Australasian Dirt Bike – June 2019

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EXTREME WAYS


EXTREME ENDURO HAS become a big deal in recent years. The success of events like Erzberg and
Romaniacs has created a subculture out of enduro racing. Riders all over the world are pushing their
bikes and bodies to the absolute limits, apparently it’s all for fun. Australia is well represented in these
international races but we’ve been a bit behind the eight-ball in creating our own. It appears there’s a
mistaken notion that we don’t have the terrain that Europe does. Guess what, we do. And more and more
extreme events are popping up around the country. Wildwood Rock has been our premier event for a
number of years, but now it’s got some competition. In Broken Hill, the Mad Max Hard Enduro runs as part
of the Outback Challenge. Traditionally it was for cars, but bikes are now included to test themselves on
sandy creek beds, rocky gorges and shaley hills. Further south is the Kosciuszko Killer. Taking place near
Towong Upper, the ‘Killer’ is sanctioned by the Australian Motorcyclist Association and is part of the new
Grassroots Enduro series. Also part of that series is a GPS ride in Tasmania called the InsaneRide. And in
the Otways, Vic, is the Otway X-Treme KnockOut. It looks like extreme enduro is on the rise in Australia.
Let’s hope it continues and we can have our own internationally-recognised hard enduro series.


AMA GOES GLOBAL?
FANS OF AMA Supercross got a surprise when
the calendar for the 2020 season leaked online
with some remarkable changes. The series is set
to open on 7 December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
then to Qatar before hitting the States. There
are also rounds scheduled for Argentina, Brazil
and Mexico. All the usual haunts like Anaheim,
Daytona and Las Vegas remain, although the
Vegas round will now be held at the new Raiders
Stadium. Of course, it’s probably no coincidence
that this schedule was allegedly leaked on
1 April. And, as one keen observer pointed out, it
featured Anaheim 1 on 5 Jan, which is actually a
Sunday. Doesn’t sound right, does it? While we’re
sure the Saudis and the South Americans would
pay big dollars, I think it’s safe to say that this
calendar is a fake and that the series will remain
exclusively in North America for the near future.
Still, it is an FIM World Championship. How about a
round in Australia? Marvel Stadium anyone?

THANKS TO
YOU MIGHT THINK motocross riders have a
hard time looking after their sponsors, but
spare a thought for 17-year-old former dirt
tracker Billy van Eerde who is now road
racing in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in
Europe and CEV Junior World Moto 3
Championship in Spain, which started 28
April. The kid from Singleton, NSW, gets to
thank Voight Contracting Country Roads Age
Hire, Chris Watson Motorcycles, Velocity
Vehicle Care, Pole Position Travel, Power
Torque Engines, KYT Europe, Van Eerde Air
Conditioning [that would be mum and dad],
Knight Designs, Strand Fitness North Shore,
Coast and Country Computer Repairs, Steve
Suckling, Ayr Boring Company and Jon Hafey,
and that’s just the personal sponsors. Try
that without a teleprompter.

http://www.adbmag.com.au JUNE 2019| 21


Did you know that the fi rst issue of
ADB only cost $1? Funnily enough,
it was one of the more expensive
motorcycle magazines at the time.

By the


Numbers


53,359
Capacity of Marvel Stadium, venue
for November’s AUS-X Open

45
Years since Fox Racing was founded

10
World championships won by Stefan
Everts

18
Riders for the Crusty Demons series

34,841
Off-road motorcycles sold last year

Did you


know?


QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“During that time, there was a
good chance I wasn’t going to
ever ride or race again. From a
physical stand point, as well as
mentally, I was over it.”
Ken Roczen recalls his mindset while
recovering from his injuries
Free download pdf