The action was fierce in Sydney.
The sights, sounds and smells of the arena from late afternoon to the final race proved to be non-stop action, thrills and spills where even Australia’s top riders struggled to overcome what has been described as the finest Enduro-X track assembled down under.
The day was filled with some of the best riders and up and comers proving themselves in front of a packed crowd in the middle of Parramatta’s iconic Valvoline Raceway. Riders seen from all around Australia bringing with them some very diverse racing backgrounds, highly talented skill sets and colourful motorcycling careers endured the weather to provide us all with a great race under lights.
Mixed results throughout the finals saw riders gritting their teeth, battling fatigue and conquering arm pump to overcome mammoth obstacles which were more often than not, rain soaked nightmares covered in mud and sand.
The penultimate main event saw an unforgettable top ten shootout for rider placement at the gates. With the weather being the way it was, track conditions were unpredictable and so were rider times. Starting with a relatively dry track, each pro rider set off to make their mark and prove to the crowd that they would be the fastest. With a clear track ahead of them riders raced the clock at blinding speeds to chase down pole position. Toby Price took to the track in terrible conditions towards the end of the ten riders. Proving himself Toby made his mark by stomping out what was clearly the fastest lap of the night, made more impressive by the changed wet conditions.
The three pro class races to follow were none other than nail biting action. Mike Brown taking the hole shot in the first race with plenty of bar clashing and tyre scrubbing, with riders fighting their way to secure some championship points. The Fox rock pool taking no prisoners with even the pro’s struggling at times. American import Mike Brown pressured for the entire four laps by Toby Price who made a bold manoeuvre to take the lead across the final log section on the final lap. Unfortunately for Price, this didn’t stick, allowing Chris Hollis to take out second place in the first race leaving price third.
The second race saw privateer rider Beau Ralston take out the hole shot leading into the first corner. An impressive start none the less for the privateer, yet he was unable hold off a hard charging CDR YAMAHA mounted Chris Hollis who rode off to take the win ahead of Ralston who finished an amazing second. With Toby Price coming in third after battling through the pack with a disappointing start. With the American Mike Brown taking out sixth place, this was going to make some for serious last ditch racing with no clear leader in sight. All riders needed to make last race count.
The final race proved to be the night’s finest race. A hole shot from Chris Hollis saw him lead for a good section of the race. But he couldn’t fend of the Motorex KTM rider Toby Price who tackled the notorious Motul rock mountain better than anyone else to steal the lead. A consistent Peter Boyle managed to hold onto third position resulting in his best placement all night. The crowd screamed and cheered on all the riders throughout final the laps of the night.
As the rain came pouring down, the lap times came through and Chris Hollis was crowned the king of Sydney Enduro-X. An amazing back to back win by the CDR YAMAHA rider, taking out prize money and points at both in Rounds one and two. A solid final result for the KTM Motorex rider Toby Price, finishing the round with second place points and prize money. Reassuring the crowd he would prove to a more formidable force at the third and final round at Calder Park, Melbourne. American Enduro-X legend Mike Brown on the new Husqvarna rounded off the podium in third position. Announcing to the crowd that the quality of the track and speed of the Australian riders is up there with the best in the world. Brown also said he is looking forward to competing in the final round in Melbourne.
Expert Class proved to be a strong fight for all involved, with Nic Tomlinson #15 taking the win on his KTM powered machine. With an eight second lead over Tom Mason #61 who wasn’t able to catch first place but comfortably more than safe from Sam Rummery #338 who finished in third place.
In the juniors we saw Will Ruprecht #333 take the chequered flag over fellow riders Stuart Holt #783 and Jack Williams #716 who took second and third on the podium. Fierce riding was shown throughout the field with these up and coming young men who loved a handful of throttle and a screaming crowd.
With the women’s finals we watched as Tayla Jones #713 take almost a fifty second lead over second place come the final chequered flag. In second place we had Jess Gardiner #737 followed very closely by Jemma Wilson #601 to secure her spot on the podium. A slip up on the log matrix before the finish line caused a stir in the crowd who were cheering on these skilful ladies.
In the Clubman finals it was Ben Alfred #174 who managed to take the win with second and third place a photo finish across the tyre double. With only 200ths of a second between Tyler Bunyan #466 who had to settle for second place over Blake Hall #63 who came in third. A spectacular finish for all who witnessed this unfold.
Great effort was shown by all riders in the over 35 class. These guys proving to us all they’ve still got what it takes to endure such a physically demanding sport. A very determined Christian Horwood #48 took the win. With Owen Lock #56 taking second place on the podium and in third place Miller Hinds #83.
Rest assured the best is still yet to come with the final instalment of the 2014 KTM Australian Enduro-X nationals to be carried out at Melbourne’s Calder park raceway on Sunday the 2nd of March. It’s sure to a spectacle with all the big names in the Australian enduro scene lining up to do battle to take home the title of Australian Enduro-X champion.
