Kirssi wins inaugural Battle-X aboard his BMW 450 X

BMW Husqvarna Motorsport News Release

Simo Kirssi keeps going from strength to strength. The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport factory rider has claimed victory in the first-ever Battle-X. Following five consecutive wins in Cross Country races across Europe, 30-year-old Kirssi used the new Extreme Enduro competition to determine his abilities in such events and as a preparation for the Roof of Africa in November.

The two-day Battle-X was held at the amusement park Waffenrod (Thuringia) under conditions hotter than hell. The participants, among them some recognised German pro riders, not only had to deal with the brutal heat, but also with four gruelling qualifying heats. Kirssi kept a low profile during the first three of them. The
Scandinavian finished second in the "Torture Test", the "Sudden Death" and Sunday morning?s "Rising Sun", before making short work of his rivals in the "Final Destination", where Kirssi scored seven straight start-finish victories to take the event overall in dominating fashion.

The inaugural Battle-X was characterised by a combination of eight large and five smaller artificial obstacles. "Races like the Battle-X do certainly have a future. They?re good for the riders to display their talent and good for the fans who are close to the action. I believe the difficulty level could be somewhat higher, though," said the Finn, who?s regularly training with a trial motorcycle since two years.
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Overall classification Battle-X 2010**