Leatt revealed its 2023 range of dirt bike riding gear, including jerseys, pants, gloves, and helmets.

The jersey and pant collection feature bold graphics and vibrant colors, though there are a selection of relatively subdued black and white options.

Naturally, Leatt’s tops are designed to fit neck braces, and its pants make use of its signature Internal Knee Brace System. All Leatt helmets include its 360° turbine technology to reduce rotational acceleration and linear g-forces. They also come with a free pair of Leatt Velocity goggles.

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Leatt Announces 2023 Moto Range

Leatt® is thrilled to announce the launch of their new 2023 moto range – their sleekest, most stylish range to date. The new range includes a variety of unique designs in riding gear, helmets, and gloves, enabling you to go beyond in style in 2023! With the pandemic majorly restricting our freedom to move over the past two years, that is no longer the case; we are now able to go out again, explore, try new things, and go beyond what we did beforeon two wheels. With Leatt®, you can enjoy your time in the great outdoors.

THE 2023 RIDING GEAR COLLECTION

The Leatt® 2023 gear designs offer something for all riders, whether you are looking for bright vibrant colours or something more conservative, there is for sure a design you will like. The jerseys are light, have a breathable structure, and incorporates laser-cut ventilation to keep you cool while on the bike. Leatt® caters to all your fit needs with a variety of exceptionally comfortable materials, from tailored 360° stretch fits to 3D mesh materials that have a more relaxed fit. Elbows incorporate Brush Guard protection to help prevent snagging. All jerseys are made with comfort in mind to keep you focused on the task at hand while riding.

The pants are made from a light, breathable materials and were designed with durability at the forefront, as we all know, on the trails or at the track, riding pants need to be tough. All Leatt®s pants come with reinforced leather on the inner leg and the 5.5 has a multi-layered signature Internal Knee Brace System (IKS); this reduces wear and tear in the critical areas. If you are looking for something that offers, great quality, design, and value, the 3.5 ride kit is a jersey and pant packaged together. So get ready to get out there and enjoy the freedom of the outdoors. The 5.5, 4.5, and 3.5 ride kits will keep you looking stylish, ventilated, and protected.

THE 2023 HELMET COLLECTION

Leatt® continue to offer FREE Velocity goggles with all 9.5, 8.5 and 7.5 helmets. Stunning new designs including an additional 9.5 to give an option of stealth or white carbon. Protection is the foundation of Leatt®, which is why all helmets have 360° turbine technology, this features soft discs which are lined throughout the helmet constructed from an energy-absorption material and shape. This technology has two advantages; it reduces peak brain rotational acceleration of the head and brain by up to 40%. And secondly, it reduces peak brain acceleration by up to 30%. Both potentially help to reduce the risk of concussion and therefore helps improve the impact protection. The sleek helmet designs allow for excellent ventilation and are DOT & ECE certified – allowing you to enjoy the ride. The inner helmet liners are made with moisture-wicking, washable and breathable materials to keep you cool and the Pro-Fit modulating comfort liner stretches over your head to provide superior comfort and stability. Leatt®s helmets are also designed for optimal neck brace compatibility and comes paired with a FREE matching goggle and a visor extender.

THE 2023 GLOVE COLLECTION

The 2023 glove range will provide a choice that can provide, ultimate feel and protection. The 3.5 lite, 2.5 x-flow, and 1.5 GripR offer your hands unbeaten grip and feel on the bars in both dry and wet conditions. Our gloves incorporate a new stretch stitch thread for improved seam strength to avoid your fingers breaking through the tip of the finger as well as using the FormFit pattern that follows your fingers contour for better grip and comfort. The stretch material on the back of the hand offers excellent airflow and is lightweight. In addition, for those looking for more protection with its Impact gel for your knuckles, check out our 3.5 lite gloves.

With the exciting new range, Leatt® are excited to provide you with gear that will make you feel confident, so you can go beyond what you have before on two wheels. With the new designs of helmets, riding gear, and gloves, you will be looking styling while out on the track or the trails. Leatt® is proud to keep you protected so you can enjoy the outdoors safely.

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Kailub Russell Goes Out a Champ

Rancho Cucamonga: Champions dream of retiring on top, but few pull it off. Kailub Russell is an exception. The KTM factory rider won nine races this year to win his eighth consecutive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) title, and called it a career.

A longtime Dunlop rider, Russell has had a storied off-road career; two-time ISDE gold medalist; two-time Full Gas Sprint Enduro Pro Champion; AMA National Enduro Champion; record-setting GNCC racer who amassed 67 premier class wins en route to eight championships.

One of the secrets to Russell’s success is his tire combination, one he rarely changes despite the huge variety of gnarly terrain and conditions encountered in GNCC racing. Up front, he normally runs the Geomax® MX33, and in back a Geomax AT81—the same tires available to the public.

“The MX33 front gives me control and the feeling I’m looking for in every type of terrain we come across,” says Russell. “And the AT81 is a great all-around tire for the variety of different surfaces of dirt we find during a race. Most races always have some soft terrain along with very slippery hard pack and this tire allows me to find the most traction the track has to offer. There’s an advantage in knowing you have the best tires on the track no matter what the terrain. That gives me the most comfort and confidence in my line choices.”

“Kailub Russell is one of the greatest off-road riders in history, and it’s great to see him finish his long and decorated career as a champion,” said Mike Buckley, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing. “Big congratulations to Kailub from all his friends and fans at Dunlop.”

About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires

Dunlop is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S.A. For more information, visit: www.DunlopMotorcycleTires.com

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The Erzberg Rodeo is one of, if not the craziest off-road motorcycle races in the world. In fact, it’s more about survival and completing the race than it is about being the first one to cross the finish line. Although, that obviously comes with its own set of bragging rights. Of 2,000 riders, only 500 would qualify, and only 23 would actually finish… That’s not a typo, you read that right, and this year Alta threw its hat in the ring. Why? Well, because why not. They’re trying to build dirtbikes to compete with the highest-level performing gas-powered bikes, and the Erzberg Rodeo is just about the toughest course you could put any bike through. Read all about it below!

Alta:

Despite numerous challenges and setbacks, Alta Factory Racing team riders, Ty Tremaine and Lyndon Poskitt, both qualified for the main event.

Eisenerz, Austria, June 4, 2018 – Alta Motors, the leader in performance electric motorcycles, made two-wheel history as the first electric motorcycle factory race team to qualify for the Erzberg Rodeo. Ty Tremaine and Lyndon Poskitt rode the next generation of Alta’s popular off-road Redshift against gas-bike competitors. By qualifying 48th and 113th for the Erzberg Rodeo, Alta proved that its electric motorcycles are fully capable of competing at the most demanding level and qualified on the front row.

Rookie to Erzberg, Alta had a lot to learn in attempting to compete in the hardest enduro in the world. While en route to the event, one of the team’s race vans was burglarized and the culprits made off with two bikes and a significant amount of race equipment. Despite this major setback, the team stayed the course and still fielded both riders in the Prologue by sharing the two bikes originally set up for Ty. With no provision for pre-running the event, Alta’s critical first run in the Prologue qualifying event disappointed the team with an overheated motorcycle and improper gearing. Even with these adverse problems, Ty placed 43rd out of a field of 1,500 competitors on the first day. On the second, Ty and Lyndon fared much better with Ty moving up for a 35th place finish against the best hard enduro riders in the world.

Although Lyndon qualified for the main, he did not compete due to the stolen motorcycles and equipment. Unfamiliar with the starting procedure, Ty had a poor start off the line and initially trailed the pack, but quickly exploited the Alta Redshift’s performance and gained spots back, placing him amongst the top 20. But the Iron Mountain proved to be as treacherous as its reputation. With an off-course misstep during the confusing forest section and the hard charge to make up for the starting line glitch, Ty fell short of the planned battery swap site and had to retire.

“I was totally caught off guard at race start, but the Alta worked great and I made up a lot of spots quickly. The bike climbed super well and I got right back into it. I followed Paul Bolton, learned from his lines, and at one point I actually passed Graham Jarvis. The woods were the biggest surprise for me. They were super tricky and I found myself off course for a bit. I was disappointed when I ran out of power just before our planned battery swap point at Machine,” commented Ty Tremaine. “I learned a lot about the Iron Mountain and I know that I am ready for this level and so is the bike.”

“It’s disappointing that our planned battery swap strategy came up short at our first Erzberg Rodeo. We’ve learned a lot about the course and collected the required data to plan for next year’s swap strategy and optimize the software on the Alta Redshift,” said Alta Motors Chief Technical Officer and co-founder, Derek Dorresteyn. “We choose to race the hardest possible race, so we can continue to develop the most intuitive, capable motorcycle ever made. We built the Redshift to compete head-to-head with the best gas bikes in the most brutal environments. Today we did that, there is nothing but upside for electric motorcycles in professional racing.”

About Erzberg Rodeo

The flagship of World Enduro Super Series, Erzberg Rodeo is a 35 km race in the mountains of Austria where riders attempt to summit unbelievably steep hill climbs and daunting rock beds. Almost 2,000 riders attempt to qualify for 500 starting slots in the main event. Consistent with previous years’ results, only 23 competitors finished this year’s main event.

erzbergrodeo.at

About Alta Motors

Alta Motors is a global leader in lightweight electric vehicles with a proprietary mobility platform that offers new levels of power density and economics. It leads the industry with a complete portfolio of battery and drivetrain components, an existing fleet of lightweight vehicles manufactured at its world-class Brisbane, California, facility and a full customer backlog. Alta’s award-winning Redshift platform is now available to riders at over 50 U.S. dealerships across the United States. Please visit us at:

altamotors.co

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Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jarvis Claims
Fourth Victory at Austrian Hard Enduro

June 3, 2018 – Riding a fast yet calculated race, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Graham Jarvis has won the 2018 Erzbergrodeo Hare Scramble, round two of the 2018 World Enduro Super Series. Early leader Billy Bolt placed a courageous fifth with team-mate Colton Haaker 12th despite some crashes during the race.

Reinforcing his reputation as the best hard enduro rider of all time, Jarvis paced himself perfectly throughout the grueling race to arrive at the finish 41 seconds ahead of eventual runner-up Jonny Walker. Starting off in his usual steady style, the 43-year-old soon began to pick off the competition, eventually taking the lead at around one-hour and 45-minute mark at the unbelievably challenging climb named Green Hell.

From there Jarvis never looked back, the subsequent obstacles offering no major challenges. Despite a late charge from eventual runner-up Walker, Jarvis crossed the line in front and secured his fourth victory at the event.

Early leader Billy Bolt rode a brave race, ultimately finishing in a strong fifth position to claim important World Enduro Super Series points in the process. The young Brit was the second rider to arrive at the treacherous Green Hell section, but after offering help to a fellow competitor Billy expended a little too much energy with a small mistake dropping him back down to the bottom of the hill. Finally clearing the obstacle, the XL Lagares winner carried on successfully to the finish – arriving exhausted but in good spirits. Bolt now lies equal second in the WESS Championship standings, tied with team-mate Jarvis.

Colton Haaker pushed hard right from the start, clearing the first corner in second place. Battling with the front runners, a small mistake cost him some time and Colton was forced to ease off his pace and aim for a solid finish. Arriving at the checkered flag battered and bruised in 12th place, Haaker was happy with his result.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to competition on June 8/9/10 at the Trefle Lozerien enduro in France.

Graham Jarvis: “I can’t believe it, I am so happy to take the win. I started off pretty steady and as the dust was so bad it was a little dangerous to push on too much. After a few difficult hills I started to get into more of a rhythm and I was feeling good as I came into Carl’s Dinner. As I started to catch the guys in front I knew that I had a chance to take the win. Green Hell was tough, I would have liked to have ridden a little further up as I had to push quite a lot. I just hung on, despite cramping up in my arms. To cross the finish line first feels amazing.”

Billy Bolt: “That was such a tough race, I am happy with fifth but feel I could have done more. The beginning of the race went really well, I was feeling good and made up a lot of time on the others. I got to the Green Hell section but my arms were so dead by that point I knew I would struggle to get up there on my own. I helped Manni first and then came back for my own bike. I think I pushed to hard too early and had nothing left towards the end. I’ll definitely learn from the experience and come back stronger next year.”

Colton Haaker: “I had a really strong start but things got tough in the middle of the race. After qualifying first in the Prologue I set off right from the inside at the start, it was such a nice advantage to get out in front here at Erzberg. Unfortunately, I made a couple of mistakes and from about a quarter of the way into the race I was just trying to survive and make the finish. I had a couple of tumbles into some big rocks but luckily was able to keep going. I’m not quite where I want to be, but I’m glad to make the finish and I’ll train even harder for next year.”

Results – World Enduro Super Series, Round 2, Erzbergrodeo Hare Scramble

1. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 2:05:59
2. Jonny Walker (KTM) +0:41
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) +3:03
4. Wade Young (Sherco) +15:45
5. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) +24:04
6. Travis Teasdale (Beta) +32:50
12. Colton Haaker (Husqvarna) +53:34

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The Johansson Yamaha Official Junior Enduro Team are pleased to confirm the signing of Albin Elowson, with the up and coming youngster set to contest the 2018 FIM Enduro World Championship aboard the team’s Yamaha WR250F machine. A standout performer in the previous two seasons of Enduro World Championship competition, the 22-year-old Swede has his eyes set on the top step of the Enduro Junior class podium in the rapidly approaching 2018 series.

Kicking off his participation in the Enduro World Championship with an impressive runner-up position in the Youth Class in 2014, Elowson has secured two more top three championship results during the previous two season. Runner-up in the under-23 Enduro Junior category in 2016, the young Swede battled through injuries to wrap up the 2017 season in a solid third place.

“I couldn’t be happier with how things are moving forward,” Elowson said. “I believe that to become a member of the Johansson Yamaha Official Junior Enduro Team is a big step forward in my career. Being a member of Yamaha’s official team in the Enduro Junior class will now allow me to totally focus on my goal of becoming a World Champion. In 2016 I was a runner-up in the championship and then last year, despite missing five race days due to injury, I managed to get third in the series. For the coming season, I want to battle for the title in Enduro Junior. I’ve worked hard during the off-season, and I will keep doing my best in the weeks leading to the start of the season. My training has been going great so far, and my goal for the season is to consistently secure a spot inside the top three in my class. I’ve been training on the team’s WR250F for some time already, and it’s impressive how the bike handles. The feeling in corners and jumps is completely new to me, and its power is great for a 250F. For me, this is the best race bike I’ve ever ridden.”

Remaining focused on youth rider development, the Johansson Yamaha Official Junior Enduro Team are looking forward to entering the 2018 series with Albin Elowson as their lead rider. Managed by former WEC competitor Joakim Johansson, the Swedish-based team will be Yamaha’s official representative in the Enduro Junior category for yet one more season.

“We are excited for this new season,” Johansson said. “It is not easy to find riders that are 100-percent dedicated to winning, but Albin is one of them. He wakes up in the morning doing his best to get better and improve. We spent a whole week together when he was starting his pre-season training in Spain, and we were impressed by his professionalism. We are all looking forward to the new series. Based on the latest edition of the WR250F, we have a new bike that we’ve developed over the winter. Albin is really satisfied with the progress, and he will keep working hard in order to get as much seat time as possible before the beginning of the racing season. It is a little bit disappointing that Junior class riders won’t contest the opening round in Finland, but It is what it is and we will focus on the remainder of the championship. Together with the World Championship, Albin will contest the Swedish Enduro Championship and selected events such as the Gotland Grand National and the Novemberkåsan. Those are special events with thousands of fans attending them every year. Albin will return to the Novemberkåsan as the reigning champion, and this is going to be a very important race for us. As for the World Championship, our goal is clear–we want to win the title in the Junior class and we will do our best to make it happen.”

With the 2018 FIM Enduro World Championship officially kicking off in Finland in March, Enduro Junior class riders will join the series for the first time at the second round in Spain in April. Featuring a total of six rounds and twelve race days in varied terrain and conditions, the Enduro Junior World Championship is expected to be challenging for all competitors.

2018 FIM EnduroGP World Championship Schedule
Round 1 – 17/18 March: GP of Finland (Helsinki – Paijanne) [No Enduro Junior]
Round 2 – 29/29 April: GP of Spain (Santiago de Compostela)
Round 3 – 4/6 May: GP of Portugal (Castelo Branco)
Round 4 – 1/3 June: GP of Estonia (Tallinn)
Round 5 – 29/30 June: GP of Trentino (Arco di Trento) [No Enduro Junior]
Round 6 – 31 August/2 September: GP of Italy (Edolo)
Round 7 – 22/23 September: GP of United Kingdom (Hawkstone Park)
Round 8 – 12/14 October: GP of Germany (Woltersdorf)

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Kenda Brings the Extreme in 2018!

Kenda comes on board as the title sponsor of the Rev Limiter Extreme Enduro Series for 2018. The series kicks off this January 13-14th in Decatur, Texas. The Extreme course layout makes sure to include some of the roughest terrain in the State, guaranteed to test even the toughest riders. Race organizers Mark Koch and Mark Weeks wanted to make a difference in the race scene, so they began putting together EPIC events, and not just for the riders! The organizers bring the spectators up close and even into the action! The Kenda RevLimiter is one of the most extreme enduro races on the scene and brings excitement for racers and fans alike.

Kenda’s Director of Powersports, Jason Baldwin is ready to take on the challenge. He will be gearing up for Round 1 of the series in Decatur, TX. Putting himself and his Kenda tires through some gnarly challenges… check @KendaTire to see how he does!

AMERICAN KENDA RUBBER IND., CO., LTD.
7095 Americana Parkway | Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 USA
Phone: 614.866.9803 | Fax: 614.866.9805 | Web: KendaTire.com
Powersports.KendaTire.com

ABOUT KENDA TIRES
Since it was founded in 1962, Kenda has operated under the core values of Honesty, Innovation, Quality, and Customer Service. Over the years, Kenda has continued to develop and expand its product offering to meet changing market demands. Today, Kenda is one of the world’s leading tire and tube manufacturers for automotive, motorcycle, ATV, bicycle, wheelchair, golf cart, lawn care equipment, trailer, skid loader, and agricultural vehicles. With factories all over the world, Kenda is able to provide quality products to suit a wide variety of applications.

For more information on the 2018 Kenda Rev Limiter Extreme Enduro Series, visit www.kendatire.com.

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The 2017 Red Bull Hard Enduro season began with the Red Bull Minas Riders event in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. The race came down to three riders, including hard enduro god Graham Jarvis, defending event champion Alfredo Gomez and former FIM and AMA EnduroCross Champion Cody Webb. Jarvis would take the win over Webb and Gomez.

From there the Red Bull Hard Enduro season headed to one of the most famous of all hard enduro locales, Erzberg, Austria, for the Red Bull Hare Scramble at the Erzberg Rodeo. Even with 500 riders filling the grid, the battle for the win once again came down to Gomez, Jarvis and Webb, with Gomez stepping up to collect his second career Red Bull Hare Scramble victory.

Sibiu, Romania, provided the backdrop for the hellishly gruelling Red Bull Romaniacs, an event that got the better of many of the sport’s top stars, such as Gomez, Wade Young and Jonny Walker, who all suffered injuries and had to exit the race early. Jarvis, meanwhile, had no trouble and cruised to his fifth career Red Bull Romaniacs win.

Red Bull 111 Megawatt in Poland was next, and it delivered a thrilling finish as Walker barely held off Red Bull Romaniacs runner-up Mario Roman to claim a third Red Bull 111 Megawatt title. Roman very nearly caught Walker right at the end of the race, only to come up short. Jarvis was third.

Jarvis then came back to win the Red Bull Sea To Sky hard enduro in Turkey in memorable fashion, passing Young on the final climb after crashing earlier in the race and braking a clutch lever.

The Red Bull Roof of Africa hard enduro in Lesotho, South Africa, closed out the 2017 Red Bull Hard Enduro season, and local riders Wade Young and Travis Teasdale battled for the win. Teasdale would crash, giving young the breathing room he needed to claim his third Roof of Africa title.

With these events and more returning as part of the an even more interesting year for the world’s top hard enduro stars.

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Husqvarna Motorcycles are pleased to announce that they will officially participate in the 2018 World Enduro Super Series, which begins in May with Extreme XL Lagares.

Fielding a four-rider team, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will be represented by Graham Jarvis, Colton Haaker, Alfredo Gomez and Billy Bolt with all riders contesting the new eight-round WESS championship during 2018.

With the WESS offering an exciting blend of enduro competitions, as a mixed discipline series, Husqvarna look forward to the prospect of their official riders competing in widely varied events in one exciting, new championship.

With the eight events set to bring together many thousands of competitors during the course of the championship, the World Enduro Super Series will also attract high numbers of spectators to each event, which will allow Husqvarna to extensively engage with race fans and end consumers. In addition, the WESS will benefit from extensive TV, web and print media exposure ensuring high levels of visibility.

About WESS
The World Enduro Super Series is an eight-round multi-discipline enduro championship for professional and amateurs alike. Combining Hard Enduro, Classic Enduro, Cross-Country and Beach Racing, the series will feature many of the world’s most well-established and well-supported events.

Requiring riders to showcase a wide range of skills and techniques, the WESS will provide a complete test of all competitor’s abilities, with the series’ winner crowned the Ultimate Enduro Champion.

The 2018 World Enduro Super Series will begin on May 11th with the Extreme XL Lagares in Portugal. The championship will then take in the ErzbergRodeo (Austria), Le Trefle Lozerien AMV (France), Romaniacs (Romania), Megawatt (Poland), Gotland Grand National (Sweden) and one, as yet unannounced, additional event before finishing with the Knock Out Beach Race in The Netherlands on November 10th.

Diego Clement – Head of Motorsport at Husqvarna Motorcycles: “We are very pleased to announce that Husqvarna Motorcycles confirm their new direction by participating in the 2018 World Enduro Super Series. For Husqvarna, we feel that the WESS offers an exciting blend of enduro competitions, while still holding firm many of the true values of enduro sport. The series acknowledges the recent growth and popularity in cross-country and hard enduro competition, while also valuing classic enduro and beach racing. Bringing together a mixture of disciplines under one championship ensures that all aspects of enduro are addressed and that to win this series a rider must be a true all-rounder. For Husqvarna to be present at mass participation races is also important for us, it ensures that we can directly engage and interact with our valued customer and fan base. Finally, we wish the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team the very best of luck and success in WESS 2018.”

Andi Hoelzl – Team Manager Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing: “Competing in the World Enduro Super Series offers an exciting new challenge for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team in 2018. As a mixed discipline series, both the style of events and type of terrain on offer for next year ensure a complete test to our riders. Some events will favour one rider, another event will be better for a different rider, which adds an unpredictable outcome to each race. The WESS will entice competitors to step outside of their comfort zone if they are to become the Ultimate Enduro Champion. For Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing we have a rider line-up that is capable of challenging for victory at each round. All riders are focused on ending the series as the inaugural WESS champion.”

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The Hard Enduro season is over. There have been 16 races scored in the World Hard Enduro Series (WHES) around the globe. The Sherco Factory has been the great protagonist.

Román had to wait for the last race in Peru to get the trophy at El Inka Hard Enduro. Graham Jarvis, the 2016 WHES winner, finished second and Wade Young third in the final Ranking.

“It has been a great award for this season in which I have worked extensively,” Mario said. “Although it is not a FIM title for me it has the same validity, the World Hard Enduro Series has been a great initiative for our sport.”

The WHES finishes its activity now. There will be no 2018 edition.

Final Ranking WHES 2017
1. Mario Román-189
2. Graham Jarvis-173
3. Wade Young-164
4. Alfredo Gómez-92
5. Travis Teasdale-89

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Some 75 miles of gnarly, rocky, fresh-cut single-track awaited, and although the unusually warm and dusty conditions provided an additional element of difficulty, the challenging terrain provided an epic day of racing (or in most cases, sheer survival).

In the end, GasGas rider Noah Kepple was able to emerge victorious after a daylong battle with Justin Morgan and Eric Yorba. Kepple was excited to claim the Tecate Enduro win two years in a row,

“Back to back! I’m really excited to come across the line with the win and to go two years in a row,” Kepple said. ““Los Ancianos down here puts on a really good course for all us to test our skills on. So having it be so rocky definitely played to my advantage. It was an awesome day.”

Kepple and his dad had quite a bit of modifying to do to his Gas Gas EC 300 before it was ready to take on the 2017 Tecate Enduro. No gas stop between the first and second loops (50 miles in total) meant he had to figure out a way to carry a lot more fuel than his stock 2.7-gallon tank would allow. Gary Kepple (Noah’s father) explained how he poured boiling water in the fuel tank and expanded it to 3.5-gallons (don’t try this at home!), then also affixed two liter bottles behind the number plate, and more in Kepple’s pack to go the full distance. The garage ingenuity proved effective, as did several other mods, which included a custom-cut rear tire, installing a radiator fan and fabricating a few copper cooling fins on the rear brake.

The preparation paid off, especially on the third Tecate Enduro loop, which put riders through the wringer.

“The third test was the typical Los Ancianos—they’re just testing us all,” Kepple said. “That was probably the hardest third loop that they’ve ever had down here, or that I’ve ever raced.”

The relentless tight trail littered with rock faces, hill-climbs, tricky descents and waterfalls dealt out a punishing day, challenging most to simply finish it, let alone race it.

Justin Morgan and Eric Yorba kept Kepple honest throughout the day, and the first two loops were fairly close, with Kepple taking the first and Morgan topping the second. The third didn’t start out so well for Yorba, who had a hard get-off in the first few turns.

“Unfortunately Eric had a decent crash in the dust and Justin had to stop for him for a little bit,” Kepple said. “That’s what’s so awesome about the sportsmanship down here. Justin is an awesome person and so is Eric.”

“He was fine,” Morgan assured. “I think he banged himself up pretty good, but it was really dusty.”

The dust made the starts all the more crucial, especially on the tight track where there was little room to pass in the first place. Jockeying for an early lead was key, and the trio knew they were in for some close racing when they were all put on the same row.

“They had us three on the first line, which was pretty cool,” Morgan said. “We were definitely expected to have a close race. It was a lot of fun.”

Morgan had less than an hour on his new Honda CRF450RX coming into the race, but put in a solid effort to claim second overall, about six minutes behind Kepple in the end. Yorba’s crash in the final test took its toll, and although he soldiered on, he yielded the final podium position to Dustin McCarthy, ending his day fourth. Fifth overall went to Kevin DeJongh, who was the first Open rider.

Kellon Walch made the top-10, finishing ninth overall as first Vet finisher. Alexander Smith raced the event yet again, this time with the support of his father Malcolm Smith, who made the trip to Baja for the race. Another notable finisher was Larry Roeseler, a former champion of multiple Los Ancianos Tecate races. “LR” took on the 50+ class and nearly won it, but yielded the lead to Grant Palenske on the third loop.

Full results from the 2017 Tecate Enduro will be available at http://www.losancianos.com/.

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