Australasian Dirt Bike — January 2018

172 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.au

interesting and technical tracks, and

getting the locals behind the event by

upping the promotion. This all costs

money, but the more riders and

spectators you attract, the more

sponsorship dollars you attract. But

what would the boys know?

POSITIVE OPENER

Politics aside, there were still a couple

of championships to be decided in

2017 and many of us Aussies probably

expected Phillips and Sanders to be

right up there battling in their

respective classes.

The season opener was positive. It

was held in the snowy landscapes of

Finland, with Phillips and Sanders

putting in solid rides. It was run

alongside a classic and long-running

Finnish enduro. With snow being

foreign to many, the locals dominated,

occupying all but one podium position

in the two premier classes.

On Day 1, Phillips took 4th behind

three Finnish riders, while Sanders

made a strong debut, placing 6th in E2

with only two non-Finnish riders ahead

of him. Day 2 was even better with

Phillips nabbing a 3rd and Sanders

riding to 6th again.

At the second round in Spain,

Phillips went 1-1, but Sanders

struggled, going 11-9. From there, it was

largely downhill. Chucky never

improved on sixth while Phillips only

podiumed on two other occasions.

Overall, Sanders finished 8th in E2

while Phillips was 4th in EGP.

Youngster Ben Kearns made his first

foray into EWC, finishing 20th in the

EJ class despite missing a few rounds.

Although Chucky has a two-year

deal, KTM’s rumoured exit from the

championship will put an end to that.

“I think there will be an announcement

soon,” he says. “I’m just looking

forward to getting home and just enjoy

riding a bike again.”

Phillips is definitely homeward

bound, with the Sherco rider calling

time on his EWC career after five

seasons. Partly it’s due to a desire to

return home, but it’s also due to his

frustration with the state of the

championship. “This is me giving the

FIM and ABC Promotions a kick up the

backside,” he says. “I’m not trying to rag

on the sport but I want it to be as great

as it can be. I want to go back in the

future and experience that high again.”

It was in Hungary where Phillips

believes his mind was made up. “We

went to look at the Tests and none of

them were ready. I was thinking, ‘man

this sucks.’ We drove back and heard

Argentina had been cancelled. I was

thinking, it can’t continue like this.”

But it wasn’t an easy decision. “This

is my job, my lifestyle and I’m going to

be leaving some of my best mates on the

other side of the world,” he says. “But I

didn’t want to continue with a half

effort. It wasn’t fair to my fans, my team

or myself. It’s time to freshen up and get

that flame burning higher again.”

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SERIES WRAP I ENDUROGP

“This is

my job, my

lifestyle

and I’m

going to

be leaving

some of my

best mates

on the other

side of the

world”

MATT PHILLIPS

Phillips claimed fourth in EGP

Sanders came eighth in E2

Sanders future in EnduroGP is uncertain