Combine Motocross, Enduro and Trials, add a dash of Supercross thrills and spills and some of Australia's best riders and what do you get?
Enduro-X, that's what! 2000 fans headed to Melbourne's Broadmeadows Motocross Park last month for the Melbourne Enduro-X event on February 4, and the local debut of this unique form of competition was declared a success by all involved.
Using existing elements of the Broadmeadows Park, Enduro-X transformed the venue with the help of Gary Dewildt Earthmoving, into an array of obstacles in the form of massive tyres, logs, rocks and a mud section. This meant that Enduro-X wasn't just a test of speed, but of balance, bike control and stamina, too.
The event was the brainchild of local enduro stalwarts, Col and Dave Robbins. There mission was to bring the action to the people, and action was delivered. The crowd was only meters from the action all day with some of the best racing seen on Australian soil. Organising and hosting the event proved to be a test of the Robbins's stamina, too, after torrential rain forced them to abandon their first attempt at the event in 2011. Fortunately, the skies stayed clear in the lead up to the event, as well as on race day.
"We are extremely pleased with the how the day went and the reception from the Melbourne public," Colin Robbins said. "Racing was close all day and i think the crowd got there monies worth with plenty of action to keep thing rolling along nicely."
"Like any prompter we had some ups and downs, thanfully many more ups than downs, and we learnt a lot which will go a long way to making the next event even better."
Hot, dusty conditions added to the challenge for the riders, but were maintained by constant watering by the track marshals.
"The weather certianly helped us this year, as many will now last year was a disaster with the worst rain storm in recent histry forcing us to abandon the event. It was a big gamble to put it all on the line again but we believed the event is what people wanted and i think the fact that just over 2000 people paying to get in proved the point," he added.
Regular Supercross comentator and Motocross Coach Lee Hogan was highly impressed with the event, "The whole day was great, the track was amazing the racing was close and it was a world class event in my opinion," Hogan said.
"I was supposed to be the comentator at the washed out event so to see these guys come back, not give up and put on such a classy event is a real credit to them, i hope the event continues well into the future." he added.
As far as racing went there were four classes on display: Pro; Expert; Clubman; and Over 35. The Motorex KTM Off Road Racing team fielded four Pro class riders in the form of Toby Price, Ben Grabham, Ben Burrell, and new recruit Chris Hollis. They were joined by familiar Enduro names in the form of Glen Kearney and Matt Phillips, with trials specialists like Jack Field and Tim Coleman adding a new and exciting element to the mix. Not to be outdone Motocross and Supercross champ Cam Taylor was drawn to the event too.
Pro Class winner Toby Price was also a fan of the event.
"It was good to get the win in something different that we don't usually do," Price commented. "The track was marked out really well and was a lot of fun to ride."
While a 2013 event hasn't yet been confirmed the large crowd and good time had by all riders would indicate that you should keep the date clear come February next year.
