The opening round of Italian Enduro Champs was held in linguaglossa, Sicily at the base of Europe’s largest active volcano, Mt Etna. Heavy rain leading up to the race left most of the track very wet and muddy, however the riders were fortunate that sun prevailed on the day of the race. For this race there was two enduro tests, one cross test and one extreme test. The cross test was mostly on a flat paddock that was very wet as all the springs from the mountain drained out onto it. On the first days there were some big mudholes in the cross test, and almost every rider got stuck at one point or another. On the first day the riders completed four laps of the 45 km course, the enduro and extreme tests are not timed on the first lap. The enduro tests were had a base of hard volcanic rock but were very muddy due to the rain.
Day One, Merriman said,