16 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auSOIL SAMPLE HOT OFF THE PRESS
KTM CLEANS UP
IT WAS AN-all orange affair at
the Hattah Desert Race, with
KTM riders Daniel Milner, Daniel
Sanders and Lyndon Snodgrass
piloting their 500EXC-Fs to
fi rst, second and third. The
victory marks Milner’s fi rst
overall in the gruelling sandfest
and was made even more
impressive by the fact the ADB
columnist hadn’t competed in
the event since 2012.
“The track was real tough; it
deteriorated really quick. The
last time I did it back in 2012
there was nowhere near as
many bikes, so it ended up
getting real deep bumps that
kicked you about. But it all
ended up working out
perfectly,” Milner said.“I had to do an extra fuel
stop compared to Chucky, but I
just got on his tail and pretty
much sat there until the last
two laps when it was go time,
and then put in a charge and
came away with the win. I’m
stoked with how I rode. I’d
never won this event.”
A Type One diabetic, Milner
says multi-hour, Hattah-style
races are tough for him. “I
really enjoy it and I’ve kind of
always wanted to, so I’m over
the moon with it, and being a
diabetic it’s probably the
toughest race that I could do.
“The big 500 was so strong
in the deep sand. It just sat up
on top and had enough power
that you could jump over someTHE HATTAH SAND PUT ON A HELL OF A
TRACK FOR THE 2018 EDITIONwhoops and get through some
stuff. I really enjoyed my day
and I’m looking forward to
coming back next year – even
though the race has only just
fi nished!”
EnduroGP competitor
Sanders made the long trip
home from Europe for the race.
“It’s good to be back, it’s such a
massive event,” Chucky said. “It
was a pretty rushed job for me,
and the prep wasn’t suffi cient,
but I just wanted to be here and
have a crack at it.
“I still had some jet lag coming
from Greece (EGP round 5) and I
just wasn’t fi t enough to swing
off it for four hours like me and
Tye [Simmonds] were last year.
Doing enduros you don’t hold
the heart rate at 170 for so long,
so that was a bit different.
Sanders opted for a bigger
tank and this gave him anadvantage. “I elected to run the
17-litre tank where the boys were
running the 12 so, off the start,
Milner pulled away, but when he
had to pit I took the lead and
held it for the fi rst six laps.
“Late in the race I just hit a
lapper and knocked myself silly.
He made a mistake and cut into
me. I couldn’t go anywhere and
I hit my head pretty hard. I
couldn’t remember the track
anymore, so I just kept cruising
around, tried to keep the pace
going and tried to fi nish.
“I’ve got a cranking headache
now, but I want to come back
again if I can do this properly.
Second place is always more
motivating than fi rst!”
It was Snodgrass’s eighth
Hattah and his best. “I’m stoked
on this! The KTM 500 EXC-F is
just a weapon, and defi nitely
the bike for this race ... it wasRace
news“I JUST GOT ON
HIS TAIL AND
PRETTY MUCH
SAT THERE UNTIL
THE LAST TWO
LAPS WHEN IT
WAS GO TIME”