Maltese riders Andrew Cassar and Nicolai Abela have successfully completed an Enduro Interprovinciale race, organised by Federazione Motociclistica Italiana (FMI) late last month.
This challenging race, split into two sections of 75 minutes each, was staged between Ragusa and Marina di Ragusa.
Gozitan John Attard competed in the UISP Championship on the same course.
Cassar and Abela had to contend with a gruelling route with the first five kilometres featuring rocky terrain awash with boulders and other obstacles.
The cross section, despite being marked with tape, was laid on flat land with countless hairpins but fewer loose rocks on the surface which rendered braking and exit more predictable.
The Enduro leg was marked by narrow rocky corridors between high-stone walls, filled with boulders and obstacles such as ramps, trees and bushes.
Cassar suffered an injury on the third stage after hitting his hand against the wall as he tried to avoid one of the larger branches.
There was also a mishap for Abela who discovered that his rear axle nut and spacer had loosened and fallen off on the final stage just before the Enduro test section.
Despite these difficulties, the Maltese duo decided to push on towards the race finish.
The fact that Cassar and Abela had to take care of the bike maintenance and refuelling in addition to dealing with hydration and nutritional issues, put an added strain on the limited time of 10 to 15 minutes riders are allowed in the paddock in each stage.
The Maltese riders’ perse-verance paid off as they finished well within the stipulated times with no penalty points incurred. They also made it to the podium as Cassar placed second and Abela third in their respective categories.
In a statement, Cassar and Abela thanked ASMK and Virtu Ferries for their assistance.
Meanwhile, the ASMK will launch the 2013/14 Pasta Poiatti motocross championship at its Ta’ Qali circuits on Sunday.
Seasoned riders will compete in Class A while Class B is reserved for beginners and less-experienced participants. Riders under 16 years of age will contest the junior class, using bikes not exceeding 125cc.
The third round of the autocross championship will also be held on Sunday.
Before the action starts at 11am, there will be a Mass in remem-brance of deceased members and competitors, including former MX champion Darren Dimech.