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ErzbergRodeo To Become Extreme-Enduro World Championship |
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File under Racing
Author: Martin Kettner
Location: Erzberg, Austria
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NOTE: Check the video at the end of this article on this epic enduro.
Following the 16th edition of the legendary race on the massive iron mountain and in front of 40,000 enthusiastic spectators the organizers have announced that the next Erzbergrodeo  is to be the location of the Xtreme-Enduro World Championship!
From 2011 the official world champion of this type of sport will be named at the same location where the sport was inaugurated in 1995.
  Tadeusz Blazusiak © Mark Teo/Red Bull Photofiles |
Karl Katoch, Mastermind behind the original concept and event director of the Erzbergrodeo: "It was here 16 years ago that a simple idea was realized together with Heinz Kinigadner and publisher Andreas Werth, supported by Red Bull and KTM. We wanted to bring the world's best offroad riders from all disciplines together and challenge them with an unsolvable task. After the unique and continuously rising development of the Erzbergrodeo until today - we had competitors from 35 countries and all continents taking part in the race in 2010 - now, with the strength of the same partners, it is time to give the riders and the fans 'their' Xtreme-Enduro World Championship."
KTM Motorsport Advisor Heinz Kinigadner added: "We welcome and 100% support the development of the Erzbergrodeo into the Xtreme-Enduro World Championship. A sport was being born here that is unlike of any other format, riders and fans from all over the world come together for an extreme event. It was here that top-riders like Cyril Despres, Chris Pfeiffer, David Knight and not the least Taddy Blazusiak became stars of the offroad world. The field of starters, which on the one hand is extremely high class and on the other very broadly varied, as well as the entire format of the Erzbergrodeo as an extremely positive sporting event in every way, has already let this race develop into an unofficial world championship."
 Tadeusz Blazusiak © Samo Vidic/Red Bull Photofiles |
Taddy Blazusiak, who won the race last Sunday for the fourth time in a row and in doing so wrote himself into the record books of the Red Bull Hare Scramble, is very enthusiastic about the announcement: "I consider the idea to stage the Xtreme-Enduro world championship here at Erzberg very good and logical. Everything is in place to take a step in this direction. The best riders in all disciplines, a very big competition, the toughest of all possible courses, very strong partners and any amount of spectators. It won't be just me that will return to Erzbergrodeo even more motivated than ever. "
Also second placed Andreas Lettenbichler (GER, BMW), the third placed Dougie Lampkin (GB, Beta) and many other active riders welcome the announcement. Lettenbichler: "Erzbergrodeo is unique and already gathers the best offroad specialists from all continents. The world championship will be an additional stimulus for all the riders."
 Dougie Lampkin © Philip Platzer/Red Bull Photofiles |
12-times Trials World Champion Dougie Lampkin on arriving at the finish line: "The Hare Scramble already combines the most challenging speed passages with the most difficult technical sections. Whoever wins here can really call themselves the world champion of Xtreme-Enduro."
 © Philip Platzer/Red Bull Photofiles |
The Erzbergrodeo's special character to be the most extreme Enduro race, which is also followed with interest by International Motorcycle Federation FIM , will stay in the same format in 2011 despite being declared the world championship. Every rider, from pure fun riders and amateurs right up to the Enduro, Rally or Motocross professionals, has the chance to qualify for the Red Bull Hare Scramble in both of the prologue races, then challenge and beat the "Iron Giant" and have the chance to be declared the world's best Extreme Endurist.
For an impression of this incredible race, check the video below:
Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble 2010 (2 minutes 5 seconds)
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