Chainé Wins E1 Pro Class at Opening Rounds of Canadian Enduro Championship

July 14, 2011 – Cochrane, AB –Husqvarna Canada’s Philippe Chainé has stormed his way through the opening rounds of the 2011 Canadian Enduro Championship to take the Overall E1 Pro Win at both Rounds 1 & 2.
Held in the breath taking surroundings of British Columbia’s beautiful Sun Peaks Resort, the opening rounds of the 2011 CEC series served up and exciting mix of mud, roots and rocks combined with some massive hill climbs that challenged the riders and provided great eye candy for spectators.

To add icing to the cake, FP Husqvarna’s Ryan Graffunder, picked up where he left off last season by nailing 2nd Overall on Day 1 in the E3 Pro Class aboard his big bore Husqvarna. Some small mistakes on Day 2 resulted in Graffunder missing the podium by only a few seconds.

Philippe Chainé

While Phil Chainé was causing grief for his competitors in the E1 Class, his new mentor and all around off-road icon, Guy Giroux, was continuing to hone his mountain skills aboard his TE 310 in the hotly contested E2 Class. Although he missed the podium both days, Giroux posted his best results in his last 3 years of attending the Western rounds of the CECs and nailed a solid Top 10 Overall for the weekend.

Guy Giroux

While Giroux spent the winter whipping young Chainé into race shape (with obvious results at the opening rounds),Ryan Graffunder along with his brother and Husqvarna team- mate, Nick Graffunder, spent the winter months focused on some intense physical fitness training. The brothers showed up at Sun Peaks in tip-top shape and made it clear that they are serious about challenging the best riders in the country.

Ryan Graffunder

Ryan Graffunder, the Canadian Enduro Championship’s 2009 & 2010 Top Pro Junior, is hungry to take the same title again this season. 2011 is Graffunder’s last year of eligibility for the award and he is eager to make it 3 for 3. After narrowly missing the podium at Round 2, Graffunder is fired up for redemption at Rounds 3 & 4 in Alberta this weekend (July 16/17).

Although Round 1 saw Ryan’s brother, Nick Graffunder, post solid Top 5 times in the special tests, Round 2 proved to be a frustrating day for the young gun from Vavenby, British Columbia. Any hope of a podium on Day 2 slippedaway as Nick struggled to find his groove in the special tests at Sun Peaks. An unrelenting fighter, Nick is focused on challenging his competitors in Alberta and is hungry to climb the podium again like he did in Quebec last season.

Nick Graffunder

“It was a great way to kick off the Enduro Championship” said Marc Coffin, Husqvarna Canada’s National Marketing Manager. “We learned a lot last year and have worked hard to take it to another level in 2011. Giroux has done an excellent job of coaching Chainé in Quebec this spring.

Guy wants to turn our young riders into Champions, not just in Canada but also to prepare them for taking on the best riders in the world. The results speak for themselves. His knowledge and passion for this sport is unmatched. Phil is on fire and the Graffunders are chomping at the bit to make their mark in this sport. I am very excited to see how the rest of the season will unfold.”

In only its second year of competition, the FP Husqvarna team has enjoyed an enormous amount of success. Since entering its first races the spring of 2010, the FP crew has fought their way to over 50 Pro Class Podiums in Regional and National races across the country; including more than 20 Wins.

In 2010, the new Husqvarna team finished its debut season in the Canadian Enduro Championship with 10 Pro Class Podiums and the Top Pro Junior Award.

With 11 Wins and almost 25 podiums already under its belt in 2011, including a clean sweep of both the Pro and the Ladies A Classes in the opening rounds of the CMRC Quebec Off-Road Series, the Husqvarna Canada squad is definitely on track for another great racing season!

In a true testament that the Husqvarna Invasion of Canada is in full swing, so far in 2011, local Husky racers, from Novices to seasoned Vet Pros, have already accumulated over 100 Podiums in Motocross, Off-Road, Ice Racing and Supermotard races across the country; including more than 45 Wins and 2 National Ice Racing Championships!
Husqvarna Canada would like to thank the BC Husky Dealers that showed up in full force to support us at Sun Peaks. The British Columbia Dealers include; Courtenay Motorsports, Diamond Head Yamaha, Four Season Motor Sports, International Motorsports, Pacific Yamaha BMW, Penticton Honda, RiverCity Cycle and Summit Power Tools.

We are very grateful to our many amazing sponsors that provide us with the outstanding support that has allowed us to help raise the bar in Canadian off-road racing. Without them, none of it would be possible.

Team Sponsors
Husqvarna Canada, Feeding Performance Inc., Motovan, Rekluse, Ogio, Oakley, 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, Super B Batteries, 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; Enduro MX in Québec City, FLM Sport in St- Jérôme-St-Antoine and RiverCity Cycle in Kamloops.
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 or to find a dealer near you, please visit www.husqvarnamotorcycle.ca and www.husqvarnaracing.ca

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