Jonny Walker’s hopes of a second consecutive overall podium result at the 2013 FIM Superenduro World Championship were dealt a cruel blow in the opening final at the Enduro Indoor De Barcelona held inside the Palau St Jordi stadium, Barcelona. Crashing into the back of a stricken, slower rider while negotiating his way across the tricky log section, Jonny was forced to charge his way back from dead last before eventually placing 10^th – a result that frustratingly ended his chances of a top three overall result.

But things thankfully improved for Jonny as the KTM rider went on to place fourth and third in the night’s second and third finals. Lucky not to lose the end of his right little finger when he fell in the opening final, Walker survived the reversed start order of the second final to place a strong fourth behind David Knight, Alfredo Gomez, and Taddy Blazusiak.

Saving his best until the third and closing final Jonny ensured a positive end to the event by placing third behind Blazusiak and Kornel Nemeth. Placing sixth overall, Jonny was just seven points away from the third step of the podium. With one round of the Superenduro World Championship remaining, in Tours, France, on March 9, Jonny currently sits third in the championship standings, one-point behind runner-up David Knight.

Jonny Walker (KTM 300 EXC): “I guess I just didn’t have luck on my side here in Barcelona. It was the first race that really let me down as I finished 10^th, but that’s the way things go sometimes. I crashed into the back of a rider as I went over the logs. I’m not sure what he did but I had nowhere to go and ended up crashing into the back of him. I managed to work my way back up to sixth or seventh but I was really tired and crashed again in the stones. I caught my finger when I went down and I guess I’m pretty lucky that I didn’t lose the end of it. The second final went ok. It was a bit crazy to start with because of the reversed start order but I finished fourth behind Taddy, so that was ok. The last final went well, and I was pleased to finish top three. It’s disappointing that things didn’t go well in the first final, because that really spoiled my overall result, but getting two solid results in the second and third finals is good.”

RESULTS – SUPERENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2013, ROUND 2

1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 54, 2. David Knight (Honda) 41, 3. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 36, 4. Kornel Nemeth (KTM) 34, 5. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 33, 6. Jonny Walker (KTM) 30, 7. Thomas Oldrati (Husaberg) 24, 8. Rodrig Thain (Gas Gas) 19…

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 111, 2. David Knight (Honda) 82, 3. Jonny Walker (KTM) 81, 4. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 67, 5. Kornel Nemeth (KTM) 63, 6. Thomas Oldrati (Husaberg) 52…