Giovanni Sala (motor sportsman)

Giovanni Sala (born November 23, 1963 in Bergamo ) is an Italian enduro athlete . He was multiple Italian enduro champion , enduro world champion and member of the victorious national team at the international six-day race .

Career

Giovanni Sala achieved his first success in enduro sport in 1981. He was Italian champion in the cadet class up to 125 cm³ on a Fantic . Then he switched to motocross . However, he was not very successful here, so that he returned to enduro racing in the early 1990s. In Arnaldo Farioli's team he was given the opportunity to work on a KTM in a professional environment.

In 1991 he was second in the Italian championship in the class up to 250 cc. In the same class he was third in the world championship. In 1992 he drove in the class up to 500 cc. He won the Italian championship and came second in the world championship. At the international six-day race, he won the trophy with the national team. He also won the class and overall rankings. In 1993 he was able to defend his national title. In addition, he won the world championship.

In 1994 he switched back to the 250 cc class. In the Italian championship he wins in his class as well as the overall ranking. Again he becomes world champion and in the international six-day race he wins the trophy with the national team. In the following year he was able to defend his successes in the Italian and World Cup. In 1996 he was again Italian class and overall winner. In the world championship he was second behind Paul Edmondson . At the Six Days in Finland he won the class and the overall classification.

In 1997 he again dominated the Italian championship with class and overall victory. Behind Stéphane Peterhansel , he was again second in the world championship. With the national team he won the international six-day race in the home race and was again class and overall winner. In 1998 he was class and overall winner in the world championship and in the Italian championship. Giovanni Sala won the individual classification at the six-day race in Australia. He finished second in the Pharaohs rally . He was also first at the Erzberg Rodeo . The following year he again defended his national title. In the world championship he competed for the first time with a 400 cc four-stroke KTM and won the class classification.

Giovanni Sala also won the Italian championship in 2000. With the national team he won the trophy at the international six-day race in Spain. In 2001 and 2002 he was again Italian champion. In the world championship he was fourth in the class up to 500 cm³ four-stroke in 2002. At the Dakar Rally he finished sixth overall. In 2003 he was on the road with a 250 cc four-stroke machine. This made him second in the Italian championship and in the world championship. At the international six-day race, he also came second with the national team in the trophy standings. The following year Giovanni Sala was again Italian champion. At the same time he drove his last season in the world championship and was eighth in the end.

In 2005 he finished second in the national championship. At the international six-day race in Slovakia, he and his team won the club classification. With a 450 cc four-stroke engine, he was again Italian champion in 2006. At the Dakar Rally he finished third with a KTM LC4.

In 2007 he played his last year in the Italian championship and finished sixth again.

Since the end of his active career he has been on the road for the FIM as a course inspector at the world championship races and the international six-day races. He also works for KTM in the area of ​​sports and adventure travel.

Most important successes

Italian champion

1992 (500 cm³), 1993-2002 (250 cm³), 2004 (250 cm³ 4T), 2006 (450 cm³ 4T)

Italian master of all classes

1994-1999

World Championship

1993 (500 cm³), 1994 (500 cm³), 1995 (500 cm³) (500 cm³), 1998 (500 cm³), 1999 (400 cm³ 4T)

International six-day trip

1992, 1994, 1997, 2000

literature

• Steffen Ottinger: “Around Zschopau. The story of a motorcycle off-road trip ", Volume 1 . Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft Marienberg, Marienberg 2004, ISBN 3-931770-49-4 , p. 138 ff .
• Steffen Ottinger: “Around Zschopau. The story of a motorcycle off-road trip ", Volume 2 . HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-036705-2 , p. 23 ff .

Web links

• Website by Giovanni Sala