The founder of Enduro-X Eric Peronnard is coming down under for the final round of the InsureMyRide Australian enduro-x nationals at Calder Park on Saturday 14th March 2015.
In 2004, French-born, U.S.-based promoter Eric Peronnard invented Endurocross, a new indoor sport that required the skills of motocross, off-roading and trials to win.
Shortened to Enduro X for its X Games debut, this hybrid motorcycle sport incorporates dirt, water, logs, boulders, giant tractor tires and 18- to 24-inch wide rocks, to make up the race track.
The concept condenses the obstacles that could be found on a three-hour off-road enduro course and slams them into a track that is the length of an arena cross race. Instead of racing the clock like in enduro, riders start on a backward falling gate, like in Supercross, and race a predetermined number of laps.
"I thought that Endurocross would do for off-road racing what Supercross did for motocross," Peronnard said of moving enduro from spectator-unfriendly forests to the cushy seats of air-conditioned arenas.
Enduro-x has been relatively slow to catch on in Australia. The promoters of the current series, were washed out by 120 mm of rain at their first attempt in Melbourne in 2011. They returned the following year in 2012 to run a single event and then another single event at Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne in 2013.
The event proved so popular that it then went to a three round series in 2014 incorporating events at Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne over a 4 week period. The Sydney event was conducted at night time and proved to be so successful that from 2015 onwards all events are held at night time.
