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MANUFACTURERS DISCUSS WORLD ENDURO CROSSROADS
"OBVIOUSLY THE WORLD ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE
PREMIER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP… [BUT] IT WILL BE
NECESSARY TO CHECK HOW WESS INFLUENCES IT, IF IT REALLY
TAKES AWAY THIS PROTAGONISM…" -Jordi Arilla, GasGas
Traditionally, the FIM Endu-
roGP World Championship is
recognized as the de facto global
championship, but in recent
years, a shift has begun with a
fresh form of competition: ex-
treme enduro. Races such as the
Erzberg Rodeo and Romaniacs
quickly put extreme racing on the
map, and with it riders like Taddy
Blazusiak, David Knight and
Graham Jarvis. With the backing
of Red Bull and its powerhouse
media machine, a number of
extreme events around the world
gained global attention, but as this
new competition grew, so did the
divide between extreme enduro
and classic enduro. Star athletes
and top machinery are diverging
into two different categories, thus
raising the question of where the
true pinnacle of the sport lies.
While the EnduroGP has con-
tinued the march of the classic
enduro format, others contend-
ed that the sport was evolving
and that the world championship
should, too.
Many began to voice dissatis-
faction with the EWC, meanwhile
drawn to the increasingly popu-
lar and more widely publicized
extreme enduro events, where
media attention was growing,
along with amateur participation.
Finally, the inevitable hap-
pened.
PHOTO
BY
FIM-PICTURES.COM
Preserving the spirit of
classic enduro is not
something Europeans
take lightly. Tradition and
race format consistency
are important.
