Australia’s Daniel Sanders faced a challenging entrance into the FIM Maxxis EnduroGP World Championship as he made his debut in the Enduro 2 category with the KTM Enduro Factory Racing team.

The two-day event held in Finland served up a mixture of tough and freezing conditions, forcing the world championship newcomer to quickly adapt to terrain he was yet to come across in his young career.

“I always knew that this weekend was going to be a huge learning experience and it was,” said Sanders. “I’ve really enjoyed the challenge, but the conditions have been really tough. With the team we did some great training but racing in the ice, mud, water and rocks is unlike anything I’ve done before.”

Aboard his factory KTM 250 EXC, the Victorian rider was able to put together two consistent sixth-place results over the weekend of racing, a satisfying start to a new chapter of racing on the world stage.

“I rode as hard as I could on both days,” he added. “I scored some good points so I’m pleased enough to come away from the event with two decent finishes.”

Sanders currently sits seventh overall in the Enduro 2 championship standings with eight rounds remaining on the 2017 FIM Maxxis EnduroGP World Championship calendar.