Salvini takes first blood

The Atlas Arena has come alive to the sound of engines as proceedings get underway for round two of the 2012 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Lodz, Poland. With riders having just completed their morning's training practice, the feeling is good among the riders as they get to grips with track. A fast and flowing course loaded with numerous obstacles to catch out the unwary has already challenged the talents of the world's best indoor enduro riders. Italy's Alex Salvini - Husqvarna is the surprise of the morning as he sets the fastest lap in training followed closely by Spain's Ivan Cervantes - Gas Gas and Poland's Taddy Blazusiak - KTM. However all three have already tasted Poland's dirt with small falls during training, as they too get comfortable with tonight's SuperEnduro course. Battling the pain barrier before the event even starts is Alfredo Gomez - Husaberg. The Spaniard who finished eight overall at round one in Italy, crashed hard during midweek training near his home in Madrid. Nursing a badly swollen arm, Gomez faces a difficult evening of competition as he tries to match the pace of his SuperEnduro competitors. "Tonight will be difficult," said Gomez. "I crashed hard during the week and hurt my arm. It's swollen and painful but so far I feel ok riding my bike. With a bit more track time I'm sure my confidence will grow and I will be ready for tonight's finals." With the first of three SuperEnduro finals getting underway at 18.00hrs (CET) the stage is set for another thrilling night of racing.