally
the moment I stepped out of the car. But the race developed perfectly.
I took my time to study the lines and did put the hammer after 15
minutes. I felt great and managed to control the field. I certainly
had some reserves left."
The team is now busy in Portugal, where the ISDE are underway
since Monday. The BMW factory riders are representing their country
and the Finnish team is relying heavily on the BMW trio of Juha
Salminen, Simo Kirssi and Marko Tarkkala in their quest to claim the
legendary trophy.
Berti Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport):
"I´m very happy for Simo and would like to congratulate the
whole team. This title is important and a reward for all the hard
work. It provides a major boost for the Six Days and the challenges
ahead in 2010. Marisfeld deserves a special place in our memory, not
just because we won, but also because this is a great location."
XCC European Championship
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 65,25
points
2. Antoine Letellier (FRA), Aprilia, 50,10
3. Nicolas
Deparrois (FRA), GasGas, 48,45
4. Matteo Zecchin (ITA), Husaberg,
45,00
5. Christian Weiß (GER), TM, 43,65
6. Massimo
Ballati (ITA), Yamaha, 40,50
7. Markus Auer (AUT), KTM,
38,25
8. Edi Ederer (AUT), KTM, 35,70
9. Andreas Schulz
(GER), KTM, 34,95
10. Steffen Albrecht (GER), BMW, 23,25