Press Release | June 13, 2022
FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Returns To Red Bull Erzbergrodeo
This is a press release from FIM Hard Enduro/WESS Promotion…
Wels, Austria (June 13, 2022) — The Iron Giant is back! It’s all systems go this week as the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship heads to Austria’s iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo for round three.
Put on hold during the Covid pandemic, the idyllic Austrian town of Eisenerz will once again come alive to the excitement of Hard Enduro, as thousands of competitors and race fans ready themselves for the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. The ultimate tests of man and machine versus the mountain, the four-day festival is one everyone has been waiting for in 2022.
Landscape picture of the Erzberg on May 15th, 2021. Photo by Jakob Schweighofer / Red Bull Content Pool
- Red Bull Erzbergrodeo returns this coming weekend
- The iconic Iron Giant plays host to HEWC round three
- Four days of Hard Enduro action begins on Thursday
- Watch Sunday’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo live on Red Bull TV
Josep Garcia at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo 2019
This year’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is long awaited. The Iron Giant has lay dormant since 2019, but now it’s finally ready to roar into life again. Excitement is already running high. While Sunday’s epic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is naturally the showstopper of the event, everything about this legendary four-day festival is all things Hard Enduro–thousands of riders and fans all having a good time on dirt bikes.
Just for fun, Thursday’s MITAS Rocket Ride kicks the action into life. An infamous hill climb, competitors go head-to-head through a series of qualifiers trying to tame one of the Iron Giant’s cliff-like quarry walls. Home hero Ossi Reisinger has in recent times made this race his own and no doubt he’ll be looking to make it four wins in a row.
Bikes lined up at the start line at the third stop of the World Enduro Super Series in Eisenerz, Austria on June 2, 2019. Photo by Future7Media / Red Bull Content Pool
Things turn high-speed on Friday with the first day of the Blaklader Iron Road Prologue. A test of flat-out speed and bravery, competitors tackle the quarry roads in a 13-kilometer-long time trial race from the bottom of the mountain right to the top. Some take it seriously as they bid for one of the 500 places available for Sunday’s main event, while the remainder of the 1,200 strong entry just want to have fun. Everything goes for the Blaklader Iron Road Prologue, from full-factory prepped Enduro race bikes to wild screaming street bikes with off-road tires, and not forgetting the occasional pimped out moped!
Billy Bolt performs during the FIM Hard Enduro Xross Challenge Race in Serbia on May 20, 2022 Photo Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Saturday is again another day of qualification on the Blaklader Iron Road Prologue as those on the fringes of qualification give it one last shot, while others aim to better their start grid position for Sunday.
Sunday’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is what everyone has been waiting for. No matter if you’re one of the 500 competitors nervously waiting for the off down on the quarry floor, a spectator lining the many vantage points along the course, or watching it live on Red Bull TV from the comfort of your living room, this is the biggest stage for Hard Enduro and is not to be missed.
At the strike of 2.30pm riders are set loose on the iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo course. Waved away in groups of 50, it’s riders against the mountain. Only an elite few will cross the finish line within the four-hour allowed race time, with the majority scrambling to get as far as they can. From the early climbs of Wasserleitung and Three Kings, the course increases in difficulty with punishing sections like Machine, Carl’s Dinner, Cuckoo’s Nest, Dynamite, and Lazy Noon coming thick and fast. Expect a few new sections to be added into the mix, too.
Currently jointly leading the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Graham Jarvis has won the previous two editions of Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, in 2019 and 2018. Already on the podium twice during the 2022 season, the Jarvis Racing Team rider has high hopes of making it a hat trick.
Graham Jarvis performs at the 2019 Erzbergrodeo. Photo by Future7Media / Red Bull Content Pool
However, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt and KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler are arguably his biggest challenge for victory come Sunday. Neither Bolt nor Lettenbichler have yet to stand on the top step of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo podium, will Sunday see that change for one of them?
Manuel Lettenbichler Photo by Jakob Schweighofer / Red Bull Content Pool
Round three of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship takes place at Austria’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo from June 16-19. Watch Sunday’s race live on Red Bull TV from 2 p.m. CET. [which is 8 a.m. ET or 5 a.m. PT]
VIDEO | The Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is Back
2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
Round 1: Minus 400 – Israel, April 5-7
Round 2: Xross Hard Enduro Rally – Serbia, May 18-21
Round 3: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – Austria, June 16-19
Round 4: Red Bull Abestone – Italy, July 9-10
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs – Romania, July 26-30
Round 6: Red Bull TKO – USA, August 13-14
Round 7: Red Bull Outliers – Canada, August 27-28
Round 8: Hixpania Hard Enduro – Spain, October 7-9
Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Riders To Watch
Graham Jarvis – Jarvis Racing Team
The best just keeps getting better. Jointly leading the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Graham Jarvis enters Red Bull Erzbergrodeo with a serious shot of claiming a record-breaking sixth victory. Graham has been superb so far in 2022 with two podium results, putting an eight-month-long knee injury well and truly behind him. The Brit’s confidence is sky high and in the pressure cooker environment of the Iron Giant that’s worth its weight in gold.
Graham Jarvis
Billy Bolt – Husqvarna Factory Racing
Billy Bolt shares the championship lead with Jarvis, but in truth has yet to deliver his best in 2022. A lot of that is due to the wrist injury he’s been nursing since his early-season SuperEnduro duties ended. This weekend he’ll be hoping to set things right and there’s no bigger stage than the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo on which to do it. A race he’s yet to win, Billy will leave nothing on the table as he bids to tick this one off his list.
Manuel Lettenbichler – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Manuel Lettenbichler heads into round three riding high and carrying what could prove to be all-important race-winning momentum from Xross in Serbia. Making his eagerly awaited return from injury in Serbia, Mani didn’t disappoint and put his KTM on the top step of the podium. Like for Billy, Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is a race Mani has yet to win. Mani’s betting 2022 will be his year.
Manuel Lettenbichler
Mario Roman – Sherco Factory Racing
Mario Roman came out swinging at round one to win in Israel, but a broken toe during round two kept him away from the sharp end of the results. Now healed up, Mario will be eager to get back into the mix. However, he’s a rider who tends to favor the championship’s multi-day events more than the explosive sprint style Hard Enduro races. Often needing a little more time to settle in and get up to speed, Mario will look to make up places in the latter stages of the race.
Wade Young – Sherco Factory Racing
A rider with strong pedigree at the Iron Giant, Wade Young will have his sights set on finishing on the podium. Strong as an ox, Wade has the ability like no other to dig deep when the going gets tough. When the heat’s on, you can be sure he’ll muscle his way through the infamous Carl’s Dinner boulders with ease.
Wade Young
Alfredo Gomez – AG Racing 89
Alfredo Gomez is one of the select few riders taking on the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in 2022 who’s already a proven winner. In 2017 the Spaniard etched his name in Hard Enduro folklore by racing to a very convincing victory. Starting his own privateer team for this year, Alfredo is enjoying his riding more than ever and that could be a dangerous thing for his rivals.
Teodor Kabakchiev – Team Bulgaria powered by ECONT
Young Bulgarian Teodor Kabakchiev is enjoying the best season of his career to date. A debut FIM Hard Enduro podium at round two sees him arrive in Austria confident, fired-up, and ready to go at it. In 2019, Teodor got as far as Carl’s Dinner and no further, but a lot has happened for the Bulgarian since then. Pencil him in as the dark horse for a surprise result.
Theodor Kabakchiev
Trystan Hart – FMF KTM Factory Racing
Canada’s Trystan Hart is another rider who may deliver a standout performance this weekend. Very much an unknown rookie in 2019, Trystan finished 14th of 16 finishers. He’s since gone on to win the Red Bull TKO and become one of North America’s top Hard Enduro riders.
Austrian Warriors
Naturally Austrian entries figure heavily on the entry list. At the sharp end, GasGas Factory Racing’s Michael Walkner looks to deliver the goods in his home race. He’s been enjoying a great season to date, which should boost his confidence come Sunday. Ski legend Marcel Hirscher also takes to the start line. A motorsport fanatic, he’ll be pushing to get as far as he can.
Sandra Gomez
Will we see a woman finisher in 2022? Sandra Gomez takes to the start line with the goal of making history. As the first female finisher of Red Bull Romaniacs Gold class, adding Red Bull Erzbergrodeo to that tally is her target.
Sandra Gomez
Matt Green – Rigo Racing
South African Matt Green topped the new Junior category at round two and will look to become the first Junior home at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo.
Pol Tarres – Yamaha Tenere
We couldn’t finish this Riders to Watch without a nod to the legend that is Pol Tarres. Always ready for a challenge, the Spaniard will take on the Iron Giant aboard his 700cc Yamaha Tenere adventure bike. How far he’ll get remains to be seen, but if anyone can do the impossible, Pol Tarres can!
Championship Standings (After Round 2)
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 30pts; 2. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 30pts; 3. Teodor Kabakchiev (KTM) 27pts; 4. Mario Roman (Sherco) 26pts 5. Wade Young (Sherco) 22pts; 6. Alfredo Gomez (GasGas) 21pts; 7. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 20pts; 8. Michael Walkner (GasGas) 18pts; 9. David Cyprian (KTM) 16pts; 10. Dominik Olszowy (GasGas) 14pts.
- Tranquil Eisenerz, the town that hosts the four-day event, swells tenfold as 40,000 fans flock to the tiny Styrian mining town to see 1,500 hopefuls take on the ‘Iron Giant’ with this year also doubling up as the third stop of the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
- Legendary riders such as Germany’s Chris Pfeiffer, Frenchman Cyril Despres, Briton David Knight, Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak and Jarvis have all been victorious around the fearsome course multiple times.
- Manuel Lettenbichler is already the youngest finisher in the event’s history at just 16 in 2014 and arrives fresh from victory at Xross in Serbia while he is also up against closest rival and friend, Billy Bolt, who is the reigning world champion and runner-up at the Minus 400 season opener.
- Even though three-time champion Jonny Walker will be missing due to injury, Jarvis will be out to surpass Blazusiak with a sixth victory while South African Wade Young, Austrian Michael Walkner and Minus 400 winner Mario Roman of Spain will also take to the start line.
- Organizer Karl Katoch’s course will see the riders tackle steep climbs like Wasserleitung (Waterpipe) and Zentrum am Berg (which translates to the Tolkienian Heart of the Mountain) before heading down Carl’s Dinner—an energy-sapping technical over boulders—followed by the descent and escape from Ludwig’s Land and more climbs at Dynamite and Lazy Noon.
- In 2015, when Ludwig’s Land was introduced, the riders couldn’t find enough grip to climb out the slippery section with Jarvis, Walker, Alfredo Gomez and Andreas Lettenbichler working together to haul their bikes out before sharing exhausted top honors on the top step of the podium.
- In fact, only five out of 500 bikers made it to the 2015 finish—exactly one percent—while in 1999, the mountain was slightly kinder to the racers and 51 crossed the finish line, and a 10 percent success rate.
- The Rocket Ride sprint is followed by the daunting Iron Road Prologue, two tough time trials that whittle the field down to the last 500 fastest qualifiers for Sunday’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo ride to the finish line.
- The final race duration is limited to four hours, and only a handful of riders make it to the top thanks to a 630m ascent on ever-changing terrain, tricky boulder gardens, forested climbs and steep faces.
- The race is also famous for celebrities with alpine skiing legend and skilled rider Marcel Hirscher, 33, suiting up this year on a KTM bike on home soil after taking part in the Red Bull Romaniacs race last year.
- Weather plays a huge part with sun, rain and thunderstorms forecast for this year’s race after previous editions saw soaring heat, thick fog, snow, torrential rain and even hailstones the size of ping-pong balls.
- Racing around a huge deposit of iron with its own magnetic field can also play havoc on navigation and broadcast equipment, while it is a superb conduct lightning conductor into the bargain.
- With the terrain changing significantly since the last edition, rookie Walkner, 24, said: “I’m really excited because it’s a home race and I know the mountain. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
- Five-time winner Jarvis, 47, added: “I’ve missed it, so it’ll be good to get back. It’s the one everybody wants, so I’m just going to try to be on peak form. Anything can happen, so you’ve got to go for it!”
- For the first time in the history of the Hard Enduro World Championship, 1500 points are on offer during the weekend with 500 points for the Iron Road Prologue and 1,000 points for the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo.
- The 26th edition, after the pandemic saw the 2020 and 2021 races cancelled, looks set to be the most intriguing yet with the main action live on Red Bull TV across Saturday June 18 and Sunday June 19.
Watch the 2022 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo live HERE beginning June 18 at 10 PDT.
