Currently leading the GALFER Junior Enduro World Championship, Max Ahlin has his sights set on securing his first world title, having won three of the last four days of competition. Despite a difficult start to the season, Max has clearly settled in well with Team KTM Pro Racing Sport and has now found his rhythm, which he hopes to carry into the POLISPORT GP of Slovakia this weekend and beyond.
Max, you’re currently leading the Enduro Junior championship standings heading into round five after a brilliant season so far. Are you pleased to be on top at this crucial stage in the year?
Max Ahlin: “Definitely! It’s my first time ever leading the championship in all the years I’ve competed in EnduroGP, so it’s really exciting. The first two rounds were difficult, but the last two have been really good for me so I’m keen to keep working on that and building momentum.”
With three wins in the last four race days, did you expect to be so strong after a difficult start to the year in Portugal?
“Honestly, no. The competition is really strong this year, but I’m super happy that I could pull it off. I had a small shoulder injury in preseason which, combined with getting used to the new frame and bike from KTM, meant that I struggled to find a good rhythm in the first two rounds. We were still trying to find the right bike settings for me, and I was trying to gain more confidence in the suspension because I had lost nearly a month in preseason where I couldn’t ride or test the bike due to my injury.”
From the opening rounds in Portugal to now in Slovakia, have you changed the bike even more?
“Yes, but I feel a lot more confident in what I need to do for each race. My first race of the year was the first round of the world championship, which was difficult because the bike setup is so different to training, so I did struggle because of that. Now, I can play around with the settings a lot more and I know what works well. Also, I trust myself more now to try new things and see what difference it makes to the bike.”
In the Enduro Junior standings it’s a Swedish one-two currently with you and Axel Semb – you must be enjoying these battles with him?
“Yes, we are really good friends, especially since he has ridden a lot more enduro in the past two years. Riding the FIM 6DAYS® together was really cool too, and you become very close to your teammates. It’s fun to be battling it out for the win with him, and great for Sweden too!”
You seem to have taken a big step forward from 2023 – what has changed in your riding and confidence?
“It’s a combination of confidence and training differently. To get my first win of the season in Romania was amazing, it was a huge boost of confidence. I’ve also switched up my training over the winter and changed the bike. Just these few small things coming together though has made a huge difference.”
How is life in Italy with Team KTM Pro Racing Sport?
“It’s very different to Sweden, but they are taking really good care of me. If I need help with anything, they are there for me so it has made the transition to living in Italy a lot easier. In summer I’m based in Sweden, but over winter and for preseason I’ll be in Italy again. It’s hard to stay in Sweden in winter as you can imagine, and the places to ride in Italy are a lot better at that time so that’s why I split it like that.”
Between Swedish and Italian training, two opposite ends of the spectrum, do you feel covered for any sort of terrain?
“Pretty much. In Italy, you can actually find almost any sort of enduro terrain you’d like if you travel a bit which is great. Sweden is your typical forest-based enduro training which is very different to the Italian terrain.”
How are you finding the KTM 350 EXC-F?
“I really enjoy it! I was on the 350 last year and I did have some thoughts about moving down to the 250, but I’m happy I stuck with my decision because I’ve been able to continue working on my riding style and carry over all the progress I made last year.”
Enduro is a huge sport in Sweden and there have been many successful Swedish riders that have come before you. What would it mean to win the world championship for you?
“It would mean so much to me. Both Mikael Persson and Albin Elowson have been battling it out, as well as Albin Norrbin, of course, so it’s great to see so many Swedes competing at this top level of enduro. It would mean everything to join the list of Swedish enduro world champions and I’ll do all I can to achieve that.”
Both the POLISPORT GP of Slovakia and the ForSiteServices GP of Wales could work in your favour being quite forest-based. Are you looking forward to both?
“I’m really excited! I enjoyed racing in Slovakia last year and the goal for this weekend is of course to get the double win again. The tests look great so I can’t wait to get stuck in and hopefully they suit me quite well. I’ve seen some videos of the GP of Wales venue and it looks really similar to the terrain I train on at home, so I’m keen to race there.”
Round five of the 2024 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship kicks off tonight in Gelnica with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test.
Source : EnduroGP