HM Honda Zanardo Team takes second in the world with Rodrig Thain

The Enduro World Championship season finale was a weekend of highs and lows for the HM Honda Zanardo team in Brignoles, France, as Rodrig Thain took second on Saturday, which was to be his final outing of the year as his race machine was stolen that evening leaving organisers no option but to cancel Sunday's proceedings, confirming him as runner-up in the E1 World standings.

After a strong showing during Saturday's race, in which French racer Thain took second place to world champion Antonione Meo, his HM Honda Zanardo CRE F250R was stolen together with the race machines of Spanish rider Lorenzo Santolino and Finnish racer Matti Seistola from parc ferme during the night. This was a disappointing end to the series, and is a serious blow to the sport, as well as the team.

On Sunday, after a major search for the missing machines, E1 class riders competed the second day of competition without points, which confirmed Thain's second position in the series' standings. Although this is a great achievement for the racer and a celebration of the team's efforts this season, it was also a frustrating way to end a strong year with the team's race machine at large.

Teammate Simone Albergoni had a tough weekend, as he has struggled to find a good feeling since his victory at the Finnish Grand Prix. The Italian racer ended the weekend with ninth and seventh places.

Rodrig Thain

“I’m really disappointed about the theft of my bike. I'm sorry for what happened and for the team, as they worked hard to prepare to the best level my HM-Honda CRE F250R with which I finished second in the E1 World Championship."
 

Franco Mayr: HM Honda Zanardo Team Manager

“We are so sad for what happened, but also extremely annoyed by the theft of the bike in the parc ferme during the night on Saturday. It’s something really serious. We are not only talking about the theft of a bike and a material damage, which is hard to quantify in value, but also of an image damage to the team with our materials being taken. We will take precautions to protect ourself, our image, Thain and the sport of Enduro."