After having a taste of the Red Bull Romaniacs, New Zealand off-road rider Chris Birch has added extreme to his racing career with Motorex KTM, confirming he is taking entry into one of the toughest enduro races on the planet, the Red Bull Last Man Standing.
Taking place in Bulcher, Texas on 7-8 December, the Red Bull Last Man Standing combines enduro, off-road and desert racing all into one, where riders compete in a 40 mile loop during the day, while those finishing within one hour of the race leader get to do it all again at night, on the same loop but in reverse.
With terrain taking in rocky uphill climbs, breathtaking decents and trees so tight you can barely fit your bike through them only the best enduro riders in the world stand a chance, and Birch feels quietly confident after he finished 3rd overall at the Red Bull Romaniacs earlier in the year.
Commenting on his entry into the Red Bull Last Man Standing, Birch said, ‰ÛÏI‰Ûªve race against some of the guys competing in Texas at Red Bull Romaniacs which was a similar event but required GPS navigation, where this event is all in a set out loop.
‰ÛÏLast Man Standing is a lot tougher because parts of the course can be almost impossible to ride, like vertical boulders that will actually require you to rope your bike up a cliff, so you have to come equipped for everything and anything. I am even working on additional lighting for the night racing with halogen lights taped onto my helmet.
‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm once again riding the KTM 300 EXC-E, this bike has served me well in a number of off-road events and I feel confident in its ability. KTM obviously take this event seriously because they have won it for the past two years with World Enduro Champion, David Knight from the UK, who will be returning in hope of his third consecutive win this year.
‰ÛÏDavid Knight and Wayne Braybrook also from the UK will be my toughest competitors for sure. They were the only two riders to finish the event last year, making the event name almost become a reality of last man standing.
‰ÛÏI have always wanted to enter this event, after watching it on DVD. It looks like a lot of fun and I‰Ûªm really looking forward to the challenge.
‰ÛÏOrganisers call the Red Bull Last Man Standing an event of epic battle, nerves, endurance and will and they‰Ûªre not wrong because you‰Ûªre on your own out there. You can‰Ûªt even have mechanical support, or team support. At Romaniacs the locals were allowed to help you if you got stuck, but in Texas if you get help you‰Ûªre out of the race. That‰Ûªs all pretty intense but I feel confident I can handle it and hopefully come home with another podium finish from one of Red Bull‰Ûªs challenging events.‰Û
