Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Happenings in Motorcycling I Iceland: Off-Road Hot!ipot? "I just came to have fun," said Eriksson, although he probably didn't realize how hard he would have to race. Much of the day he had American Brent Brush of Tennessee leading with his Swedish partner Micke Frisk. "I'm here to train the Icelandic Yamaha MX team," Brush said. "I come over every year to hold schools." Brush and Frisk battled back and forth with the Husky team and with Icelandic Enduro Champion Einar Sigurdarson, who teamed up with British GP rider Ed Bradley on a KTM. There were a few other Americans in the pack, Markus Olsen, Paul Krause and Dustin Hedman, to name a few. "We have plans to make it a true Transatlantic event in the future," said Karl Guslaugsson, who dreamed up the whole thing four years ago. "Right now, there are no real events that match American off-road riders with Europeans. Iceland is the perfect meeting point." He might just have something there. Ron Lawson, Dirt Bike Magazine Iceland is a gigantic clump of lava rock poking out of the North Atlantic. It's half frozen on top and steaming with molten rock just under the surface. It's vast, it's strange, and it's almost completely nude, vegetation wise. It's also an unlikely hotspot for off-road motorcycle racing. In the last weekend of May every year, Iceland hosts the Transatlantic Off-Road Challenge. This is a six-hour endurance race that draws about 400 riders. Most of them are local, but there are significant contingents from England, Sweden and even the United States. In the past, the event has been ridden by the likes of Giovanni Sala, David Knight and such Icelandic household names as Einar Sigurdarson. Here's how it works: The course is located on the coast near the village of (are you ready for this?) Kirkjubaejarklaustur, which is about two hours from the capital of Reykjevik. It's six miles long on terrain that can only be described as lunar, looking kind of like sand dunes that are made of volcanic black dirt. Steep hills form natural jumps, and the berms are the stuff that dreams are made of. And because the race is long, it becomes crazy rough. Most of the entries are teams, two riders and two bikes, although there are a few Ironmen. Every lap or two, a rider pulls into the pits and gives a transponder to his partner. Everything starts at noon and goes until everyone has had enough. Just remember that you have to keep careful track of the time in Iceland, as the sun never quite sets in the spring and summer. This year, Husqvarna's Anders Eriksson teamed up with Englishman Tony Marshall to win the event. 100 JULY 6,2005 • CYCLE NEWS