With the highly anticipated start of the ’10 FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship just days away the Husaberg Enduro Factory Racing Team are ready and waiting for what will undoubtedly be an exciting season for all team riders.

With the eight rounds of the ’10 EWC series ahead of them, including the new for ’10 GP of Turkey, each of the team’s five official riders is primed for their action-packed 16-day EWC adventure.Husaberg’s stand out performer in last year’s EWC series was Enduro 2 class rider Joakim Ljunggren.

Already a two-time title winner in the compet itive Enduro Junior class, Joakim proved that he is unquestionably among the world elite enduro racers. With superb performances in all rounds of this winter’s Indoor Enduro World Cup Sweden’s #1 enduro racer has his sights set on another great championship campaign in ’10.

Remaining in the same class and having spent the past five weeks training in Spain ahead of the season opener, Joakim knows he will need to perform at his very best throughout the year if he is to repeat the third place result he achieved in the Enduro 2 class last season.Team-mate to Ljunggren in the Enduro 2 class will again be Finland’s Valtteri Salonen. Fully aware of just how tough the E2 class will be in ’10 Valtteri has opted to race aboard Husaberg’s FE 390, something he believes will allow him to not only enjoy the demanding EWC races more but also aid his competitiveness.With Husaberg’s long-standing world championship campaigner Bjorne Carlsson retiring from international competition at the end of ’10 the time was right for Husaberg to find a new Enduro 3 class competitor. The rider Husaberg have opted to represent them in the ‘big bike’ class is their ’09 Enduro Junior world champion Oriol Mena.

Despite his ’09 EWC season coming to a frustrating and painful end when he broke his collarbone at the GP of Greece, Oriol showed during the first half of the season that he has all the required attributes to challenge the experienced E3 class campaigners this year.With Ljunggren, Salonen and Mena existing members of the Husaberg Enduro Factory Racing Team, ’10 sees the arrival of Frenchman Benoit Fortunato who will spearhead the team’s continued presence in the Enduro Junior class.

With Husaberg having enjoyed numerous successes in the EJ class thanks to the efforts of Joakim Ljunggren in ’06 and ’07 and Oriol Mena last year Benoit starts the ’10 season with one clear goal – to try and bring more Enduro Junior class success to Husaberg.

But ’10 will be a demanding year for the young Frenchman. As well as becoming a factory team rider for the first time ever, Benoit competes on four-stroke machinery for the first time, as well as continuing to learn English so as to better communicate with all within the EWC paddock. Second in the EJ class last year behind Mena, Benoit is confident that he can go one better in &l squo;10