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23 MACHINES, 2 DAYS, 1 WINNER We test 23 of the best machines but only one can reign supreme
KORR BLIMEY Meet the new KTM Off-road Racing team
“G’DAY MATE” Introducing TM’s new Australian signing
HELLS BELLS It’s a British one two at Hells Gate
RECORD BREAKER A lifetime in the shoes of Paul Edmondson
X-rated! 9 771757 773004
05
UK £3.99 March 2010
Suzuki rMX450Z tried and tested Travel: France // Competition: BEC – Muntjac // Classic Collection: Telford Show Indoor: IEWC - Barcelona // Double Poster: Hells Gate/Tough One Issue 5 // March 2010 – May 2010 // Quarterly // www.enduroextreme.com
Summary Cover Photo: Suzuki RMX450 Z on test Picture Credit: Ray Archer
Comparison 18 23 of the world’s best machines on test Competition 39 Indoor Enduro Barcelona Competition 43 British Enduro Championship - Muntjac Test 54 Suzuki RMX450 Z Five Minutes with... 61 Aussie – Josh Green Meeting 64 KTM Off-Road Racing Team Interview 70 Paul Edmondson
SECTIONS News
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Opinion
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Calendar C
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Paddock
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Shopping
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Posters
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Editor: John Hulme - john@enduroextreme.com Editorial Staff: Stuart Taylor, Steve Plain, Steven Crane, Robert Lynn. Photographers: Robert Lynn, www.certa.co.uk, Dave Kneen, Stuart Taylor, Albert Alsina, Richard Jennings, Verity Allen. © Red Bull Photofiles, Steve Williamson. Proof reading: Dee Brooks, Steven Crane, Stuart Taylor. Design: The Magazine Production Company (Grant Lucas)
Extreme 76 Hells Gate Travel 80 Trail Riding in France Classic 88 Telford Motorcycle Show Competition 91 The Tough One
Commercial manager: Stuart Taylor stuart@enduroextreme.com Printed by: Warners Midlands PLC Distribution: Warners Group Publications PLC Copyright: The reproduction, even partially of any material published in this magazine is prohibited by law. Documents submitted for publication are not returned. The Editor reserves the right to modify documents accepted for publication.
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compariSon: 23 MaCHineS, 2 DaYS, 1 WinneR
! g o d p o T
The KT KTm 300!
W
e were pretty lucky with the
tested by riders of all abilities.
weather to be honest as
in a race, climbs followed by downhill sections and some gentle(ish) motocross sections.
although there was still snow
They had two days to test as many bikes as
This is a test track that would be accessible to
on the ground, there was
they could and to document their thoughts
all riders, despite the previous day’s ice and
nowhere near as much as in other regions of
and opinions. Organised and run by Greg
the subsequent thaw, and selective enough to
France. The ‘mechanical hub’ of the Cevennes
Eyriès in the hilly countryside around Alès,
highlight the behaviour of the bikes, to give
region was, without doubt, the only place
the proposed circuit had a bit of everything
our testers plenty to think about. Our panel
capable of offering decent riding conditions
and offered a good level of difficulty for our
was made up of a cross-section of riders,
with enough space for our entourage: 23
more seasoned volunteers, with detours
designed to represent the whole range of
bikes, 10 mechanics, 28 testers and a load
and alternative routes for the rest. Lasting
users and abilities: ten trail riders/occasional
of vehicles... a much bigger venture than in
just over ten minutes for the faster riders,
competitors, ten league/classic level riders
previous years. But that’s the idea: offering
the circuit comprised rolling trails, tortuous
and the rest coming from the national circuit.
to have several manufacturers’ best models
single tracks, fast sections that you might see
The only inter in the group, motocross rider
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When we decided to run this mammoth test incorporating 23 machines, 28 riders, over 2 days, there was no way we were going to chance the good old British weather. Instead we got our French sister publication to carry out the huge task; as it happens it still snowed but hey, at least the food was better! It’s usually the mid-sized engines which prevail in these types of tests and it was no different on this occasion with three 300s on the podium; KTM, Gas Gas and Honda! Words: Richard Angot - Carlo Bagalini, Pictures: Yvan Lepaisant - Carlo Bagalini
Complicated maths Each machine was scored on a total of 37 precise areas, divided into five groups (first impressions, engine, frame etc., on the trails and overall impressions). The average of these scores was given as a mark out of ten. We then added this average score to the ‘intention to buy’ Pierrick Paget, was taking part in his first test.
big calculations, but they would easier to
(I’d buy one: we’ll see: no thanks – 2: 1 :
understand and just as reliable as if we’d
0). Its result closely related to the price,
taken the riders’ abilities into account.
but also to the overall appeal of the bike.
was obvious that each tester would not be
As usual, the more ‘all round’ bikes
Competition or trail?
able to test every bike. For this reason we
performed better in this test. Of course, this
Each tester was also asked to say where
decided not to take into account the level
does not mean that they are the best bikes
each bike was more at home, according
of each rider in determining a hierarchy,
for all eventualities, just that they please a
to their own feelings and opinions, giving
but to take an average of the scores
larger range of users. In order to get a more
their answer in the form of a competition/
obtained by each machine from 37 areas,
in-depth view of each bike than a simple
trails ratio that would answer the
with whether or not our testers would buy
arithmetic result, just read what our testers
question that a lot of people would be
one bringing this up to 38. This method
had to say. Their comments are interesting
asking themselves: “what’s it for?”
meant that we were faced with some pretty
and sometimes quite funny!
Given the number of machines to test in what was ultimately a very short time, it
P
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compeTiTion: INDOOR ENDURO WORLD CUP – ROUND FOUR
clash
! s n a t i T of the
It may have been Ivan Cervantes’s title to lose but as the FIM Indoor Enduro World Cup reached its final stop of the tour at the Palau Sant Jordi stadium in the Spaniard’s hometown of Barcelona, Taddy Blazusiak was already the newly crowned king. Without question Taddy has established himself as the world’s best Indoor Enduro rider and is now the man to beat in any stadium he enters. As the series moved from Sheffield, England to Genoa, Italy and then on to Vigo, Spain he has won every race he’s entered, gathering a maximum points haul to claim his first World Championship title with a round to spare. Such dominance instantly made him the bookies’ favourite to take top honours in Barcelona, but with home crowd support behind Cervantes and the arrival of David Knight debuting his new KTM ride the stage was set for anything to happen. Throw in the rookie Husaberg rider, Joakim Ljunggren, and add the presence of Mika Ahola and Britain’s Dougie Lampkin and Graham Jarvis to the mix; it was to be a true test of the newly crowed champion. P Words and pictures: Robert Lynn
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compeTiTion: bRItIsh ENDURO ChamPIONshIP
The opening round of the 2010 Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship held at Thetford Forest has always been classed as one of the most demanding rounds in the enduro calendar. Not only is it the first major time-card event of the year but it also gives riders, teams, sponsors and spectators a chance to catch up with each other after the long winter break. This year’s Muntjac somewhat mirrored last year’s event, as Knighter would once again be entering under a new manufacturer onboard his Farioli-backed KTM but would be hoping to match last year’s win with slightly more ease than in 2009. One thing nobody could have planned for was the adverse weather conditions leading up to and during the event, which at one point threatened to end the race before it had even began. P Words: Stuart Taylor, Pictures: Start Taylor and John Hulme
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TeST: SuZuKi RMX450Z
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! d e T a r X e for p in their off-road rang Suzuki have had a ga Suzuki though the hardcore some time now and al ns, th motocross conversio fans have made do wi lly in the ed very well – especia which to be fair work s about ul Edmondson – it wa hands of team rider Pa ered a se manufacturer deliv time that the Japane asses. ro machine for the m full-on dedicated endu s the g, their range include I mean don’t me wron offers od trail machine and DRZ400 which is a go s never at they want, but it wa may riders exactly wh zuki gree racer. But now Su designed to be a pedi otocross nquering RM-Z450 m have taken their all co duro d it into an all new en machine and redesigne model, the RMX450Z. P Words: Stuart Day Pictures: Ray Archer
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meeTing: KtM off-RoaD RaCing teaM
64
HARD R kOR
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The 2010 season sees an exciting new team added to the paddock in the form of the KTM Off-Road Racing team (KORR). Headed by Julian ‘Smooth’ Stevens and supported by KTM UK the team will concentrate its efforts on the British Enduro Championship and the newly formed British Enduro Sprint Championship. The team consists of current British E1 Champion Daryl Bolter, Welsh Champion Greg Evans and Expert class rider James Giddings. With each rider bringing their own unique skills and knowledge to the table the team looks set to attack the 2010 season with full force. We caught up with the team at a practice day held before the first round of the BEC and asked the lads about their 2010 campaign. P Words and Pictures: Stuart Taylor enduroextreme.com
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23 MACHINES, 2 DAYS, 1 WINNER
We test 23 of the best machines but only one can reign supreme
KORR BLIMEY
Meet the new KTM Off-road Racing team
“G’DAY MATE”
Introducing TM’s new Australian signing
HELLS BELLS
It’s a British one two at Hells Gate
RECORD BREAKER
A lifetime in the shoes of Paul Edmon
dson
X-rated! 05
UK £3.99 March 2010
Suzuki rMX450Z tried and teste d 9 771757 773004
instead of £15.96 Get one Free issue!
Travel: France // Competition: BEC – Muntjac // Classic Collection: Telford Show Indoor: IEWC - Barcelona // Double Poster: Hells Gate/Tough One Issue 5 // March 2010 – May 2010
// Quarterly // www.enduroextreme.co
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