Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has won the 2019 Hawkstone Park Cross-Country during the weekend. Teammates Jonny Walker came in third whereas Taddy Blazusiak and Josep Garcia came in fourth and fifth respectively. Manual Lettenbichler, riding for KTM-supported WESS, came in runner-up in the event, making KTM riders round up the top five.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing taking on round seven of the World Enduro Super Series- the BR2 Enduro Solsona- on October 5 to 6.
Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing
“I’m super happy to win today. I felt a lot of pressure coming into this weekend because it seems everyone expected me to win. Obviously, I got second here last year, so was extra-motivated this weekend. I won the sprint enduro yesterday, which gave me some confidence, but then I got a bad start today. I risked starting in gear and it didn’t pay off, unfortunately. Also, I made some aggressive passes early on and managed to get out in front. I felt so comfortable from then on, to be honest, the bike was great and I was just able to ride fast and smooth and control the race from the front,” says Nathan Watson as quoted from KTM Factory Racing.
Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing
“It’s great to get a podium at my home race. I led the race for a little bit too, which was good. I knew the guys would be fast so it was always going to be tough to be right up there. Then I made a really good start and set about chasing down the leader, he had a crash which put me in front and from then on I just tried to get into a good rhythm rather than push too hard early on because I knew it was going to be a really tough race. I’m looking forward to Solsona now, we’ve got a two-week break to rest a little then hopefully come back strong in Spain and challenge for the podium again.”
Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing
“I really enjoyed the race today. I’m a little disappointed not to have finished on the podium again but all-in-all the race went well. I tried to settle into things early on and my speed was good. Mani got past me but then I could see I was closing in on Jonny for third. I got within about 10 seconds but then made a mistake and lost everything I had gained. Towards the end, I still felt strong enough to push again but after one lap, I really started to suffer from the blisters on my hand and decided to settle for fourth. The next round in Spain is like a second home race for me so I’m going to try an heal my hand over the next two weeks then head to Solsona and give it all I have.”
Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing
“It was a really tough race for me today. I knew it would be hard coming into today so close after hurting my hand, but yesterday went really well and I felt quite confident. Unfortunately, I had trouble at the start and set off right at the back. It wasn’t too bad, but I knew I would have to push hard to make my way to the front. I made a few mistakes then and ended up crashing a few times, which knocked my confidence. Each time I felt comfortable to push again I ended up making another mistake. I’m not too happy with fifth but I’m looking forward to the next round in Spain now and hopefully come out of that one on top.”