Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Graham Jarvis is an off-road racing legend, and he added to his Sunday by earning another win at the 2017 Hell’s Gate Extreme Enduro in Tuscany, Italy.

The win was Jarvis fifth at Hell’s Gate, but it took the British rider three years to earn that record-breaking accomplishment, his last coming in the 2014 edition of Hell’s Gate. He completed the 14-lap, ball-busting enduro in 3 hours, 8 minutes and 23 seconds, more than 4 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Travis Teasdale. Wade Young was third.

Jarvis was strong right out of the truck, topping the five-lap qualifying race to earn the number-one starting spot for the main event. However, Sherco-backed Young took the early lead in the main. When Young was forced to pit to change a broken wheel, Jarvis passed him for the lead and was never headed. Jarvis had the race well in control past the 2-hour mark, and he was able to maintain a strong pace all the way to the finish, followed by Teasdale, Young and Sherco rider Mario Roman.

“It’s been a great event for me,” Jarvis said. “Winning the morning qualifying race was a bit of a surprise. I just made sure I didn’t make any mistakes and that was good enough to get the win. In the main race I got a good start but dropped behind Wade Young, who was running a really strong pace. He had some kind of a problem then, which allowed me to get ahead. I just kept a steady pace going then and things worked out great. There was a lot more man-made sections this year, which isn’t really my things. But to get a fifth Hell’s Gate win is great.”

2017 Hell’s Gate Extreme Enduro
Tuscany, Italy
Results: February 19. 2017

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Overall
1. Graham Jarvis-Hus/3:08:23 (14 laps)
2. Travis Teasdale-KTM/3:12:34 (14 laps)
3. Wade Young=She/3:13:42; (14 laps)
4. Mario Roman=She/3:17:01 (14 laps)
5. Philipp Bertl-Bet/(13 laps)

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HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH GRAHAM JARVIS
EXTREME ENDURO STAR TO STAY WITH HUSQVARNA FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS

Husqvarna Motorcycles is pleased to announce the renewal of their contract with Graham Jarvis – an agreement that will see the British rider continue to lead the efforts of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing extreme enduro team during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Remaining on top of his game, the 41-year-old Brit is currently enjoying one of the most successful seasons of his extreme enduro career. Starting 2016 with a runner-up result at Minas Riders in Brazil, Graham put in two dominant performances to secure a third win at Erzberg and a record-breaking fifth career victory at Romaniacs.

Following a tight race schedule Graham is now set to fight for victory at The Battle of Vikings, in Sweden, before heading to the States for the 2016 Tennessee Knock Out extreme enduro event.

Andreas Hölzl – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager: “We’re excited to renew our contract with Graham for another two seasons. He will continue racing our team’s TE 300 in the biggest extreme enduro events worldwide. Carrying a huge amount of experience in extreme enduro racing, Graham is still very fast compared to many of the younger riders, which he proved that this year at both Erzberg and Romaniacs. With Graham age really is just a number. I think Graham has a lot more to give and will continue to surprise us with his performances in the future.”

Graham Jarvis: “It’s fantastic that I’m going to race with Husqvarna for another two years. The new TE 300 is an amazing machine. I’ve been racing it for a few months and already I’ve earned two major wins on it – Erzberg and Romaniacs. Within Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing I feel like I’m part of a global team. My focus is on the big outdoor extreme enduro events, while I’ll also be trying to squeeze in as many other races as possible. I feel like I’m in the best place right now and I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”

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The following is from Husqvarna:

Battling their way to the end of a long and demanding day’s racing, Graham Jarvis and Mario Roman raced their Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing TE 300s to second and third overall at the 13th edition of Hell’s Gate Extreme Enduro in Italy, on February 6.

Despite this year’s running of Hell’s Gate featuring a much revised and simplified race format to previous years, the event once again proved to be anything but easy.

The morning qualifying race ended with Roman being the faster of the Husqvarna teammates, and he came close to topping the result sheets. Taking no risks, Jarvis placed fifth.

At the start of the main race it was Roman who ran second behind early pacesetter Wade Young [Sherco]. The young Spaniard held second for several laps before eventually being caught and passed by his more experienced teammate, Jarvis.

Working his way forward having failed to get away from the start quickly, Jarvis fought his way from outside the top 10 to fourth in no time at all. Setting an impressive pace, he then moved into second with close to half the race remaining. Yet despite his best efforts, Jarvis was unable to catch leader Young. With the final 30 minutes of the race a torturous test of endurance around a highly-technical Endurocross track, Jarvis secured the runner-up result.

“I didn’t make things easy for myself at the start,” Jarvis said. “I was really slow away from the drop of the flag, so I had quite a few riders to pass. There were only two technical areas of the track, so it was hard to make up time. The spectators did a great job helping the riders, but again it made it hard for me to make up any time on Wade. But hats off to Wade, he rode a really good race. I feel like I rode well, so I’m happy with that, and it’s another podium result at Hell’s Gate. Although it was a completely different race than all previous years it was still tough – it was a long day on the bike.”

Roman overcame an issue with his headlight to secure third–his first Extreme Enduro podium result of 2016.

“I’m really pleased with my result,” Roman said. “Everything went well in the morning qualifying race.I had one crash that cost me around 15 seconds, without it I’m sure I would have qualified first for the evening race. The main race was tough–it wore you down lap after lap. There were only a few really hard places, but added to the long morning race it was physical. Finishing on the podium with Graham is great. Everything was going well but on one of the hard parts of the track a spectator accidentally broke my front light. I had to stop in the pits twice to fix it, losing time. But I’m really pleased. Now I return to the SuperEnduro World Championship.”

Hell’s Gate 2016 Results
1. Wade Young-Sherco
2. Graham Jarvis-Husqvarna
3. Mario Roman-Husqvarna

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Red Bull KTM’s Jonny Walker won the tough Hell’s Gate Hard Enduro near Lucca Italy, Saturday, prevailing in bad weather that added to the brutal course conditions for which the event is known.

As heavy rain and, later, snow, pelted the event in the Tuscan Mountains, Walker took the lead toward the end of the opening lap in the afternoon/evening final. From then on he was never challenged. Spain’s Mario Roman and Austria’s Lars Enöckl battled for second place throughout the race, with Roman securing the runner-up spot only in the final climb. That made it an all-KTM podium in an event where the original field of just over 100 riders was trimmed down to just 14 qualifiers for the final race up the dreaded Hell’s Peak.

“That’s the hardest race I’ve ever done,” Walker said afterward.

Walker’s win snaps the stranglehold that rival and nemesis Graham Jarvis has had on the event, Jarvis having won every edition since 2011. But it all went bad for Jarvis this year, as he did not finish after he drowned his bike in a deep water crossing.

Walker’s win follows his recent victory at the inaugural Ales Trèm Extreme Enduro in France. He was also outstanding at the end of 2014, winning both the Red Bull Hare Scramble at the Erzbergrodeo and the Red Bull Romaniacs. Walker’s next battles will be in the finaltwo rounds of the FIM SuperEnduro in Mexico and Brazil. He will then prepare for The Tough One Hard Enduro at home in the UK and for the 2015 Erzbergrodeo.

2015 Hell´s Gate Hard Enduro
Lucca, Italy
Results: January 15, 2015

1. Jonny Walker (GBR)-KTM
2. Mario Roman (ESP)-KTM
3. Lars Enöckl (AUT)-KTM

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If you’ve been following the butt-kicking sub-genre of off-road racing known as hard enduro, then Graham Jarvis needs no introduction.

A former World Trials Championship contender and Scottish Six Day Trial Champion, the 39-year-old Englishman is a four-time winner of the prestigious Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro, and the defending champion of the Hell’s Gate hard enduro. He gave the Bel Ray Husqvarna Extreme Factory Team its first Hard Enduro victory at the Roof Of Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, in November of 2013. Recently, Jarvis just missed out on claiming a record fifth Red Bull Romaniacs title. He is a rather quiet and polite character, which belies the bull-dogged riding style that has seen him become recognized as one of the top two Hard Enduro riders in the world. In the world of motorcycle racing, Jarvis’ battles with countryman Johnny Walker deserve a recognition akin to the Muhammed Ali/Joe Frazier heavyweight boxing battles of the 1970s.

To celebrate Jarvis legendary status among the most extreme off-road pilots in the world, Husqvarna has released this video. Jarvis is aboard a Husqvarna TE 300. Enjoy!

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When it comes to the Hell’s Gate Hard Enduro, Bel Ray Husqvarna rider Graham Jarvis knows that the devil is in the details.

The 37-year-old Englishman, who Jarvis, who finished fourth in the 1999 FIM World Trials Championship Series, came prepared for the brutal hard enduro in Tuscany, Italy, and when it was over Jarvis collected his fourth Hell’s Gate victory Saturday, becoming the winningest rider in the 11-year history of the event. Jarvis dominated the 30-rider main event. Fellow Englishman Jonny Walker finished second aboard a KTM, while Beta USA rider and reigning King of the Motos Champion Cody Webb finished third.

Jarvis moved into the lead of the main event halfway through the first lap after getting off to a slow start. He then set a torrid pace in the grueling event, and he held a 5-minute lead just two laps into the five-lap event. After stopping for fuel, he would extend his lead as night fell. On the final lap, just five riders were still in the running, with Jarvis enjoying a huge lead. Not wanting to make a mistake, he was tentative on the final lap, making his way to the dreaded Hell’s Peak, which he crested as a four-time Hell’s Gate winner.

“It’s great to get a fourth win here at Hell’s Gate,” Jarvis said. “I’ve raced here so many times over the years that I know what to expect, but this year’s race was definitely one of the toughest. I was pleased with second in the morning enduro; it gave me a good starting position, and all I wanted to do was get around the first few corners without any mistakes. We went off the start almost directly into a massive water hole. I took it easy there, but it didn’t take too long before I was back into the top three. Andreas Lettenbichler and Cody Webb both made mistakes and then I got around Jonny Walker, and then just put my head down. I moved into the lead about half way around the first lap. I was expecting things to be easier this year with no ice and snow, but the rocks were really slippery. The extra, fifth, lap made it hard. We rode close to two laps in the dark, but apart from a few falls I didn’t have any problems. It’s great to win by a good margin and give Husqvarna their first Hell’s Gate win.”

Hell’s Gate Hard Enduro
Tuscany, Italy
Results: February 15, 2014

Overall
1. Graham Jarvis-Hus
2 Jonny Walker-KTM
3. Cody Webb-Bet
4. Andreas Lettenbichler-KTM
5. Diego Nicoletti-Suz

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