"Tough" win for Blazusiak

From Taddy Blazusiak Results Service

OSWESTRY, WALES -- Taddy Blazusiak started 2009 in style by winning the WOR Events organised The Tough One, staged in Oswestry, Wales on Saturday.

Competing in the event for the second time after having finished runner-up in ’08, Blazusiak claimed his first international victory of the new season. Finishing the two-hour extreme hare scramble comfortably ahead of his closest rival, Blazusiak was joined on the podium by WEC regular Tom Sagar and former Hell’s Gate winner Wayne Braybrook.

“The Tough One was the one extreme event missing from my resume, so I am really pleased to have won," Blazusiak said. "It’s not best suited to trials riders because it is more of a hard cross-country race, so to win it is really great. It’s a shame that David Knight and Paul Edmondson had problems, but I felt that I rode well.”

With the race getting under way with a Le Mans style start Blazusiak found himself in fifth position by the time he arrived at his bike, which meant he would spend the opening laps of the race playing catch up as Braybrook and Knight battled it out for the early lead.

Switching back to a 250cc two-stroke KTM for ’09 having campaigned a 200cc EXC during ’08, Blazusiak was quickly in his stride, and with Braybrook dropping backwards closed in and past Sagar for the lead.

Once in the lead Blazusiak remained out front until he received the chequered flag shortly before the two-hour mark.

Making it the perfect day for Blazusiak he then topped The Boulder Dash - a short sprint across a technical, unforgiving and demanding section of rocks.

Results (Courtesy David Knight Results Service)
1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 1:57:07, 11 laps
2. Tom Sagar (Husaberg) 1:59:46, 11 laps
3. Wayne Braybrook (Gas Gas) 2:05:07, 11 laps
4. Dougie Lampkin (Beta) 10 laps
5. Edward Jones (KTM) 10 laps