October 5, 2010 – Saint John, NB – In front of over 40,000 screaming fans, Factory Husqvarna rider Bartosz Oblucki charged his way to a 3rd place finish and claimed the final podium position at the 2010 Montreal Endurocross.  In only its second year of being held during the annual Montreal Supercross, this year’s edition of the race proved to be another huge success for both fans and racers.

BARTOSZ OBLUCKI Source: www.husqvarna.it

Poland’s Oblucki was a welcome guest to the FP Husqvarna Canada Race Team and joined FP’s Ryan Graffunder and Guy Giroux in their assault on Montreal’s infamous Olympic Stadium. Bartosz set the second quickest time on his WR300 in practice and followed that up with a 3rd place finish in the evening Qualifier. Guy Giroux would recover from a spectacular first lap crash in the Qualifier to finish 4th behind Oblucki. Husky Canada’s Ryan Graffunder fought his way forward from the back of the pack after a horrible start and would finish the Qualifying race in 6th.

BARTOSZ OBLUCKI Photo by www.offroadmotorcycles.ca

In the Endurocross Final, Oblucki jumped out to a top 3 start with Husky Canada’s young gun, Ryan Graffunder and his TXC450, hot on his heels in 4th. Giroux started the first lap buried mid-pack and steadily mounted his charge toward the front. Oblucki spent the remainder of the race hunting the USA’s Mike Brown and Hungary’s Kornel Nemeth. Although Oblucki would not close the gap on Brown who finished 1st, and Nemeth 2nd, Bartosz crossed the finish line with a solid grip on 3rd position and the final spot on the podium.

RYAN GRAFFUNDER Photo: Lincoln Ferguson

“Practice was pretty good for me. I had no issues in the first sessions but made a few mistakes in the last practice.” said Graffunder. I felt comfortable with the track and just focused on getting ready for the Qualifier. My start did not go well and I was towards the back as we went into the tire section. It was chaos in that section so I spent the race trying to stay out of trouble and just picking off as many riders as I could. I made it up to 6th which felt good after my bad start. In the final I was determined not to blow the start again so I was pretty stoked to enter the tires behind Bartosz in 4th. I knew I had to stay calm and just ride like I have trained to ride.

The tire section was nuts the whole race. With a couple laps to go I finally got jammed behind a downed rider in the tires and Julian (Cerny) went flying by me to take 4th; then Giroux was all over me. The last lap Guy got messed up by another downed rider and I got by him. I wish I could have got back by Julian to finish as the top Canadian but I was very excited to finish 5th Overall and 2nd Canadian.”

GUY GIROUX Photo: Offroadmotorcycles.ca

“In the Qualifier, I lined up right beside (Mike) Brown” said Giroux. “I knew he was going to get the holeshot, and he would probably push people out and that would give me room. And that is exactly what happened. I was there in second with nobody in front of me going into the tires. They had changed the track by removing dirt in front of the tires, so when I attacked like in practice the effect wasn’t the same.

My chance of leading transformed into a front flip when my back tire kicked. I was quick enough to eject in time and land pretty smooth. My Rekluse saved my butt and I was quick to get back into fourth. I rode super smooth until the end and I could even see Bartosz in front of me when I rode over the finish. I knew I could do the same in the main.

In the main event, Giroux and his TC250 lined up to the left of Brown again but things did not go as well as they had in the Qualifier. “My reaction was awful, and I was stuck in the back. I didn’t panic because I knew I could make a good comeback. I rode the first lap in 9th but got up to 5th and I could see Julian (Cerny) in front of me. Then my luck turned south. I made one small mistake on the rock uphill and Phil (Chaine) passed me. Then I was setting up to pass him in the tires and he crashed in front of me. I lost momentum and got stuck. On the last lap the same thing happened with another lapper, so I ended up with 10th”.

Although not at all pleased with his result, the seasoned veteran from Quebec took some satisfaction in knowing that after over 20 years of racing at Olympic Stadium that he still has what it takes to run up front with Canada’s best riders.

Before heading back to Europe, Bartosz and the rest of the FP Husqvarna crew were able to celebrate his podium finish, and the amazing ride by young Ryan Graffunder, in beautiful downtown Montreal.

BARTOSZ OBLUCKI Photo: Offroadmotorcycles.ca

Husqvarna Dealers from across Canada, along with Husqvarna Canada staff and representatives from Husqvarna Italy, were in attendance at the Montreal race.

In addition to a great weekend of test piloting new 2011 Husqvarnas at Montreal’s XTown riding facility, and learning the latest news from Husqvarna; the group had plenty to cheer about as all three Husqvarna racers hammered their way towards the front in the chaotic main event.

2010 Montreal Endurocross

1st         Mike Brown (USA)

2nd        Kornel Nemeth (Hungary)

3rd         Bartosz Oblucki (Poland) – HUSQVARNA

5th         Ryan Graffunder (British Columbia) – HUSQVARNA

10th       Guy Giroux (Quebec) – HUSQVARNA

In addition to almost 20 podiums in Regional races across the country, including close to 10 Wins, the new Husqvarna Canada team has finished its debut season in the Canadian Enduro Championship with 10 Pro Class Podiums, two Top 10 Overalls in the series and the Top Pro Junior Award.

This success has allowed the FP Husky team to put the entire displacement range of 2010 Husqvarna off-road race bikes available to the Canadian market on the podium. All race bikes were in stock trim with the exception of bolt-on accessories. These models include the 125, 144, 250 and 300 two strokes as well as the 250, 450 and 510 four strokes.

In August, Husqvarna USA’s Cory Graffunder won the toughest off-road race ever held on Canadian soil; the inaugural Xtinction Extreme Enduro, in the Badlands of Alberta.

Now Husqvarna Europe’s Bartosz Oblucki has claimed his podium in Montreal and Husqvarna Canada’s Ryan Graffunder has logged the most impressive ride of his promising young career.

The 2010 Canadian race season has been a great year for Husqvarna. 2011 promises to be even better!

We are very grateful to our many amazing sponsors. Without them, our team would not exist.

Team Sponsors:

Husqvarna Canada, Feeding Performance Inc., Motovan, Rekluse, Ogio, Dragon, Xtreme, TCX, Axis, Zox, Pro-Tech, Etnies, Throttle Entertainment, UNI Filter, DID, LeoVince, GPR Stabilizer, Motul, LimeNine, EC3D, Impact Canopies, GoPro, Enduro Engineering, Supersprox, SkyCap, Boyesen, E-line, IMS, Matrix Concepts, Tuff As Gutz, TM Designworks, Dunlop and Zip Ty Racing.

Special thanks to the Husqvarna Canada dealers that provide extra assistance to help ensure our race program is a success; Bow Ridge Sports in Cochrane, Echo Cycle in Edmonton and RiverCity Cycle in Kamloops.

The All New 2011 Husqvarna TE449 Photo: Offroadmotorcycles.ca

About Husqvarna Motorcycles

Tradition on two wheels since 1903

Husqvarna Motorcycles, a part of the BMW Group since October 2007, are widely known and respected in the off-road world for a heritage of competition and have accumulated over 70 World Championships in Motocross, Enduro and Supermotard. Originally founded in Sweden in 1903, Husqvarna motorcycles have been designed and manufactured in Varese, Italy since 1987.

For more information, please visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com and www.feedingperformance.com