This weekend, on 21 and 22 June, Mežica is expecting 250 riders on a challenging course, with the thirteenth set of national championship medals and jerseys in the history of Slovenian enduro up for grabs.
The 13th season of the SloEnduro series will also see the 13th set of Slovenian National Enduro Championship medals and jerseys handed out. KK Pendalna, the organisers from Mežica, have earned a reputation for good and hard racing in a friendly atmosphere in just two editions of the SloEnduro Perkmandlc, and with the third edition they have also earned to host the national championship.
The Gorjanci and Perkmandlc races have changed order and status compared to last year – last year the national championship titles were awarded in Dolenjska, this year they will be defended in Koroška. This will also be the fifth round of the SloEnduro series this year, so the season may already be starting to unravel.
Competition
Vid Peršak (this year on team AON Racing – Tourne Campervans) is on the hunt for his ninth title. He first became national champion in 2015, since when he has only lost the title to Tadej Razpet (2016) and Jan Markič (2019). Markič is also returning, but Vid’s closest rival for the title will be Miha Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh), winner of the Gorjanci two weeks ago. He won his two SloEnduro overall titles as a junior, but does not yet have a national title among the elite. This time, Vid and Miha will not have to fight for the title with the fast juniors, nor with the foreigners, at least, there are quite a few Austrians registered. Among the Slovenian elite, David Ivartnik (Golovec Trails) was breathing down Smrdel’s neck in Gorjanci, Tim Jež (Kamplc Racing Team) had his moments, and Jan Polovšak (ŠKK Pendalna) could be dangerous on home terrain.
Last year’s women’s champion Maša Komel (this year on the 427 Savage Squad) will be missing, as she is focusing on downhill and has only competed in the first two rounds this year. The undisputed favourite and undefeated for some time is Nežka Libnik (KK Ravne na Koroškem). She was the U17 for the last two years.
There is certainly something to be said for the fact that the Koroška are fast on home terrain. This will be a chance for the defending junior champion Tian Pečnik (KK Ravne), who also won in Mežica last year, to confirm it again. But he won’t have an easy job, Ian Laharnar and Blaž Stres (both Kamplc) are more consistent, ahead of him on the leaderboard, while Maks Struna and Jakob Lorber (both KK Završnica), Van Prosenik (Golovec) and a few other rivals have already overtaken him in individual races.
It will be another intense race among the U17 men, where 49 riders are registered. Lenart Sever (KK Črn trn) has been the fastest of the Slovenians three times this year, Anže Bizjan (Golovec) has one win, and Aljaž Prosen (Kamplc) is just below the top all the time.
List of entries on prijavim.se
List of entries on prijavim.se
Course
Steep and in many places soft, these are the main features of the route above Mežica. The course will obviously remain dry, the last rainfall did not even come through the branches. But it will be at least a bit fresher than last weekend, probably below 25 degrees at the top of the course.
The Lost Goat special stage will be the main attraction. It’s been used in parts of the Enduro World Series and also in SloEnduro, but it’s never been raced from the top before. “This is one of the most brutal trails to race on in Slovenia,” promises Primož Doler, the event manager and course manager. He estimates the length at five minutes for the fastest riders, or even longer.
This will also be the Shimano SuperStage. The other three stages are known. The fact that a 1320 m elevation difference on a long course can be achieved with only four stages says something about the course.
More details about the course
For the Standings
To make sure it’s not just all or nothing, the national title or the woods, there are also the SloEnduro points. The second-to-last one this year.
This will be another race where Hungary’s Aron Babo and Slovakia’s Luboš Stano, the top riders after four races, will be missing. Smrdel should overtake them in the rankings after Perkmandlc. Currently, junior Laharnar is 140 points behind him, with Ivartnik 130 points further back. If Peršak, last year’s overall winner, keeps up his racing until the end of the season, he will have only three zeros, but he can still reach the top only in theory.
It’s similar in the men’s elite overall, where Smrdel is already ahead of Stano.
Among the women, Libnik is far ahead with 700 points ahead of Valentina Grendova, who will miss out again and should be overtaken by Neža Štern, who is now third.
Among the juniors, Laharnar can overtake Babo, and Stres and Pečnik can get closer.
Among the U17, Sever still has a safe lead, but it will be tense behind him, with the Italian Davide Zinutti, winner of the Gorjanci, coming in again, fifth with two races to go.
In the U15 it could be tense until the end, with 80 points separating Stres and Kovač in first and second place, and it is even closer in the youngest U13 category, where Anej Paranuk (TCS Gravity) and Vasilij Lavrenčič (Črn trn) are tied for the lead, with Vili Semenič (Črn trn) in third place, 40 points behind.
Standings after four races
Schedule
As usual, the training starts at 11:00 on Saturday and on Sunday the first rider will start from the Narodni dom at 9:30.
The exact start schedule for the stages will be announced on Saturday.
Live timing on Sunday
Trackside
The atmosphere is always good in Mežica, with teams and camper vans occupying all the major car parks in town, and the centre of the action being the Narodni dom hall and the neighbouring Komar bar. That’s where there will also be live music on Saturday night. On Sunday, the venue will also be well catered for, according to the hosts.
Here’s another »short« from Mežica
All details on SloEnduro Perkmandlc in propositions
